The past week, I’ve made it my personal mission to be “interested” in any Irma-related Facebook event. But I’ve gotten some mixed reactions about said events.
While some people quickly see that these Facebook events are jokes, others are quick to become keyboard warriors and harp on the dangers of the event.
Some of my favorite events were titled “Summoning Heroes/Hurricane Irma” and “Getting Raptured by Hurricane Irma.” The latter is self-explanatory, but summoning heroes during the hurricane was my top pick.
According to the Facebook event’s creator, a hurricane with such strong winds, like Irma, has the perfect conditions to break through to the afterlife. After some classic rituals, attendees would be able to bring back some of this generation’s icons, like Harambe, Steve Irwin, Tupac, Prince and Michael Jackson.
It’s obviously satire, but there were a lot of people concerned about millennials performing satanic rituals on a beach during hurricane force winds. Even though it clearly says the event is satire in its description, people were still hounding the event page about how “irresponsible” it was. Although, the event creator may be at fault for putting it in the “Christian country music” category.
Events like this attract a few types of people. There are those, like me, who say they are interested in the event to get a reaction from their friends. Then, there are those who want to go through with the event. Lastly, we have the keyboard warriors.
One event, entitled “Spinning your arms really fast to push Hurricane Irma away,” really had people in Sarasota, Florida spinning their arms on the beach last Saturday. Sarasota is located on the western coast of the panhandle, but on Saturday the storm hadn’t reached the city. Sadly, their arm spinning did little to keep the storm at bay.
I haven’t come across anyone who genuinely put their life in danger because of these Facebook events. However, I understand the concern. There could easily be someone stupid enough to “Naruto run into Hurricane Irma,” whether because of the social media recognition or a subconscious death wish (or both).
Then there’s the issue of offending those who have been displaced due to hurricanes in the past. Making light of hurricanes could rub some people the wrong way, and as the hurricane has changed course and lessened in strength, some Floridians are taking its threat less seriously. One could argue that these Facebook events exacerbate those convictions.
Anyone with a semi-functioning brain should know not to go to these Facebook events, and if they do decide to Naruto run into a storm, that’s on them. Most people who are interested in the events are hundreds of miles away and have no feasible way of participating. Conversely, those in the path of the hurricane could be using humor to cope with the stress it is causing.
Being a Floridian myself, I know there are people who don’t take storms seriously. But my family, in Tampa, is extremely fearful of Hurricane Irma. Some people have faith in hurricane straps that have kept their homes safe during other storms, but there are people, like my sister, who don’t own a home and could lose everything they own to flooding.
Maybe these Facebook events are my way of coping with the fears I have for my family. I can’t physically be there for my sister, nieces and nephews, but I can put my energy into hoping and praying Irma won’t destroy their lives. For me, scrolling through Facebook and clicking on events is a way to stop expecting the worst from Hurricane Irma. Otherwise, I’d be worried sick.
