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2Day FM Phone Hoax
- Thread starter Rosy
- Start date
I reckon practical jokes are on trial here and everyone is buying into the media frenzy over it. It is post modern ironic.
The other day on a work site I smeared grease in the sweat band of the foremans hard hat, so when he took his hard hat off, he had a big black line of grease over his forehead. EVERYBODY pissed themselves, cause it was funny. We were laughing at his expense. Another day, hell get me back. 'll expect it when I least expect it.
If the foreman was in the grip of a nervous breakdown (Ive gone pretty darn wobbly a couple of times, so I know the feeling) and he went home and necked himself, is it my fault for undertaking the practical joke that happens in every workplace every day? I say NO. His nervous breakdown, however tortuous, is in his head, not mine, and Im not gonna hypothetically stop making a long hard day bearable with a joke or two because of it.
The other day on a work site I smeared grease in the sweat band of the foremans hard hat, so when he took his hard hat off, he had a big black line of grease over his forehead. EVERYBODY pissed themselves, cause it was funny. We were laughing at his expense. Another day, hell get me back. 'll expect it when I least expect it.
If the foreman was in the grip of a nervous breakdown (Ive gone pretty darn wobbly a couple of times, so I know the feeling) and he went home and necked himself, is it my fault for undertaking the practical joke that happens in every workplace every day? I say NO. His nervous breakdown, however tortuous, is in his head, not mine, and Im not gonna hypothetically stop making a long hard day bearable with a joke or two because of it.
tigergollywog said:
There are degrees of practical joke though and in my definition can be quite a different thing to pranks. A practical joke between mate's mucking around on a work site isn't quite the same to a prank involving a gravely ill woman in hospital at risk of losing her baby. The latter is just appallingly poor taste.
I read a former employee of 2Day FM today telling how the djs there got a $50 bonus if they succeeded in making someone cry. Said they didn't care how bad it was as long as they were talked about. Well they're being talked about now. If that's true then, along with their Kyle Sandilands episodes, they qualify for "lowlife" territory to me. It's more to grab attention at someone else's expense, regardless of how personally devastating it might be to the victim, rather than a joke for fun. Unlike your work site scenario the victims don't have such a ready avenue for payback even if they did have the inclination.
tigergollywog said:
Not for one second blaming the djs for the suicide either but there's no doubt they wouldn't be in this situation if they didn't make the call.
If your joke contributed to pushing a workmate in a fragile condition over the edge to that extreme you'd have to be pretty inhuman not to question your actions. It's hard when a friend takes their life and you question what, in hindsight, you could have done differently to help them. I'm sure it would be devastating for most decent people to feel their actions, even in the tiniest way, played a part in someone taking their life. Suddenly their joke wouldn't be so funny.
I think the scenario you paint is a very different situation to the 2Day FM situation though.
Still at a loss sorry Elmer. You "voiced your disapproval" at my 2DayFM post being being on the lowlife thread but told me were happy with The Sun being on it. Then you took exception because I mentioned your blessing (maybe could have said approval or acceptance..tomateo-tomato) about what is posted on the Lowlife thread. If I'd tried to "play the man", as you accuse me of, then I'd think I failed. I didn't though. I was merely responding about the criteria you put forward for the Lowlife thread considering you'd disapproved my post. It seems you consider my comments, despite my lack of intention, as some kind of personal attack, so I sincerely apologise for any misunderstanding.
So it was a practical joke in bad taste? plenty of them too. Dont get me wrong, I reckon all the Gen Y DJ's trying to emulate Adam Spencer (who was a gen x *smile* who sort of pioneered the zany genY *smile* DJ routine) are dicks, but they are just doing their job, which is generally providing light hearted humour over the airwaves. The goodies had a queen routine. Monty python had a jesus routine. I know that phoning someone in hospital is a bit crook, but sometimes jokes fall flat. Theyde know that. I still maintain that there is no way the DJ's could know of the nurses, obviously pre-existing, poor mental health. I also reckon, that despite alarming data that shows an increasing number of people suffering from depression, of which suicide is the most profound side effect, that the practical joke should remain as an important art of our culture. Phoning a morning sick princess and pretending to be the queen, without a nurse killing herself, is pretty funny IMO. I think the nurse killing herself, bless her soul, is a terrible coincidence of events being used to sell newspapers.
Aside from the legitimately mentally ill, the people with actual brain chemistry issues, people who commit suicide are selfish, stupid, "poor me" cowards who are excellent proponents of Darwinism.
You can't walk around on eggshells trying to protect these people, something else will eventually set them off.
You can't walk around on eggshells trying to protect these people, something else will eventually set them off.
It is sad and unfortunate when anyone dies it is a tragedy when someone feels their own life has deteriorated to such an extent that they feel that they have to end their life. It would be surprising if the woman in question wasn't already on the verge and sadder still that she didn't seek any help to get through and one can only feel how her kids must be feeling at the moment.
These pranks are heading towards the bottom of the barrel to get laughs but they have been occuring for a long time and it was only a matter of time before something unfortunate happened but one can hardly lay the blame of the poor womans death at the hands of the DJs. I suppose the simple question would be if they knew what would have happened would they have continued with it?
