Yeah, it’s the Streisand Effect.
“Opening locks” might not sound like scintillating social media content, but Trevor McNally has turned lock-busting into online gold. A former US Marine Staff Sergeant, McNally today has more than 7 million followers and has amassed more than 2 billion views just by showing how easy it is to open many common locks by slapping, picking, or shimming them.
This does not always endear him to the companies that make the locks.
On March 3, 2025, a Florida lock company called Proven Industries released a social media promo video just begging for the McNally treatment. The video was called, somewhat improbably, “YOU GUYS KEEP SAYING YOU CAN EASILY BREAK OFF OUR LATCH PIN LOCK.” In it, an enthusiastic man in a ball cap says he will “prove a lot of you haters wrong.” He then goes hard at Proven’s $130 model 651 trailer hitch lock with a sledgehammer, bolt cutters, and a crowbar.
Naturally, the lock hangs tough.
An Instagram user brought the lock to McNally’s attention by commenting, “Let’s introduce it to the @mcnallyofficial poke.” Someone from Proven responded, saying that McNally only likes “the cheap locks lol because they are easy and fast.” Proven locks were said to be made of sterner stuff.
But on April 3, McNally posted a saucy little video to social media platforms. In it, he watches the Proven promo video while swinging his legs and drinking a Juicy Juice. He then hops down from his seat, goes over to a Proven trailer hitch lock, and opens it in a matter of seconds using nothing but a shim cut from a can of Liquid Death. He says nothing during the entire video, which has been viewed nearly 10 million times on YouTube alone.
What happens next won’t surprise you!
Ugh. Leave it to Americans to push politics into everything…
Edit: aside of that the whole thing is hilarious, just look at the video where he opens a newly delivered lock with a can he just drank. Badass.
Lol.
My parents told me when I was a teenager and starting to get involved in politics that anyone trying to sell a product using politics or religion is selling a shitty product. Even if they claim to be on my side. Especially if they claim to be on my side.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an exception to that rule, and this certainly isn’t the first 😆
I might make an exception for publishers of religious texts. Seems solid otherwise.
I had to think about that for a minute.
And I think there’s a distinction between selling a product for religious use and selling a product using religion.
I mean, if a publisher is selling a $60 Bible, and its selling points are being a great big heavy book with quality paper, quality binding, complete accurate text of (insert your sect’s favorite translation here), the kind of Bible your ancestors recorded births and deaths in, that’s one thing.
If a publisher is selling a $60 Bible, and it’s promising to be the truest and most accurate Bible ever and gives you the best chance to get to Heaven and God will love you more if you buy this Bible, well, I’m going to look at both that Bible and its publisher with a great deal of skepticism 😆