Funny prank or cruel?

[SoniaFouler]

These types of pranks are becoming more commonplace in town centres in the UK, and around the world. I got caught out by one a week ago.

YABU - Funny
YANBU - Cruel

Cruel, no.

But I think it's inadvisable for people to prank strangers. As pp have said, you don't know how a stranger will react nor what they are going through.

Even if people are laughing, it doesn't mean they thought it was fun. Laughing can be a defense reaction to try to defuse a potentially dangerous situation.

My ds, who has asd, would be really quite shocked and then would refuse to go past the area where the fright took place ever again. We already have one or two no areas and I'd be pissed if I had to add another because of a prank.

Me personally, I'd probably laugh unless I was already in a bad mood.

funny, definitely funny

The bush scares usually make me laugh, but there are probably times when it would feel like I might have a heart attack and die.

Not especially funny but I think it is OTT to call it cruel. Hopefully the "prankster" has enough sense to choose his targets carefully, i.e. not leaping out on a little old lady. And if someone takes a swing at him then he should accept the risk.

I laughed at the clip a PP posting of the young man punching the guy who jumped out of the bin

Not funny and would get a kick in the crotch from me. What a prick.

I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as cruel. Giving someone a fake scratch card and letting them think they’ve won thousands of pounds is cruel though.

It’s daylight, crowded place and it’s a bush. I think cruel isn’t the right word. It’s kind of funny. Everyone was smiling.

If it was dark, it was deserted and they were dressed as a scary clown or the scream etc. That would be cruel and not funny.

I guess those are two ends of a continuum- hard to know where it turns from funny and lighthearted to mean and cruel.

I agree completely with @MrsTerryPratchett. There's no way of knowing what is going on in the life of the person being 'pranked'. I can think of plenty of times when I had worrying and/or traumatic stuff going on, and something like this would have really freaked me out.

I don't find pranks in general to be in the least bit funny, to be honest. And I think less of anyone who gets their kicks from startling random people. Also, aside from any of that, it's just so very not funny. My five year old nephew has a more sophisticated sense of humour than 'ooh, I'm going to jump out at random people dressed as a fecking hedge'.

@5foot5, can we really assume that someone who thinks that jumping out at random passers-by dressed as a bush is the height of hilarity will deploy the critical thinking required to chose their 'targets' carefully? I'm doubtful. And really, why should anyone be chosen as a 'target' for some eejit's juvenile prank, when just walking down the street?

Bit stupid. Most people step backwards instinctively when this fool leaps out - imagine knocking someone elderly over suddenly jolting backwards and them getting a broken hip etc.

It's not really very funny anyway and could hurt someone.

I wonder why people haven't got better things to do.

I feel like I would wet myself if this happend to me 😂

My DM would probably have had a heart attack in this situation.

Not a very funny prank but certainly not cruel.

It's neither, but it's a bit pathetic.

Reminds me of 'That's Life' circa 1983.

Not that funny in the 80s, even less amusing now.

Very silly but funny

The whole point is that it's done to strangers, so you don't know what's going on in their lives, in their heads, or what their reaction might be.

I've got PTSD. I'd probably scream, laugh it off, walk away, and you'd think it was just a funny prank, ho ho ho, she didn't seem upset. But something like this would seriously wreck my mental health for days afterwards. If you think that's funny, then fuck you.

😂 DH and I would think that’s hilarious.

Haven't watched it all but the women are scared and the men not- surprise surprise.

I hate pranks

I’ve told my kids to NEVER do a prank on me. I don’t like them. I don’t find them funny. I think the majority are cruel.

Lame. Not funny not cruel.

I don't think it's cruel OR funny, just a bit crap and pathetic.

It's a bit shit - as not remotely funny. He's quite liable to decked in some places.

Pranking strangers is always shitty behaviour - why drag someone with their own shit going on into whatever you consider to be humour? Even worse if you are using it to promote yourself and making a living out of bothering others when the chances are that the net contribution you are making to their day is negative.

If the prankster was dressed up as a monster or something scary then maybe I'd say cruel. The victims seem to be reacting well so I think its just a bit of silliness.