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Dear PoPville – Good Prank or Not?
Dear PoPville,
One of my friends is posting these around the Dupont area in an effort to prank our other friend. His goal is so many calls, a change of phone # is needed.
I’m torn- I like idea but think its a little too cruel.
Thoughts?
Personally I don’t think it’s very funny. I also don’t think many people will take the time to call the number. I really think it’s just gonna end up as trash so perhaps you can tell your friend to stop. Or have I gotten too old? Anyone think this is funny/a good prank?
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Recent Comments
Blithe
11:37am
Too cold for me! But a great idea for later in the summer! 
That's alright, I think we have enough information on this place already :-)
11:36am
Wow. Brunch, kids, AND tv sets all over the place? It's a get me the f**k outta here...
A place for the real housewives of Benning Rd to shop.
One of the children's librarians at the Petworth library uses "pickles" as her expletive....
From DC Code 22-3133 (Stalking): “It is unlawful for a person to purposefully engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific individual: With the intent to cause that individual to: …Suffer emotional distress…That the person knows would cause that individual reasonably to …Suffer emotional distress…or That the person should have known would cause a reasonable person in the individual’s circumstances to…Suffer emotional distress.”
Too many calls about the birds is emotional distress…
What???
kinda stupid. if his friend’s goal is “so many calls, a change of phone # is needed,” I’d post a CL casual encounters ad with his buddy’s phone number and a photo of a reasonably attractive woman.
Still kind of a dumb idea, but likely to be more effective.
I did this in college, only gave away a guys number to guys. Juvenile, but hilarious.
*guy’s number to gay guys. He was homophobic, so it added to the prank.
Sounds like a real laugh riot for the gay guys that called him up too! #effingidiot
I’m sorry, but that was a terrible idea. Setting up your friend to get calls from the kind of weirdos that would respond to a casual encounters ad (i.e. not a good representation of the gay population) is only going to reinforce his negative stereotypes about us.
Presumably you’re not gay yourself, since you were hanging out with homophobic douche bags in college.
But even if you were, seems like a pretty sick trick to play on the unsuspecting horn dogs who called up your jackass friend. At least they were going to get yelled at; at worst they could have been lured into a beat down.
-1000. you were a real tool back then… hopefully you’ve learned a few things about how the world works since then.
Let me guess, you frequent the bars in AdMo and/or Georgetown??
Because all people in Adams Morgan and Georgetown are homophobic frat boys. GTFO of here with that nonsense. Although it is difficult, one stupid comment does not always require a partner.
Some people have too much time on their hands.
yeah, that would piss the puritans off.
Says the person posting on an internet blog on a weekday afternoon.
this is a bite off of another bird flyer that was in the news recently. OP’s friend is not very creative.
So asinine. Thanks for the unnecessary litter.
I’ve seen multiple “have you seen _____” posters around, including a pink unicorn. Makes me laugh but I’ve never even thought about calling.
One of the many people who’ve lost pets recently and posted about it on this blog could probably use his help posting flyers, if he can tear himself away from being a giant dick for a few hours.
THIS
Seriously. If you’d like to help put up flyers for Tiny/deathray_2000, please call/text Michael at 202-374-6591. (More info: http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2012/09/keep-your-eyes-peeled-for-lost-dog-tiny/)
Aww, I’m still thinking about Tiny and waiting for the post saying he was found. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my eyes peeled since I don’t live too far from you.
Me too.
Stoopid.
I, for one, think this is hilarious!! Probably wont be as effective as he thinks, but it will result in some funny phone calls.
So which frat was your friend in?
As if being in a frat somehow automatically means you’re an idiot? Also, this is a funny prank if it were effective. I highly doubt he’d change his number anyway though, considering that the calls would occur for a few days and then stop. How about you all take off your hipster lens-less glasses and lighten up a bit. Also, if you were not in a fraternity you probably shouldn’t talk about them because you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d rather hang out with my friends and do some stupid shit than be someone who stayed in and studied non-stop… something it seems you must have done quite frequently.
Says the offended frat guy….
Rage on Bro.
*snort*
So you concede that guys in frats hang out and do stupid shit, but you are offended that someone would see this typical frat activity?
I’m saying most people do stupid shit with their friends, whether they’re in a fraternity or not, as long as they have friends. But no no, you go take the moral high ground on a post about a prank involving a picture of a pidgeon. We don’t have real problems to worry about, like how the Middle East is about to explode and the main sight in their targets is going to be the US. But hey, let’s just tell a guy his friend is an “idiot” and a “typical frat guy” because that adds so much to the public discourse.
dude, they were making a joke. chill the f down.
Hmmmm so how come you and our merry prankster here aren’t doing something more important, like fixing the middle east or whatevs? What a weak derail.
If the frat boy didn’t want feedback he should not have written in to Dear PoPville.
Everyone’s overreacting
You must be new here.
HAHAHAHA!! You made my day with your witty one liner. Thank you.
heheh.
That comment in and of itself made it worth reading this far down.
I don’t think it is very funny in practice…. Think of all of the people he has to notify of this change in number just because your friend wants a giggle.
Nobody’s going to call…. would you? If I saw this I’d either assume it was a fake number, or some piece of performance art that I don’t want to get involved with, or someone who wants my number to put me on a calling list for something.
+1. Seriously, that’s part of why it’s funny. NOBODY will call.
The best part is that the people who will call will either be a) wackos b) playing along with the joke. Either way, it’ll make for some funny conversations.
To complete the prank, it would be fun if the prankster than needed urgent help from the prankee but found the number disconnected.
O, the laughs would never end.
Also, can someone pass this note to Jenny in the second row with the question, “Do you like me” with three choices for answers.
Jenny said no. Something about hating your stupid face she said.
what if I do find the bird though?
The stupidity of the prank is only outweighed by the stupidity of not knowing the prank would fail.
Predicted physical age of the “pranker”: 23
Predicted emotional age of the “pranker”: 14
It would be funnier if it were in a city that has a lot of pigeons, like NYC or Rome. Or if it were a squirrel.
I’m decidedly blah about this.
who cares
Stop Brooklyn-ing DC.
Also, I’m sure it was your “friend.”
yay. worst comment of the day!
Better prank:
Put ad on craigslist for “free flatscreen TV”. List friends phone number and email.
Signed, former frat boy.
I agree that this will never result in a single phone call and that it isn’t an original idea. But what I was struck by most when I moved to DC is the complete and total lack of whimsy, and the PoP commentariot always reminds me that this first impression was correct. Complaints that people spend a few minutes to pull a joke on a friend when they could use that time to paper the neighborhood to find a stranger’s dog. Outrage about the cost of removing a sweater from the Joan of Arc statue in Meridian Park. Sometimes I wish people here were less earnest and could just smile and move on.
Indeed.
amen to that!
yay! best comment of the day!
Your overall observation about DC may be well-taken, but I have to say, I don’t think there’s anything “whimsical” about putting someone’s phone number on flyers and soliciting people to call (maybe if it was a fake phone number). Regardless of whether anyone would actually take it seriously, that’s still putting the person’s number out there for a host of prank callers and whatnot. If a “friend” of mine pulled that kind of crap, they’d likely be a former friend, fast.
Totally agree, I meant to add that to my list of disclaimers.
Meh.