There is a fine line between joking, offending, and bullying. If you want to prank someone, you should be sure that the target is going to enjoy the prank and not feel hurt or upset. If you're not sure, don't do it. This applies doubly at work or for school or people you live with.

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keepthetips t1_jeaw773 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:03 PM

#2,493,802

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ESOCHI t1_jeb4iba wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:56 PM

#2,495,858

Ooh I really like this definition. Succinct.

John_EightThirtyTwo t1_jebfd3i wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:05 PM

#2,498,465

I know a guy who showed up for a dinner party with a potted plant as a gift to his hosts. After dinner he started to give it a lot of attention, and then began eating the soil out of the pot. Everybody freaked out, but it turned out to be chocolate cake rather than soil. And, in the end, everyone was laughing.

These videos online, on the other hand, that end with the perp telling the angry victim, "It's a prank, bro!", are freaking obnoxious. Yeah, I know it's a prank. You're a dick.

moolid t1_jebiw8x wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:27 PM

#2,499,415

My high school teacher actually taught me this

john-witty-suffix t1_jecl6v0 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 12:53 AM

#2,508,806

The bar I always use for "prank" is:

Something you can do to a complete stranger, and that stranger willingly acknowledges the humor value -- beyond "it was funny for other people to laugh at me" -- after the fact.

(They may not personally think it was funny, which leaves some gray area for failed/bad pranks, but they at least acknowledge that it had humor conceptually.)

tebannnnnn t1_jed6pne wrote on March 31, 2023 at 3:47 AM

#2,514,828

Not really, there are really funny harmless pranks where bystanders just get confused or weirded out.

bozitybozitybopzebop OP t1_jed7ncx wrote on March 31, 2023 at 3:56 AM

#2,515,074

Replying to tebannnnnn (#2,514,828)

That may be an exception. Confused or weirded out should not turn into scared, upset, or angry. It loses its status as harmless at that point.