viral videos

There are a thousand ways to say “I love you,” but tricking your partner into thinking your life's in danger probably isn’t one of them.

In a scary example of how common police brutality is in our culture, Daiwon McPherson of Mobile, Alabama used the horrific practice to the same ends as a flash mob, proposing to his girlfriend of five years after pretending to be victimized by police. Nothing says “let’s be together forever” like a traumatizing reminder of the grim realities of life.

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McPherson pulled the stunt off with the help of local police, who for some reason were more than happy to stage a scene of police violence in the name of love, drawing real gun on a real person in the name of a real blessed union. There’s nothing quite like watching your partner’s face switch from terror to confusion to relief in the blink of an eye.

The whole event started when McPherson never showed up for dinner and drinks with his girlfriend, when she got a call that he was “he was running from the cops while in possession of a gun,” according to The Daily Dot.

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Meanwhile, McPherson had already spoken to police earlier, hoping that the video would go viral “to show an instance of police working with the community for a positive outcome.” Apparently, there are no other positive things police could do for their communities. Maybe, like, a charity car wash or something? Maybe police-hosted picnic? Maybe police talking to people in the community without their guns drawn? I don't know. Just spitballing here.

Of course, this hilarious gag plays on the videos of actual tragedies. As The Daily Dot rightly points out, “In the past three years, many videos involving police altercations with black civilians have gone viral for their depictions of police brutality, including the tragic deaths of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and Tamir Rice.”

Lesson learned: If you're proposing, stick to flash mobs. 

We’re all kind of sick of the Mannequin Challenge, right? At this point, it’s kind of gone to the dogs, and we’re better for it.

No one told these guys, though. At least their Mannequin Challenge went out with guns blazing.

In Alabama, this Mannequin Challenge, which features an intense shootout, led to two arrests on gun and drug charges. These guys took the challenge really seriously.

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According to The Huffington Post:

Authorities got wind of the footage and obtained a search warrant, and a SWAT team raided the Huntsville property at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Madison County Sheriff’s Captain Mike Salomonsky said at a press conference.

They seized two handguns, an assault rifle and a shotgun, as well as several rounds of ammunition and magazines. It’s not clear whether any of these weapons appeared in the video. Authorities also confiscated bags of marijuana and a computer, Salomonsky said.

Capt. Salomonsky @ media event for search warrant at viral video mannequin challenge residence-guns & drugs seized. pic.twitter.com/qsDNcyLPQQ

— Madison Sheriff AL (@mcsosheriffAL) December 6, 2016

Can we just lay the Mannequin Challenge to rest, before someone gets hurt, please?

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“Wow. What an awful year 2016 has been," says everyone always. Everyone except the celebrities, YouTube Stars, and living memes of YouTube’s 2016 Rewind.

This is a packed event filled with references to everything that happened this year, except the really, really bad stuff. Well, there's a reference to Bowie passing, but that's it. It's all good times from here on out. Let’s see what we’ve got here:

1. The Rock
2. The guy water bottle flipping guy
3. PewDiePie
4. Dude Perfect
5. Something called “I Has Cupquake”
6. The dude that does magic but covers his mouth electrical tape
7. The starts of this thing that has over 2 million views
   
   
   
   
8. Seth Meyers
9. Daniel from Damn, Daniel
10. Carpool Karaoke
11. Colorful lighting
12. Pokémon Go
13. The Slow Mo Guys
14. Flash Mobs
15. MUCH, MUCH MORE

Look if your video went viral last year and you’re not in this thing, it’s time to get a new agent. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Misha. Where you at? 45-million views. WHERE YOU AT?

Like everything on YouTube, it’s a real mix of things that are annoying, entertaining, ridiculously cheery, and downright confusing. But that’s what the internet is about, and honestly, it’s better than the other half of the internet, which is startlingly depressing.

There’s a new president, so there’s no more time to stand around. The Mannequin Challenge is over, and it’s time to move, take action, and cower in fear.

At least that’s the MO of the new viral sensation that’s sweeping high schools around Vine or Snapchat or whatever kids are using these days. Personally, I’m 952-years-old, so it’s all Myspace to me.

This new challenge is so easy, it’s almost instinctual. Someone yells, “Trump is coming” to a group of people, and everyone runs away in fear. It’s not so different from a Tokyo resident in a Godzilla movie, except much more real.