The hospital I believe has come out and said that no action was going to be taken against either woman which they have only said since the poor womans death and is an indictment on the hospital anyway but not the place for that to be dissected.
The media across the world has decided to lay the blame for the outcome squarely at the feet of the DJs and some of the vitriol that is aimed at them is far worse than anything the DJs did.
These pranks are heading towards the bottom of the barrel to get laughs but they have been occuring for a long time and it was only a matter of time before something unfortunate happened but one can hardly lay the blame of the poor womans death at the hands of the DJs. I suppose the simple question would be if they knew what would have happened would they have continued with it?
The hospital I believe has come out and said that no action was going to be taken against either woman which they have only said since the poor womans death and is an indictment on the hospital anyway but not the place for that to be dissected.
The media across the world has decided to lay the blame for the outcome squarely at the feet of the DJs and some of the vitriol that is aimed at them is far worse than anything the DJs did.
Coburgtiger said:
Thats tough Coburg. I think mental illness, be it long or short term, is a prerequisite to ending your own life. I agree it is a selfish solution, but when your brain is misfiring acutely, to the point you wanna cash in your chips, you arent really thinking of others. Even if you were, youde think "they all hate me, I am useless, so Im doing them a favour". In the treacherous swamp of depression, things are not as they seem. The good news is, depression is as dangerous, but as treatable as a badly infected tooth. The even better news is, when you pull an infected tooth out, you feel good for a few days. When you inevidably overcome a nasty bout of depression, you can feel good for years.
tigergollywog said:
In hospital very sick and at risk of losing a baby at a very vulnerable stage. Agree they'd know jokes can fall flat. That's quite an understatement in this instance. Those who choose to impose on others for their own cheap thrills still have to live with any consequences, if any, from their actions.
tigergollywog said:
No doubt about that. I haven't noticed anyone claim otherwise.
tigergollywog said:
That's very generalised statement. Some practical jokes/pranks are fine, light hearted and not likely to offend. Some are vindictive, ill-conceived or even nasty. When it's harassment or an invasion of privacy it crosses the line.
tigergollywog said:
Maybe, but a coincidence of events that was triggered by similar motives. I feel very strongly about this and haven't purchased a single newspaper. Unfortunate situation, and of course the result couldn't have been predicted, but fact is 2DayFM are involved due to their own actions. That's the price pranksters risk. A very ordinary act gone incredibly, and tragically wrong.
I wonder if anyone would think it was amusing if their ailing grandma got a prank call in the middle of the night from an impersonator inquiring about her health and having her reaction repeated in public to get a few laugh$?
It can be a very fine line between what's acceptable and what's not. I thought this prank was contemptible the second I heard about it. Days before Jess took her life.
Coburgtiger said:
Furthermore CT, it is not hard to mount a case that taking YOUR OWN life, as ultimately tragic as it is, is an act of enormous bravery. You could also mount a strong case that our morbid fear of death which leads an 85 year old to have a triple bypass, is genuinely cowardly.
having said that, I think all those people who march through years of chronic depression, mustering the courage to get out of bed each morning, put on the normal mask, and face an overwhelming world, are the BRAVEST people I can think of. here is a :clap for all of them out there. Go see the doc.
rosy23 said:
All fair enough Rosy, but be honest now, If I snuck up behind Tony Abbott and whipped his budgy smugglers down on live TV, assuming he wasnt teetering on the edge of an acute breakdown that lead to his suicide, you would watch it on the ABC news and laugh your head off? I still maintain this joke has only become ill-conceived in hindsight, after a terrible coincidence made it so. If the poor nurse had had more mental fortitude and the producers got her on the program the next day and laughed it off and said "yeah, they got me a beauty, you should have heard the princess swear at me", it wouldnt have made the papers, and those who heard it would have laughed. Weve all got 20:20 vision in hindsight.
tigergollywog said:
I could do without that mental image thanks. :hihi
tigergollywog said:
I disagree. I formed my opinion on it before the tragic outcome was known. Egotistical, inconsiderate and selfish in the extreme to involve a woman and her unborn baby who were in a very vulnerable, life threatening situation. I didn't find it at all funny from the outset. Then again I know what it's like to lose a much wanted baby, and almost my life, with a tragic miscarriage. Not funny at all to target anyone in such a perilous situation. As a practical joke the situation is far removed from a bit of grease on a friend's head.
tigergollywog said:
I totally agree with you Tigergollywog.
The day after the prank, it was being hailed as one of the great 'royal prank calls' of all time and even Prince Charles made light of it the next day.
The woman who committed suicide simply answered the call and diverted the call to the nurse on duty, so the prank call wasn't even aimed at her...what they said wasn't threatening or malicious (as in violent or obscene in tone or language).
The woman may have already had predetermined medical/mental issues and what was going on in her personal life may have been what lead to her demise and has nothing to do with the DJs whatsoever, but people want a scapegoat and someone to blame, and unfortunately, these DJs are in the firing line.
Prank radio calls (remember Guido Hatzis on Triple-M wanting to give people a roundhouse kick to the head if they didn't give him a job :hihi), TV shows like "Punk'd", etc have been going on for years and will continue to go on for years.
