As a recent South Park episode demonstrated, the internet is very rarely a “safe space.” Those who heedlessly post pictures on social media sites had better damned well prepare for those pictures to attract negative comments. That’s the tough life lesson Silicon Valley IT guy Jon Hendren, whose enviable Twitter handle is @fart, learned over and over again for months when he innocently tweeted this picture of his new shoes on February 19, 2015. In the now-infamous tweet, Hendren himself acknowledges the ridiculousness of his freshly purchased, bright red Vans with leopard-patterned interiors.
Hendren probably thought that was the end of it. Foolishly, he had not reckoned on the cruelty and creativity of fellow Twitter users David Thorpe (@Arr) and Breakfast Haver (@weedguy420boner), both of whom seem to harbor a never-ending grudge against Hendren’s tacky footwear. Others soon joined this hateful campaign, and Hendren found himself in the truly odd position of having his shoes relentlessly mocked on social media for months on end. The conflagration reached such heights that it captured the attention of New York magazine’s Brian Feldman, who filed a thorough report on the Twitter skirmish, and wrangled statements from the belligerents themselves. Thorpe, the agitator, was enthusiastic about his online triumph.