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!
There it is. These companies that are run by old, rich, white men think they are owed your money. Any and all criticism, no matter how true, is hand-waved away as “wacky liberal extremists”. But some people still know how to cite their sources and offer proof.
Republicans are literally ruining America and the world. I had no feelings prior to this, now I will tell every single friend and family member to never, ever buy a Proven lock…
the more you do the “XYZ white |insert gender|” the more your adding division. stop stooping to their level.
CEOs are factually and demonstrably overwhelmingly white males, far out of proportion to general demographics. Since when did pointing out a statistical fact become divisive?
you know why you added the “white” in your sentence. like i call out the people who “conveniently” put “black/brown/etc…” in their sentences in certain contexts, i wasn’t born yesterday.
I added it because it is the subject we are discussing. Your comments are vaguely coherent but have no real point.
Unchecked corporate power is THE problem and corporations are a small club of people of a specific demographic with a history of protectionism and shady dealings to protect their power.
It is perfectly valid to point out the root cause of problems, in this case the corporate cabal that needs to be dismantled.
ok.