# Man trying to burn his Nikes Burns down house \[Hoax\]. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920 "2018-09-07T00:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/1 "2018-09-07T00:05:20Z")
Is it wrong that I find this amusing? [http://www.usatoday-go.com/2018/09/06/bartlesville-man-accidentally-burns-home-down-after-lighting-nike-shoes-on-fire-in-protest-of-nikes-colin-kaepernick-ad/](http://www.usatoday-go.com/2018/09/06/bartlesville-man-accidentally-burns-home-down-after-lighting-nike-shoes-on-fire-in-protest-of-nikes-colin-kaepernick-ad/) > [@](#): > > Bartlesville, OK – A Bartlesville man has been arrested after he accidentally burned down his home by attempting to burn a pair of Nike sneakers in protest of the latest Colin Kaepernick Ad. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/2 "2018-09-07T00:18:33Z")
If finding that amusing is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. I am curious why they arrested him though. Is being stupid against the law now? If so, we’re going to need a whole lot more jail space. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/3 "2018-09-07T00:24:49Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > I am curious why they arrested him though. Is being stupid against the law now? Well, I suppose he could conceivably be nailed for arson insurance fraud. But in this case I’m just guessing it might have more to do with gross negligence/potentially threatening his neighbor’s property. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/4 "2018-09-07T00:29:08Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > I am curious why they arrested him though. Is being stupid against the law now? He soaked them in kerosene before lighting them inside his garage. It must surely be some kind of crime to endanger anyone else in the house (and your neighbors) with such reckless behavior, even if the recklessness stems from stupidity rather than malice. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/5 "2018-09-07T00:31:11Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > **Is it wrong** that I find this amusing? Only because it goes way beyond amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/6 "2018-09-07T00:33:04Z")
Boy, he sure owned those libs, didn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/7 "2018-09-07T00:33:50Z")
You have to figure he would be the type to have an [American flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_desecration) attached to that house. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/8 "2018-09-07T00:47:37Z")
Sigh. Of course he was filming it on his iPhone. :smack: Or not. If you google, you’ll find many claims[that the story is a hoax](https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/viral-story-claiming-bartlesville-man-caught-his-house-on-fire/article_339a1da5-9c23-5afb-947a-1707b4734339.html). Maybe we’ll know which by this time tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/9 "2018-09-07T01:43:45Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Sigh. Of course he was filming it on his iPhone. :smack: > > Or not. If you google, you’ll find many claims[that the story is a hoax](https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/viral-story-claiming-bartlesville-man-caught-his-house-on-fire/article_339a1da5-9c23-5afb-947a-1707b4734339.html). > > Maybe we’ll know which by this time tomorrow. [Here](http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/news) is a story saying it is a hoax from the local newspaper, who should know. Pity. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/10 "2018-09-07T01:53:36Z")
What a stupid piece of shit. If something like this happens accidentally due to faulty electrical wiring that’s out of a homeowner’s control, etc. - that’s one thing. But, this guy willingly & knowingly endangered himself & others by doing something incredibly stupid like this. Dumb-ass. EDIT: If this is a hoax, my bad - LOL. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/11 "2018-09-07T02:13:50Z")
Yeah, that website cited in the OP is fake. You can tell by the “Sport” category; in the US that would be “Sports”. The real USA Today website is here: [https://www.usatoday.com/](https://www.usatoday.com/). It makes no mention of anyone burning their house down over a pair of Nikes. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/12 "2018-09-07T02:17:15Z")
Fake shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/13 "2018-09-07T02:18:49Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > [Here](http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/news) is a story saying it is a hoax from the local newspaper, who should know. > > Pity. I don’t want to read about it; I want to see it on TV, I’ll believe those Talking Heads about some guy Burning Down the House. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/14 "2018-09-07T02:20:06Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > I am curious why they arrested him though. Is being stupid against the law now? When the issue involves fire, quite often it is effectively “illegal to be stupid”. Fire isn’t a toy, and fooling around with it irresponsibly can cause a massive disaster and kill large numbers of people. The recent spate of highly destructive wildfires across multiple regions of the world demonstrates that quite vividly. I still have the breath mask on my desk that I used during the fire that destroyed a fair chunk of my home town. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/15 "2018-09-07T02:40:44Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Sigh. Of course he was filming it on his iPhone. :smack: > > Or not. If you google, you’ll find many claims[that the story is a hoax](https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/viral-story-claiming-bartlesville-man-caught-his-house-on-fire/article_339a1da5-9c23-5afb-947a-1707b4734339.html). > > Maybe we’ll know which by this time tomorrow. Yep. And I fell for it. I feel like an idiot. The URL is [usatoday-go.com](http://usatoday-go.com) which is not the URL for USA Today. I apologize for posting this. My explanation is that I got the link from someone who’s accuracy I trust, but that’s not a good excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/16 "2018-09-07T02:48:58Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Yep. And I fell for it. Well, many of us did too. The truthiness was palpable. Too perfect to be true, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/17 "2018-09-07T03:26:30Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Well, many of us did too. The truthiness was palpable. Too perfect to be true, I guess. This is how it’s done. Assuming that it was put out by Russians (which may or may not be a correct assumption) it’s designed to appeal to one faction’s need to view the other faction as idiots, thus fanning the flames and deepening the divide. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/18 "2018-09-07T04:51:34Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Fake shoes. Very good. Ten internet points for you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/19 "2018-09-07T05:52:25Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > This is how it’s done. Assuming that it was put out by Russians (which may or may not be a correct assumption) it’s designed to appeal to one faction’s need to view the other faction as idiots, thus fanning the flames and deepening the divide. The whole “minorities are inferior to whites” thing isn’t enough of a “divide”?!? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920/20 "2018-09-07T06:05:01Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > I am curious why they arrested him though. Is being stupid against the law now? If so, we’re going to need a whole lot more jail space. Arson is inherently dangerous to the community at large and is illegal even if you own the property and even without a subsequent insurance claim. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-trying-to-burn-his-nikes-burns-down-house-hoax/820920.md?page=2)