4/2/10: Pranksters

[swankivy]

Pranksters

Weaver at least seems to understand where Dax's limits of tolerance are with regards to his pranks, but most of us have had to deal with that one person who's always making a game out of harassing, teasing, or scaring other people. How do you tell someone that you've had enough without getting accused of "being a bad sport," and what do you do if they still don't respect your wishes after you voice them? Is it time for a lecture? Dropping their friendship? Revenge?

[SHO!]

Hm, the way I usually handle people picking on me too much? Well, I usually bottle it up and keep it inside while slowly choking on it until I taste copper in my mouth. Then I blow up with the rage of memories of every bad thing anyone has ever done to me ever. Then I use my strength, size, searing, feral, uncontrollable rage, and basic instincts to use those things in unison to end the teasing with finality. Then I regret it and cry a bunch about it when I'm alone again. People usually let me be for a long while after that and complete respect my space/solitude.

I think I need Dr. Phil.

[blondiviolette]

Ahh Weaver's prank was at least something small that wouldn't cause a lot of damage. At least he's not messing with heavy emotions that's something good. Probably with most people in the scenario where they have someone close who constantly wants to pull pranks they simply put up with it or get a little annoyed like Dax did but not say anything much to them (perhaps from fear of starting something, that the other person will be hurt or explode even though they themselves are suffering). Then again it's hard for people not to get really angry and say something to them if it's so constant and really affected them greatly! All depends on the intensity of prank. I don't think there is a way to say you've had enough without coming across like a bad sport in the eyes of the pranker because they will be all defensive replying, "It's just a JOKE! What's the problem?!" and get all huffy, but if they have gone way too far and you can't take it anymore you really have to say something especially with the harrassing and teasing cause as harmless as it may seem to them, it can cause emotional scars. But I guess if it were happening to me (in a lighthearted prank way not serious) I would ignore it, laugh along or get revenge on them (not in a nasty way) unless it was too much to bear. In a nasty case, a lecture would be in order. If the person was doing it to a friend I would get really angry and defend my friend and talk to the friend about it, let them vent their worries and give advice if they needed it/talk to instigator if they wanted or simply step in anyway to say something to instigator if it didn't seem out of line. If the pranker doesn't listen to your wishes after you've told them not to do something they aren't a good friend and if there isn't anything much to the friendship other than them being an ass then definitely it's time to move on without them. I think a lot of the mindset of a pranker they're not seeing that what they're doing is quite like bullying and only see that is humourous to THEM without thinking of the other person's feelings, it can be a selfish thing and it can be a hyperactive thing trying in a way to make the other person smile along with them, sometimes both. There is surely a fine line of what is too much and with any common sense the pranker should know inside when enough is enough, sadly this isn't always the case or they don't WANT to see it. In the case of callous teasing the saying really is true that you have to tell someone. People are always scared to cause they think it will make things worse but when you look back in the later years of life you think you should have said something. Bad people need to be given warnings/something done about them, they can't keep getting away with it cause then they think they can do it to everyone and they will ruin so many other people's lives. If no-one stood up to anything there would be tons more pain on top of the already masses of pain in the world.

Once again like last post I'm reminded of another film this time about scaring people! Hope you don't mind my link postage just these two threads brought back memories of these movies
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZnb2fJ-oo

[Corinne]

Hmm, interesting question. I think my way of dealing with that changed throughout my teen years. When I was a preteen and a young teen, I had a very low teasing threshold. It made me very upset and I didn't understand that sort of humour; I just thought it was mean. I used to stop being friends with people when they acted that way around me, because I saw it as bullying. (Incidentally, it sometimes was bullying, but I had a hard time distinguishing between actual bullying and friendly teasing.)

Now, I've developed a very high tolerance to teasing. Which is a good thing, because my friends couldn't live without it. All their humour pretty much consists in teasing. It's funny most times, because I now realize that it's humour, but they sometimes cross a line. I don't get upset very often, but some of my friends do. When I think they've gone too far, I generally just go, "Ha ha, you're not funny." They usually move on to another subject after that, but if they don't, I just ignore them. It's not worth getting worked up over it. They eventually get the hint.