In the thick heat of a Los Angeles afternoon, Poetic Justice (1993) introduces Lucky, Tupac Shakur’s magnetic mailman, as he swaggers into a bustling hair salon. The room’s buzz fades under his presence, all eyes drawn to his easy confidence. Across the way, Justice—Janet Jackson, poet with a guarded spark—scribbles verses, her pen a quiet rebellion. Lucky slaps the salon’s mail on the desk of the receptionist — “Yall ain’t got nothing, but bills.” Justice catches Lucky’s stare, they exchange a few words, then Justice recites a daring line: “What do you really want from me?” Lucky freezes, his bravado tripped up, the salon hanging on the edge of her words. He answers her. Then, with a wicked smirk, she flips the script, nodding toward her boss, Iesha, invites her “hot breath” for the tease. Laughter explodes between the two women, cutting the tension, and Lucky exits malcontent. It’s a fleeting moment of humor that dulls the edge of the prior moments, at the start of the film.

The moral here is that a clever misdirection, when wielded with confidence and charm, can defuse tension, command attention, and build connection without malice.

Fast-forward to February 2024, and NFT artist SHL0MS pulls a similar stunt, dropping a fake Gmail shutdown memo on X that sends the internet into a tailspin.

^{The X Post above is the screenshot shared by the NFT concept artist known as shl0ms, who shared the faux gmail email notification on Februsry 22, 2024.}