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The challenge is barely funny. It’s more just a thing to look at, nod your head, and say, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Don't stand still. Vote today: https://t.co/jfd3CXLD1s #ElectionDay #MannequinChallenge pic.twitter.com/4KAv2zu0rd

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 8, 2016

Is there a more time-honored American tradition than the Mannequin Challenge? Probably not. When our forefathers came forth to this great country and beheld its many spoils, they knew that this land was made for you and me to stand still for a short period of time and pretend we were statues.

Lots of celebrities have been getting in on the Mannequin Challenge the past few days. There was even a Destiny’s Child reunion thanks to it. But there’s one entry that really packed a punch. Aboard her campaign plane (cam-plane?), presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her staff, which includes former President Bill Clinton and hard-rocker Jon Bon Jovi, delivered a Mannequin Challenge as a last-minute bid for the presidency in this 57-second clip. The message is clear: “Don’t stand still. Vote today.” It’s just as our forefathers intended.

Many want to go out in a blaze of glory. One man’s community made sure he did.

Incorporating the ashes of Anthony “Barney” Brack into a bundle of fireworks, Brack’s family and friends sent his ashes airborne into the night sky on, where they exploded in a flurry of light and sound, during the Halloween celebration in Drumcondra, a Dublin suburb. 

Brack was the founder of Drumcondra's Halloween fireworks display, so his family figured that this would be a fitting tribute to a man that loved fireworks so much. Anthony Brack, a father of two, died suddenly on November 2, 2015.

“There was a real devil in him,” family friend Marty Whelan told the Irish Times. “He was an amazing man, he really was.”

One thing’s for sure, his family and friends know how to honor their loved one.

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Hey, if you’re going to steal a cop car, why not share the experience with your friends?

Police arrested John Pinney, a Tulsa resident, who stole a cop car and streamed the joyride on Facebook Live on Monday night. Pinney's friends and followers got to join in the fun of stealing a patrol car, engaging in a high-speed police chase, and singing along to the radio without the added stress of breaking the law.

Oklahoma's News on 6 reports that Pinney simply walked up to the unlocked patrol car, opened the door, and took off.

News On 6 continues, "Tulsa police sergeant Steve Stoltz said a woman called 911 and told the dispatcher a man got into a police car near 5th and Denver, asked if she wanted a ride, then drove off when she said no."

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Presumably, when this woman declined to be Pinney's audience, he turned to the officer's iPad, where he logged onto Facebook and proceeded to bring officers and followers on a 30-to-40-minute, 120-mile-per-hour car chase.

Stoltz "Liked" Pinney's approach to expediting police procedure, though.

"I would encourage every criminal out there to Facebook Live their crimes so that we can catch you a lot easier," said Stoltz. "Use that Facebook Live at your trial to get a better conviction."

According to News on 6, Pinney was arrested "on nine complaints, including eluding, resisting arrest, and possession of a firearm by a felon." Thanks to Facebook Live, we’ll be able to relieve these crimes over and over again.

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Does this look familiar to you? Are you one of the 130,000 people at Standing Rock Reservaton in Cannon Ball, ND?

By most estimates, probably not, but that hasn’t stopped possibly you and a good chunk of your Facebook friends from checking-in at Standing Rock today.

If you’re one of the countless people who were wondering why all of your friends were suddenly in North Dakota, they're not. The check-in is part of a viral social media campaign to confuse the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, who is allegedly using Facebook geotags to round up protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline or DAPL. In addition to the check-ins, a handy explainer has been going around Facebook as well. Most of them read something like this:

This is all done in service of standing in solidarity with the protestors of the controversial pipeline, which cost billions of dollars and aims to connect the Bakken and Three Forks oil pipelines, which, altogether, could transport nearly 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day. However, among other things, DAPL will cut through Sioux Native American reservations.

“The Standing Rock Sioux opposes the pipeline's construction near the Sioux reservation on the grounds that it threatens their public health and welfare, water supply and cultural resources,” writes Aaron Sidder of Smithsonian. “What began as a small protest camp in April on the Standing Rock reservation has since morphed into an encampment with over 1,000 people. Over the past few months, the Sacred Stone Camp, as it is now called, has been the site of a number of antagonistic face offs between protesters and the oil company.”

"The Standing Rock Sioux maintains that the government did not properly consult with them prior to shifting the pipeline’s route, and that the new crossing would entail destruction of sacred spots and old burial grounds."

There is still speculation, however, as to the validity of the Facebook campaign. According to Snopes, the Facebook post is still “Unproven,” so its affiliation to actual police activity is still unconfirmed.

We’ll have to wait and see if this form of protest is effective or not, or even if the Morton County Sheriff’s Department is using these Facebook check-ins to smoke out protesters. Until then, you’ll likely see more check-ins over the next day or so.