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It wrong to joke around?

ZoxsasiZoxsasi
edited December 1969 in Non-Orthodox Inquiries
I'm a big joker... i admit that.. i love playing tricks on people, etc..

Obviously, some people don't find it funny - some do, and its hilarious the stuff I do..

But is it a sin to pretend when you joke around?  Only for the period of the joke?

I played this trick on a few friends, and when i realised they started to fall for it, i quickly told them the truth, but - when i did, many were crying with laughter, and some, one or two were very upset.

REALLY upset...

No matter how profusely i apologised, they couldnt take it.

What should I do?
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Comments

  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    I will not comment, because I tend to do the same thing.

    It depends on who you are dealing with.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Sometimes when we joke at other's expense it can be humorous for all concerned. But often it is not.

    When I was in my last job I was part of a small group who worked together for years and knew each other well. It was perhaps OK to joke around with each other. But I hesitated making fun of others in any way that might humiliate them because it would be hurtful, and when involving a few others it seemed to me that the joke was only a joke for a very short time and the more a person fell for it the more they were likely to be hurt.

    I rang one colleague up, she was responsible for ordering the diaries, and I pretended to be from the diary company. I said that a large lorry would be arriving shortly with the 30 boxes of diaries she had ordered. Of course she had only ordered 30. I kept the pretence going for about 30 seconds and then she knew it was me. I don't think I'd be happy doing that now. We all laughed together because it didn't last long. I didn't hang up and leave her worried for instance that she would get into trouble.

    It seems to me, after many years of being a joker, that people don't like being tricked. It makes them feel stupid and small. If someone rang up and said I had received some honour, from the Pope himself perhaps, and then after a while let on it was a joke, and especially if others were in on it, it would be hurtful and hard to deal with. If I wouldn't like it I guess I shouldn't do it to others.

    That doesn't mean that we should not enjoy humour, but it does seem to me that making some others the object of it is not always kind.

    Father Peter
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Father Peter,

    Should I go tell His Holiness?  Nice post.  Good laugh reading it.

    Don't worry, it is our secret!
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    I have done many other worse things.

    Once, when I was at Bible College, I rang up a phone in the student residence from a phone further up the corridor. I asked for a younger guy who was really keen and into the Reformed theological tradition. I pretended to be from the local massive Baptist Church and said that the Pastor had fallen ill and we needed him to step in at short notice and present a Bible Teaching series. He was so entirely and absolutely over the moon that even on the phone at the time I felt a complete heel for having tricked him in what had become such an unkind and unfeeling manner.

    May the Lord forgive me. Such tricks are very often not so funny for the other person.

    Father Peter
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Father, Father, Father, I am laughing my way through lunch.  I am afraid to reveal any of my pranks, I might get excommunicated.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    I used to work for an Anglo-Finnish company and so managers etc were always going back and forth.

    I rang up the same diary woman at work and put on a Finnish accent. I asked to speak to our Finnish Managing Director who had gone to Finland and hadn't come back on the day we expected. She said that he was still in Finland and in my Finnish accent I said that I had waved goodbye to him two days before as his boat sailed for England. I suggested that she should drive to his house and check that he was alright because we had not heard from him and she was on the point of getting someone to do that.

    My how we laughed! But it wasn't really very funny. I am ashamed of such behaviour to be honest.

    Father Peter
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    I generally do my pranks with:  Indian, Korean, Filipino, and Egyptian accents.  But, I am still not going to share.

    I hope to meet you one day, Father.  If you are ever in the USA let me know.  I would love to extend good old fashioned Coptic hospitality.

    I am just a deacon, so I cannot give you dispensation for these past pranks/jokes.

    I know a couple of people that could.  Let me know if you are in the market for a dispensation or absolution.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    I hope to visit the US one day, and Canada.

    Whereabouts are you?

    I'll have to try and arrange a tour, just once in my life, to visit people.

    Father Peter
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    I was about to close my Facebook account because I have 300 friends, and only 10 of them actually reply to any status update that I have. I was not sure whether my updates were being read, as even me, I realised that this could be a problem.

    So, I wanted to see who was actually getting my messages. So, this is what I did.

    I asked a question:

    "WHO WANTS A FREE IPHONE 4?"

    This girl responds and says "Yes."

    I say "What color do you want"?

    She says "Any color"

    I say "OK What capacity do you want? 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB"?

    She says "Any"

    I go to sleep. I wake up... and then 10 people have already responded saying they want the iPhone 4.

    Not only do they want it, but I'm getting some really nice complements here. In fact, people were beginning to put their hopes in me for some weired reason.

