Joking among friends is common behavior–especially if they have history and every individual within their circle knows they can handle the ribbing
We even see this in the entertainment industry where comedians often hold roasts to ruthlessly mock their colleagues, no holds barred.
As long as the recipient is able to handle the mockery while cognizant of all the criticisms aimed at them, regardless of their veracity, can be taken in stride.
But sometimes, comedians, or friends who think they have humorous cred, can go too far.
To hear examples of where to draw the line in comedy, Redditor DeltaName asked:
"What do you see as the lowest form of humour?"
Not everyone can handle being pranked.
It would behoove the jokester to really know their victim's limits before committing to something that can be potentially harmful.
Disguised Attacks
"When 'pranks' are really just bullying/assault."
"Its only funny if the person being pranked can laugh about it as well, if not, its not a prank."
– Cleverbird
Just A Jerk
"Another thing, in an extremely simplified scenario to illustrate: the victim suspects it's a prank and calls BS on it. '600 paper bags? Is this a prank?'"
"The perpetrator plays innocent and swears it's on the up and up: 'No, we really DO need 600 paper bags!'"
"Victim gets the bags, perpetrator laughs and reveals it was 'just a prank.'"
"I see this play out pretty often. If the jig is up, admit it and move on. Otherwise, you're just being a jerk-- not a funny prankster."
– hmmm_thought_pig
Too Stage-y
"I also hate pranks that are obviously staged. A prank isn't funny because of what's being done, but because a good prank will be based somewhat in reality - so for a second the person being pranked believes whatever is happening is actually happening to them."
"So when a prank is staged, I see no comical value in it whatsoever. They're just really poorly acted, low budget sketches at that point."
– tmobilekid
For The Sake Of Clicks
"Pranking kids. Making them cry just for a sh**ty tic tok video."
– Outcasted_introvert
Unfair Target
"Cheap shots on a persons physical appearance."
– Alternative-Poem-337
People think joking about a traumatic past should be off-limits.
There Are Limits
"'Pranking' others about serious matters."
– Sa-lin
The Difference
"Prank: covering someone's room in tinfoil."
"Not prank: faking a traumatic emotional event"
"It's a pretty easy line to spot if you're not a jerk, but people suck."
– APearce
Taking Advantage Of The Gullible
"Yeah I hate these. Like I said a pretty innocuous joke and dude got all serious and said he was abused or his mom died or something. I felt bad and stopped joking around and apologized. And then it was like 'haha look how dumb he is for believing that HARDEEHAR!'"
"I'm just like wtf, u think I'm gonna call u out as a liar over sensitive stuff like that?? Of course I choose to believe you. And you're kind of a dick!"
– iFlyskyguy
A Lost Opportunity
"I had a friend I was close to in high school. One day he confessed to that me was dying from a terminal illness. I pitied him and did my best to be a good friend for the next two months, and then found out he was lying for apparently no reason."
"Obviously I was confused and angry so I stopped hanging out with him and to this day I still have no idea why he did that. If he wanted attention, he had it already -- he never knew, but I had a slight crush on him at the time."
– gekigarion
These workplace pranks are anything but hysterical.
At The Expense Of Co-Workers
"F'king with workers for a video."
– KiraSandwich
Who Does This?
"Throwing a drink at someone, especially a food worker after they hand you the drink. My f'king god I hate seeing that sh*t."
– suddenAlcoholic
Taking Another Person's Property
"Saw a video of a guy stealing a worker's ID and running in the hallway while the worker was chasing him.. he did it as a 'prank' apparently."
"Really hate that sh*t."
– ballistic-dumba**
As an Asian-American, I've often been subject to racist humor.
"I'm just kidding. I have tons of Asian friends," is the excuse I've grown numb to hearing, and I often laughed it off. I always thought that if I expressed my humiliation, I would be accused of being "too defensive" or lacking a sense of humor.
I realized, embarrassingly late, that by going along with their mockery of me using Asian stereotypes, that I was complicit in perpetuating casual racism towards people who look like me.
When non-White people are constantly made fun of based on their ancestry and/or color of their skin, it's never funny.
My statement may invoke others to call me "woke."
For me, it's more like "I've had it, I'm tired, and I'm no longer taking your racist bullsh*t."
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