> I'll never understand the reactionaries. Did they really believe that there were terrorists out there who'd build bombs and then put a Lite Bright on it?

Lots of wild stuff happening at that time. Would you believe that there was a little reported incident where someone put a bomb in their SHOE?? People were very on edge, so I can completely understand having an additional layer of paranoia about seemingly normal things being potentially dangerous.

> Was it that they were all dumb millennials who never heard of the toy?

In 2007 most millennials would have been late teens to early 20s. According to the 2015 City of Boston Workforce Report, the median age of the city workers at that time was 45.25.[1] So I’m guessing it was probably people over 30 who responded to the calls and did not call the panic off.

> When reporters interviewed cops about it, they should've started giggling, telling the cameraman to "pack it up, these cops are r***".[sic]

Again, it’s likely 18 year old Millennials weren’t reporters or police officer or firefighters, it’s probably people who had played with this sort of toy as kids and knew what it was on its face.

I think the main thing I would point out is you should consider having some grace for people at this different and distinct time in the world, and that zeitgeist.

[1] https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/2015.04.14%20F...