Gives me flashbacks to the Temple Of The Screaming Electron.
Meme Instructions Make Bombs, Not Glow Sticks
11–15 of 15 posts
Re: Meme Instructions Make Bombs, Not Glow Sticks
#12I had a hard time parsing this - couldn't tell if the Bomb part was false, or the glowstick part.
The claim is: "A meme gives instructions for making a homemade glow stick."
The "FALSE" refers to the claim that the instructions are for a glow stick. According to Snopes, the instructions are actually for a dangerous chemical bomb.
It is a bit confusing. Snopes could as easily have addressed the claim that this meme is floating around on social media (which apparently is true).
I've only seen warnings about it, not the meme itself. If my experience is typical, it's nice to see (apparently) accurate information outrunning a dangerous hoax for once.
Re: Meme Instructions Make Bombs, Not Glow Sticks
#13I find it hard to believe anybody could actually fall for this.
Why? I can see how people ignorant of chemistry (most people, in other words), might.
You really think most people might fall for this?
People might be ignorant, but that chemistry ignorance extends to being afraid of words like "chlorine", and for that matter, trying chemistry experiments they found on the internet. Furthermore "cap the bottle TIGHTLY, and shake it up" should set off alarm sirens for anyone who's ever heard of a dry ice bomb (what teenager hasn't?) They might not understand the chemistry behind it, but they'll see the end result coming from a mile away.
Shit, I can't claim to understand the chemistry behind it, but as soon as I read it (weeks ago, not on this snopes article) I knew exactly what it would do.
Doubtlessly thousands of people have seen this 'meme', but who has fallen for it?
Re: Meme Instructions Make Bombs, Not Glow Sticks
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why? I can see how people ignorant of chemistry (most people, in other words), might.
You really think most people might fall for this? People might be ignorant, but that chemistry ignorance extends to being afraid of words like "chlorine", and for that matter, trying chemistry experiments they found on the internet. Furthermore "cap the bottle TIGHTLY, and shake it up" should set off alarm sirens for anyone who's ever heard of a dry ice bomb (what teenager hasn't?) They might not understand the chemi…
I tested it on some friends who aren't particularly smart. Just smart enough to get in trouble. Just shared the instructions, then when they said we should try it I shared the results.
The problem comes up when people don't understand what they're resharing, but do it because "it's cool". The same problem happens when people share something "just in case."
Sharing is seen as a form of endorsement. It is generally taken to mean "I have done this" or "I want to do this" when it usually means "this caught my attention for 5 seconds."
Re: Meme Instructions Make Bombs, Not Glow Sticks
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why? I can see how people ignorant of chemistry (most people, in other words), might.
You really think most people might fall for this? People might be ignorant, but that chemistry ignorance extends to being afraid of words like "chlorine", and for that matter, trying chemistry experiments they found on the internet. Furthermore "cap the bottle TIGHTLY, and shake it up" should set off alarm sirens for anyone who's ever heard of a dry ice bomb (what teenager hasn't?) They might not understand the chemi…
> Furthermore "cap the bottle TIGHTLY, and shake it up" should set off alarm sirens for anyone who's ever heard of a dry ice bomb (what teenager hasn't?)
Those are also appropriate instructions for a glow stick, where you break an interior container and then shake the stick to mix the two liquids. So I don't think someone expecting to make a glow stick would consider anything amiss here.