release the penguins

1. To seriously fuck up

2. To act quickly without thought.

This phrase began during the Great Smoky Mountain wildfires of November, 2016. The Ripley’s Aquarium in Galtlinburg, TN was in danger of catching on fire and the community was concerned about the welfare of the animals inside the establishment. During the fire, a small group of online-self-proclaimed-animal-experts strongly suggested that the penguins be released out into the wild for safety. Seriously, think about that for a minute – the penguins should be released into a forest fire to take care of themselves – can you picture how that would really work? How long would a penguin last in a forest fire?

"Wow, I can’t believe that I stabbed myself in the eye with a fork, I really released the penguins on that one. "

"Look, this is important – so, don’t release the penguins."