The San Francisco Protocol was drafted at the Headquarters of the UNCCH on March 9, 2009. Photo cc Yang Yu
THE SAN FRANCISCO PROTOCOL
The United Nations Convention on Abnormal Public Events
The Parties to this Protocol,
Being parties to the United Nations Convention on Abnormal Public Events,
Alarmed by recent increases in Flash Mobs and other such Events which are messy and silly,
Reaffirming the importance of normalcy throughout the world,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
For the purposes of this Protocol the following Definitions shall apply:
1. “Abnormal Public Event” means any publicly visible action, flash mob, or other happening that is outside of established cultural norms.
2. “Prankster” means a person who would undertake an Abnormal Public Event.
3. “Frat Person” means a current or former member of a college fraternity or sorority, or any person who ascribes to the aesthetic, values, and flip-flops prevalent therein.
4. “Normalcy” means a soothing state in which the unexpected is minimized and the days pass in a uniform beige slurry of unremarkable events.
5. “Internet” means a world wide web of electronic sites that have replaced parents and provide 99 percent of the daily requirement of novelty and stimulation.
Article 2
The Parties agree to encourage adherence by Prankster to the following points:
“The Ten Points”
1. Prankster shall announce in as many media as practicable Intention to Undertake an Abnormal Public Event, hereinafter “the Event,” at twelve months, six months, two weeks, and one day prior to the Event. Prankster shall provide similar notice to the United Nations Commission on Costumes & Holidays (UNCCH).
2. Prankster shall allow unfettered access by UNCCH observers to ensure compliance to this Protocol before, during, and after the Event.
3. Prankster shall not undertake the Event on a holiday or weekend, as those are days of thoughtful reflection.
4. Prankster shall convene a committee in which all conceivable stakeholders shall be able to voice concerns and opinions regarding the Event no less than six months prior. Prankster agrees to modify the Event based upon the findings of the committee.
5. Prankster shall provide advance notice to all possible Frat Persons and agrees to include such persons in the Event and accede to their widely recognized ability to party.
6. At earliest convenience, Prankster shall invite a corporate partner such as Red Bull to underwrite, market, and otherwise co-opt the Event.
7. Prankster shall make best efforts not to surprise, provoke, encourage introspection by, or otherwise wrongly invigorate any person witnessing the Event.
8. During the Event, Prankster agrees to provide multilingual pamphlets outlining What is happening, Why it is happening, and How to complain about it.
9. Should any witness to the Event assert, in their sole judgment, that the Event is pointless, confusing, alarming, or an Offense to Normalcy, Prankster agrees to immediately halt the Event.
10. Should the Prankster be unable to adhere to any of the aforementioned points, they agree to stay home and surf the Internet.
Article 3
The original of this Protocol, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
DONE at San Francisco this ninth day of March two thousand and nine.
