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Pranks - Cool or Cruel?

WarrantMan

Extreme Member
A forum member recently shared some "prank" antics between he and spouse. I found much delight at this and recalled a few I'd been the victim of as well as having been the perpetrator. Then, from the deep folds of my mind emerged a prank from many decades ago, that really got me thinking.... I shared it privately, then thought I'd bounce it off you guys to see if you'd had any similar experiences. *Disclaimer* The story is absolutely true in every respect. Looking back now with a little more maturity, I am somewhat ashamed in having played a part in furthering the prank. It seemed awfully funny at the time, but I now realize that it was most distasteful. Here goes:
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]As a kid/teen, I moved quite a bit and often I was "the new kid" at whatever school I found myself. At one particular high school, I was trying to be cool and meet people etc.. One dude approached me and starts talking. He then points to another guy and says "if you get a chance, ask that guy how fast his sister can run the 100 yard dash."  I assumed that his sister was a track star or some Olympic athlete of some fame. So later that day I see the dude and go up to him and ask "how fast can your sister run the 100 yard dash?" He then stares at me hard and says "man that's f**ked up, that ain't funny, my sister ain't got no legs, you mother f**ker, how dare you say some sh*t like that!" I then tried in earnest to apologize, I felt about two inches tall. He kept going on about "kicking my ass" and such while I kept apologizing. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=10.5pt]Now I really wanted to kick the guy's ass who set me up to ask that, but, I was the new kid and didn't want to get in trouble right off the rip, so I sucked it up and stayed quiet. Man that bothered me so. About a week or so later, I was at my locker at the same time the guy was at his (a few spots down.) I found it difficult to look him in the face but got enough courage to approach him and again attempt to apologize. He said "apologize for what?" I explained and then he laughed hysterically.. He said "dude, I don't have a sister, we were just f**king with you!" He kept laughing, shook my hand and said "welcome" (to whatever the school was) and walked away.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=10.5pt]It was a horrible joke that had me mindf**ked for a week or so. Later, I told this story when I was in the Navy. My crew mates thought it great, and so we concocted a new version and let it fly. Every so often, someone would come up to me and ask "hey Sharpe, how far can your brother throw a football?" I would pretend to get pissed and true to the original would say " dude that's f**ked up, how dare you say some sh*t like that, my brother ain't got no arms!"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]I'd blow my breath, posture up like I was getting ready to fight etc.. haha it was great!  On one occasion, I was called below decks to explain to a guy getting ready to fight the dude who set him up to explain it was all just a joke. That guy never spoke a word to me afterwards....[/SIZE]
 
It's a very similar joke that we played on people at the last hospital I worked at (veterinary technician for 12 years). I would tell the new hires to go ask my co-worker and friend to show them how her sister dances and she would reply "why would you ask me that?! my sister is in a wheelchair!". We made a couple people cry. We would then proceed to welcome them to the hospital and buy them a beer after work. We had to do it in the first day or two of employment though because anyone that knows me, knows i'm always sarcastic and joking. Any longer than a day or two and they wouldn't trust me enough to go ask. haha
 
Guess I should be more precise in my words. After re-read of post, perhaps there is some ambiguity on my point. It was my attempt to stoke conversation between “cool and cruel.” Although, I included “it was great” after mentioning the prank, the primary point was not in a “boastful sense” but one of regret. Guess I should’ve thought it through better before posting.  I once thought the prank to be “cruel” when I was the target, then as a willing participant “cool.” But in retrospect – “cruel” and incredibly distasteful.  Not encouraging folks – “do not try this at home.”
 
Open mouth, insert foot.  :shocked:
 
WarrantMan said:
Guess I should be more precise in my words. After re-read of post, perhaps there is some ambiguity on my point. It was my attempt to stoke conversation between “cool and cruel.” Although, I included “it was great” after mentioning the prank, the primary point was not in a “boastful sense” but one of regret. Guess I should’ve thought it through better before posting.  I once thought the prank to be “cruel” when I was the target, then as a willing participant “cool.” But in retrospect – “cruel” and incredibly distasteful.  Not encouraging folks – “do not try this at home.”
 
Open mouth, insert foot.  :shocked:
Nah I still think it's pretty funny. haha
 
WarrantMan said:
 
Ok dude, you got me. Yes it was funny, but I still feel bad about it. No solace in this crowd! haha
Cruel would be having them go ask someone whos sister or whoever was really handicapped. Funny is having them ask someone who is in on the joke and doesn't even have a sister. lol
 
Edmick said:
Cruel would be having them go ask someone whos sister or whoever was really handicapped. Funny is having them ask someone who is in on the joke and doesn't even have a sister. lol
 
I'm feeling a little better? Justifications for misdeeds? Sometimes my conscious knocks hard at me and I reflect....
 
