‘Harmless’ pranks aren’t all that harmless. They’re a bit of a double-edged sword: they have a lot of potential for cruelty and unintended fallout with the people closest to you. If you’re the only one who’s laughing, then something has gone terribly wrong. And it can bite you on the behind when your victims decide that enough is enough, and they push back.
In a viral post on AITAH, Reddit user u/Ood_Weenus17 shared how she got revenge against her sister’s boyfriend, a notorious prankster, who made her panic and cry with a ‘joke’ letter about her getting evicted. Scroll down to read the full story. Bored Panda has reached out to the author for comment, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.
Pranks are a sensitive issue. Some people utterly hate them, while some pranksters have no understanding of others' limits
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A woman revealed how her sister's boyfriend, a notoriously mean-spirited prankster, tricked her in an incredibly cruel way
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After digging deeper and finding out more context behind the prank, the woman decided that it was time to fight back and get some proper revenge
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You have to be aware of other people's boundaries and respect them as much as possible
A joke is only a joke if the audience laughs along with you. Though not every quip and silly insight you share is going to make absolutely everyone chuckle (there will always be duds), if you think of yourself as a comedian, you need to set a high bar for quality. On top of that, you’ve got to be ethical and principled to at least some degree.
Some commonsense things not to do include ‘punching down,’ making mean-spirited jokes about other people, and being outright cruel just for the sake of cruelty. A bit of spice is okay, and arguably most humor requires a bit of roasting. But if all you’re doing is making people’s lives worse, then you’re not much of a comedian. You need more self-awareness and empathy.
The same goes for pranks. Though some folks love ’em to bits, many others utterly loathe them. So, you’ve got to know your audience and what their boundaries are. Respect them. Why pull a mean prank on someone you know for a fact hates them? Why pull a prank at all if you’re being cruel and you’re the only one who’ll be laughing? That’s not comedy, that’s just being a bully. You need to rein in some of your impulses.
“When you go down the prank path, chances are you will find so much satisfaction in it, that you will find it addicting. Because it is. And what comes afterwards is temptation. It becomes tempting to cross lines. Your brain starts to want to push the envelope a little further. This is where you have to be careful,” Jack Vale writes in The Tennessee Tribune.
He points out that it’s important to ask what you get out of the prank. If all you’re doing is getting attention at the expense of the victim, making them look stupid, then you’re not doing it for the right reasons. According to Vale, you have to be honest with yourself about your motives when it comes to pranks. You should focus on amusing people, not seeing how close to the metaphorical edge you can take your jokes.
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There is a vast difference between a harmless prank, which can reduce stress, and a harmful one, which does the opposite
Meanwhile, Virgil HR explains that harmless pranks can be good for reducing stress and strengthening the bonds between people. However, harmful pranks can do the opposite. Anything related to destroying personal property, disrupting a person’s life, causing injury, or being offensive or discriminatory is to be avoided at all costs.
“It’s okay for employees to welcome a little lighthearted fun, but things can easily cross the line when you tolerate behavior that leads to destruction, disruption, or an unsafe or hostile work environment.”
Some examples of harmful pranks, at least in a workplace setting, include things such as:
- Pulling a fire alarm;
- Making fun of a person’s religion;
- Hiding someone’s safety gear;
- Ageist ‘jokes’ where you give an older colleague a cane as a gift;
- Faking a crime;
- Ignoring or excluding people.
From a human resources perspective, if you think that someone is pulling not-so-harmless pranks, you should start a full investigation, including documenting all evidence and interviewing everyone who’s involved.
Everyone should be given the chance to share their side of the story. However, HR should “be clear about why the prank was inappropriate based on company policy and federal laws.” Then, take any corrective actions as needed and check in to see how the situation has changed in the future.
What do you think of the way that u/Ood_Weenus17 handled the entire situation with her sister’s boyfriend? Would you have done anything different if you were in her shoes? What is the meanest prank that someone’s ever pulled on you? What’s your stance on pranks? You can join the conversation in the comments section below.
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Most internet users reading the story were appalled by the man's shameless behavior. Here's what they told the author