    I thought it was pretty obvious when i said "What color do you want?" - that I had NO FREE iPhone to give out.

    Anyway, I TOLD EVERYONE there and then. I said "Guys, thanks for your responses, but i never said I had a free iPhone to give out. All I said was "WHO WANTS A FREE iPHONE". I didnt lie" ... anyway.. who wants a FREE PLANET?? Take your pick... Mercury, Jupiter, mars or the Moon?" Please specify the color you want.

    Anyway, these two people started attacking me... about it not being funny.

    The more I read their responses the more I laughed... I mean, i was nearly wetting my pants.

    Seriously.. I found it HILARIOUS.. and for me, I didnt lie.

    And I explained to them saying:

    "Guys, look, I was about to close my FB account, because no one answers my updates. I wanted to be sure that at least people can see my updates. If I had asked "Who likes Peanut Butter"  or "who likes the iPhone" - who would have answered?? No one even bothered to ask about me when anything in my life happens.. so that question wasn't good."

    Anyway, I realised a few things:

    * I have only 10 friends and
    * the news updates are working.


    HAHHAHA

    Come on.. tell me - isnt that funny???

    WOULD YOU SERIOUSLY BE UPSET IF YOU WERE SOMEONE THAT RESPONDED TO A FREE iPHONE??? COME ON??
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Sasi,

    How many best friends do you have?
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9558.msg117840#msg117840 date=1281480103]
    Sasi,

    How many best friends do you have?


    I lived in a lot of places and have some good friends.. but only 10 on FB seem to be always interested in what's happening in my life. Those that really care about me don't use FB.

    Did you find it funny though? I'm still thinking about it and laughing to myself...

    Would you have been THAT annoyed over it??
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Not at all.

    I thought it was hilarious.  I have never set up a FB because it is inherently open for hacking and too easily I might add.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    I think it all depends on the people you are doing this to and also the prank you are doing. It will never be fun to the person you are doing it on. Let me say that again, It will never be fun to the person you are doing it on. So whatever the prank is, someone will not like it and it'll always be that person.

    Think about how you can push out all the tooth paste out of its tube but never be able to put it back as it was.

    Damage will always be there out of a prank to someone.......

    NOW that i said what need to be said, some pranks are funny.....even very funny...but not as hurtful to the person done on.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9558.msg117842#msg117842 date=1281482293]
    I thought it was hilarious.  I have never set up a FB because it is inherently open for hacking and too easily I might add.

    no.....they can't hack your system across it. it's something online that can't really access your computer without your permission.

    Zoxasi,
    I dono how can you call that a joke....that's nothing from what i did before (or have been done on).
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9558.msg117842#msg117842 date=1281482293]
    Not at all.

    I thought it was hilarious.  I have never set up a FB because it is inherently open for hacking and too easily I might add.


    Thanks man!

    I mean, I still laugh at it... its so funny. They are swearing at me, telling me stuff like "Did you hear the story of the boy that cried wolf?"

    Ya3ni as if one day I DO have 100 FREE iPhones to give away, no one would believe me??? LOL

    Hangon mina, it wasn't INTENDED as a joke... but I knew i would find it funny. I NEEDED to find out if my posts were being read.
    What can I do??? I just asked a question to attract people's attention WITHOUT lying. That's it.

    This is too funny..

  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9558.msg117845#msg117845 date=1281482622]
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9558.msg117842#msg117842 date=1281482293]
    I thought it was hilarious.  I have never set up a FB because it is inherently open for hacking and too easily I might add.

    no.....they can't hack your system across it. it's something online that can't really access your computer without your permission.

    Zoxasi,
    I dono how can you call that a joke....that's nothing from what i did before (or have been done on).


    What stuff happened to you? Yeah, we did more stuff than this.. but, I found it funny how people believed in this. I mean, some girl said "Can I have two?"
    "would that be a problem?"

    So, I respond and tell everyone :"I don't know how you all got the impression i had free iphones to give away. I only wanted to know who wants a FREE one? .. then I say "But I agree with you all.. i too would like the FREE iPhone 4 in white.. not black".

  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    OK.. was it wrong what I did? Was it spiritually wrong??