Ever feel guilty for not feeling more guilty?
 
WarrantMan said:
 
I'm feeling a little better? Justifications for misdeeds? Sometimes my conscious knocks hard at me and I reflect....
 
Ever feel guilty for not feeling more guilty?
Nope. haha as long as it's all in good fun.
 
Back when I was in the Marine Corps, we used to have to to "field ops" all the time. Basically, living out in the woods for a month, digging a 4' deep hole to live in, and doing live fire exercises, etc. in an attempt to train for actual combat.

All of us low ranking enlisted guys were the ones who had to sleep in a 2 man fighting hole, all month, rain or shine, "showering" with baby wipes (baby wipes are worth more than GOLD in the field ;) ), pulling firewatch shifts (at least one person in the hole had to be awake all the time). Night training fire mission exercises, the higher ups would simulate your perimeter being compromised, blah, blah, blah

The Officers, on the other hand, (the guys with brass on their collars) got to sleep peacefully all night, alone in a 2 man tent. Must be nice.....

Eff that noise. Payback's a bitch, hahaha. All MREs (Meals Ready to Eat, or Meals Rejected by Ethiopians) come with a condiment pack full of salt, pepper, napkin, Tabasco sauce, and this plastic bag with some sort of "stone" thing in the bottom that heats up when wet. You put your pouch of "food" in, add water, and after a minute or two the water would be boiling and heat up your meal. All the while, emitting steam.....
IMG_6087.JPG


We'd save up all of the little .5oz Tabasco bottles for weeks, until we had enough Tabasco sauce to top off the bag to the "fill" line. One brave soul would gather up all the sauce and pour it into a canteen cup until we had enough to fill the bag. He'd wait until around 0300, when the Lieutenant was comfortably sleeping and low crawl to his tent....... unzip the flap...... top the bag off with Tabasco sauce....... drop it in the tent..... then RUN LIKE HELL back into the tree line!

BOOM!!! Homemade CS gas chamber! Never failed! Sleeping safe and sound, only to wake up choking to death, eyes tearing up, and snots uncontrollably coming out of their noses, hahaha

"How you like your fancy tent now, SIR?!"

Ahhhhhhh, the good ol' days
:rofl:

Edit to add: Zero guilt, whatsoever, lol
 
At least those are somewhat clever. Seems like the millennial generation's idea of a prank is running up to someone in public, smacking them, then running away like a b*tch yelling "It's a prank bro" while his idiot friend films it for Youtube.
 
MikeUSMC,
 
You just opened a box I had totally forgotten. There were pranks in the service I recall, sending folks out to find a "left handed screw driver," or us aviation dudes " 100 feet of flight line." I once got sent to the engine room to fetch a "bucket full of steam" to help in a cleaning project and got some distance before I thought "wait a minute, steam?" I was eventually suckered into going down below to get a BT punch. I got down in the engine room and asked for a "BT punch." I got several sound and bruising strikes from the "BTs" (Boiler Techs) before I realized I'd been "had."
 
The boatswain mates would always sucker some new dude into the infamous "mail bouy" watch when we were at sea. They would make sure the new dude was sleep deprived and put him on some lonely spot on the ship to watch for the "mail bouy" that reportedly had the mail for all on board the ship (that we were supposed to stop and retrieve.)  Sure as hell the dude would fall asleep and would awaken to a host of folks that were "pissed" because he'd fallen asleep and now the whole ship's crew wanted to kick his ass for missing the mail....
 
Oh the joys of hazing....
 
jhc said:
At least those are somewhat clever. Seems like the millennial generation's idea of a prank is running up to someone in public, smacking them, then running away like a b*tch yelling "It's a prank bro" while his idiot friend films it for Youtube.
 
Yes sir! Agreed in total. Can't comment more, lest it come back to bite me. Agreed, agreed...
 
"Go get the keys to the HMMWV (Hum-vee)" (no such thing, there's just a switch)

"Go get me a box of grid squares to read this map" (the actual lines in the map that make the squares up, haha)
 
I told a girl at the last hospital that her turn signal was out and she probably needed blinker fluid (classic but I thought everyone had heard of this prank by now and she apparently had not). I told her the reservoir could be anywhere. Under the hood, trunk, glove box, under the seats, anywhere!. She looked for it close to a half hour before I told her that I was f**kin with her. lol
 
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