When the #Infantada occupying Malheur Wilderness Reserve in Oregon sent out messages pleading for their supporters to send them snacks (via the Federal government’s own United States Post Office, seeing as no privately-owned companies deliver out in Harney Basin #MarketFailure), not everyone who heard the message merely ignored it. Instead, some clever Reddit users decided to whip out a classic trollish response to terrorism — one clearly borrowed from the gay rights movement: “the herpes of craft supplies.”
A Brief History of Glitter Bombing
The first known glitter bombing was of Newt Gingrich on May 17, 2011 by enraged gay activist Nick Espinosa, who later penned a HuffPo editorial about the practice.. A month later, then-GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty was glitterbombed by Nancy Mancias, who implored him to “Stand for reproductive rights! Stand for gay rights!” Just two days later, it was Michelle Bachmann. In total, more than 20 glitter attacks hit a number of conservative icons (and Lindey Lohan) between 2011 and 2013 — victims that the media collectively referred to as the “glitterati.”
The Website That Kept the Practice Alive
www.SendYourEnemiesGlitter.com, founded December 31st, 2014, brought the practice of glitter bombing to a whole new place when it went viral just says after it came online, getting mentioned on websites like Time.com and even on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (unfortunately, the clip has been taken down from NBC.com).
The site was sold within a week of going up — and in that time, it had made more than $20,000 AUD and received more than 2 million hits. It sold for $85,000. Needless to say, the current owner has their anonymity firmly protected, even though traffic has plummeted since the site’s heyday. (Not that this has kept some very evil competitors from springing up!)
The Modern Glitterati
Nevertheless, the practice of ‘remote glitter bombing’ still remains firmly lodged in the hearts and brains of the Internet’s more IRLy of trolls — so when the #YeeHawdists put the address they needed snacks delivered to up on the airwaves, it was really only a matter of time. A few users on the NotTheOnion subreddit (for real news, obviously) claim to have actually sent glitterbombs to the #Moochahideen.
Whether or not the USPS will actually deliver those items has yet to be seen. If it arrives, I pray the cameras will be rolling. The world needs to see what the right response to terrorism, at home or abroad, truly amounts to.
(Featured Image courtesy of Stephen DePolo via Flickr, shared using a Creative Commons 2.0 license.)