    I CANNOT see for the LIFE of me how anyone could be offended by this??? If this joke offends you, I'd like to know why. No one of those offended is telling me why. THey are just being EXTREMELY abusive, and I don't know why.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117848#msg117848 date=1281484353]
    I CANNOT see for the LIFE of me how anyone could be offended by this??? If this joke offends you, I'd like to know why. No one of those offended is telling me why. THey are just being EXTREMELY abusive, and I don't know why.

    well they are not forced to tell you why they are offended. it's that simple.

    they can't tell you why they don't like because that is just THEM. If they say what annoys them it changes other people's view of them.
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9558.msg117851#msg117851 date=1281489149]
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117848#msg117848 date=1281484353]
    I CANNOT see for the LIFE of me how anyone could be offended by this??? If this joke offends you, I'd like to know why. No one of those offended is telling me why. THey are just being EXTREMELY abusive, and I don't know why.

    well they are not forced to tell you why they are offended. it's that simple.

    they can't tell you why they don't like because that is just THEM. If they say what annoys them it changes other people's view of them.


    Mina,

    Would you be offended if you had asked me for a FREE iPhone 4, only to find out that I myself would like one also??? I and I don't have 100's to give out??

    Would you be extremely offended?

  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117872#msg117872 date=1281511657]
    Mina,

    Would you be offended if you had asked me for a FREE iPhone 4, only to find out that I myself would like one also??? I and I don't have 100's to give out??

    Would you be extremely offended?

    I myself.....of course not......I had some business classes and studies business in HS and i learned the golden rule of "no free lunch"......NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS FREE. so i wouldn't even follow with your offer. but i don't consider things online to be pranks but more like jokes.

    But you have to consider not one of us is like the other....if every way. we can even know that from posts by different ppl here on the forum.
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=minagir link=topic=9558.msg117890#msg117890 date=1281541135]
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117872#msg117872 date=1281511657]
    Mina,

    Would you be offended if you had asked me for a FREE iPhone 4, only to find out that I myself would like one also??? I and I don't have 100's to give out??

    Would you be extremely offended?

    I myself.....of course not......I had some business classes and studies business in HS and i learned the golden rule of "no free lunch"......NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS FREE. so i wouldn't even follow with your offer. but i don't consider things online to be pranks but more like jokes.

    But you have to consider not one of us is like the other....if every way. we can even know that from posts by different ppl here on the forum.



    So have i sinned if they get upset with this? OK.. you don't find it funny, but IloveSaintMark thinks its hilarious. Same here.. I cry laughing at this, and some people don't.. mainly those that got duped don't fnd it funny..

    So is it a sin??

    Should i buy them all iPhone 4's? I couldnt even find one myself! Gosh!

    What kind of person would think anyone had lots of iPhones to give out??? FREE?? Where you can choose the color and capacity of the iphone??

    That's just silly..

  • [Deleted User]
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117899#msg117899 date=1281543534]
    So is it a sin??

    Ask your father of compassion.
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    I want an iPhone, but Verizon does not carry it.

    Zoxsasi, may I have one of the leftovers?
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9558.msg117945#msg117945 date=1281565094]
    I want an iPhone, but Verizon does not carry it.

    Zoxsasi, may I have one of the leftovers?


    I just sent an email to ANYONE who could have been offended by this. Ouff!!

    Its BEYOND me why people get so uptight.. its not as if they paid a deposit to me for it!!! It only lasted ONE day.

    HOW CAN PEOPLE BE THAT NAIVE!!??
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117946#msg117946 date=1281566630]
    HOW CAN PEOPLE BE THAT NAIVE!!??

    people are NOT naive....they are sensitive...and when they see that you are not considering that they don't like it. To the point that sometimes they begin to accumulate hatred to you.

    they are just people....like you....and me....and anyone else in the world.
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    When do I get my phone?  It has to be unlocked so it can work on the Verizon network.

    I would like one with a blue cover.

    I will pay for shipping so you do not have to go through the inconvenience.

    Minagir,

    I am not human.  I am a pest, like a gnat.
  • ZoxsasiZoxsasi
    Minagir has a good point.

    I appreciate what he says.

    But I would like to know how or in what way can someone possibly be offended by this ???

    So I tell someone sure I'd like an iPhone
    It turns out to be a joke, so what? Big deal.
    What was the harm done?
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9558.msg117955#msg117955 date=1281570721]
    Minagir has a good point.

    I appreciate what he says.

    But I would like to know how or in what way can someone possibly be offended by this ???

    So I tell someone sure I'd like an iPhone
    It turns out to be a joke, so what? Big deal.
    What was the harm done?

    welll you know your friends.....you tell me. the harm doesn't have to be obvious zayy el-shams fe west el-nahar keda
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Maybe they bought the accessories in anticipation.  Maybe they downloaded songs from iTunes and were going to put in on the phone.

    I guess the funny part would be if they sent you the invoice for all of this stuff.

    I have already bought my charger.  Where's my iPhone?
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