Facebook can often be a wonderful, convenient way to invite friends to an event or crowdsource for a good cause. Case and point: A Fredericksburg, Ohio, man used the social media powerhouse to find gifts for the homeless in a nearby tent city.
Dean Nelson visited the residents, took their requests and posted them on Facebook. Once all the goods were donated, he decided to keep the good cheer going and invited the residents to a holiday party in his hometown.
“That’s when all hell broke loose,” Nelson told local newspaper Daily Record in Wooster, Ohio.
Nelson’s party invite unleashed a torrent of hate posts, including this dandy: “Soooo I got fireworks and propane tanks and plenty of gas If anyone want to help me go to prison hahaha.”
So much for the Christmas spirit.
Nelson contacted local authorities, who found the poster. The person said their intent was not violent. “It was simply a comment made to several friends on Facebook,” law officials said. No charges were filed.
Lesson learned? Who knows, but posting stuff like this on Facebook is akin to joking about having a large Bowie knife tucked in your pants going through airport security. It’s dumb. Don’t do it.
We hope those folks managed to have an OK holiday anyway.
