Haha! Zing!
On a roll! 
I just re-read his PM. I think we’re both interpreting the “guilty” part differently. I’m taking it to mean that he felt guilty all these years for simply not coming clean (and hyperbole to sell his story). I think others are reading it as he feels guilty for presenting as male when he’s female, so there’s some deeper shame involved. Those both are valid, but I think in light of the day it was sent, only one would be more likely.
As to Goofy? Well, we agree there. That sucker was goofy.
Wait… you don’t consider me family? We’ve posted on the same thread more than once (I think). Well, that explains why I didn’t get a birthday present from you.
You are SO out of my Christmas newsletter this year… And the family portrait this year? Well, just don’t bother buying matching cowboy outfits. (Or cowgirl, in Idle Thoughts’s case…)
Cross posting this to the ATMB thread too.
Some backstory…
On Facebook, for the last four years I’ve done this. Every April 1st, I do the whole “Okay, confession time. I’m really a girl. I’ve been a girl all this time” prank. Mostly because it’s extremely amusing to see some people always believe it, despite having seen many of my photos, talked with people who know me in real life, or who have even actually met me.
I even did in in 2013, but can’t find the FB post for it right now.
Anyway, it got to the point where I became sort of “known” for this joke and even had many people messaging me before the first asking me if I’m going to do it again this year. Some years I’ve considered not doing it and said this, but it always seemed to get a lot of “No, you must do it! It’s practically tradition now!” type replies.
Even this year, I did a callback to that old prank now, by changing my FB photo to one of me in drag (yes, that’s really me).
So, if you’re friends with me on FB (or been friends with me on there for awhile), this prank should come as no surprise to you. For those of you who aren’t, however, you can see that this prank is nothing new in terms of me doing it. So whether you think it’s funny and liked it or think it’s stupid, immature, and unfunny, I don’t really care or mind too much. It’s your right to think of it how you want. I fully admit it’s not the best prank in the world and can definitely be seen as not funny at all, although some replies in this thread have shown that there are people out there who do find it amusing.
So once again (for the second and last time), I’m sorry for offending, pissing off, or betraying anyone with it. That really wasn’t my intent. I sincerely apologize if you found it in bad taste or are upset. The joke wasn’t meant to take advantage of a trust type situation, or make fun of transgender people, or act like my account/the board was hacked, or any other thing that it’s been accused of being today other than just an amusing (and lame) prank.
As for posting the replies, I still don’t see the harm in it as long as they are all unattributed, but again, YMMV.
Don’t call people assholes, either directly or indirectly, in this forum.
No warning issued.
Is it permissible to still think of Idle Thoughts as a girl? Because he’s got a real purdy mouth.
For the record, my response was this:
Obviously nothing I’m unwilling to post openly.
But I think it’s wrong to post other people’s private messages without their permission.
Well this has been amusing. I got took, hook line and sinker. My reply is up there, I fell for it, totally forgot today’s date.
A good prank is a delicate art, something that is funny without humiliating several people. This one was okay, ha ha funny, maybe a little. But it does prey on people’s kindness. I can see someone receiving the PM and being in a delicate situation themself, and possibly opening up a little to IT. If that did happen (and maybe IT did not include their reply - points to you if that’s what you did), that person might be feeling a little humiliated right about now. At least it’s not a public humiliation. But it’s public to IT.
A good prank is a delicate art. This one fell short of good. I don’t feel humiliated. I feel gullible. Just like the umkay thing. Yeah I’m learning, and sometimes I can be a little slow.
Ha ha, funny.
Here’s mine:
I was genuinely happy to have alleviated some of IT’s guilt when I said that.
It’s funny that I realized it was likely a joke but I didn’t remotely remember the date. I just knew this PM was too out of the blue and remembered his Halloween thing. Also, I don’t care what anyone’s sex is on the internet.
Just a silly little joke, people. It was spoiled within a few hours so no need to take it as some deep deception.
OK im doing it! Here’s some real SDMB sex deception:
As I said in the ATMB thread, I think the disproportionate response is because people were lashing out after having fallen for the joke. They’re upset with themselves for not getting it, as they think of themselves as being rather smart, but they take it out on Idle. It makes zero sense to be legitimately upset at someone for pulling a rather transparent prank on the day we as a society specifically sanction pranks.
BTW, mine was designed to let him know I understood, but at the same time give him a chance to keep it going if he so chose, while doing so in a very concise manner. Anyone want to guess which one was mine?
It’s an inside joke. Some Doper (whom I will not name) apparently thought it was a sex thing a long time ago, possibly due to English not being their native language or, at least, having been away from the U.S. for so long.
I bet they wish knowyourmeme had existed back then, as they made a big deal over it.
Well… I might have fallen for it, if I actually read my PMs, but unfortunately I saw this thread first. However, I’d probably have gone “Wait, who’s this again? Do I know him/her in any way?” and not replied, assuming that it was spam.
I suppose you could count me as a Schroedinger victim - in a combined state of being simultaneously pranked and not pranked.
Posting private messages, even when you remove the identity, is being a jerk.
How about I post your PMs you sent me? But I remove your name? Would that be funny?
Cause I fooled you right back. I think everybody would get a chuckle over your remorse and shame.
Hahaha
It’s so funny when you fool people, but it’s really funny when you show it to everyone and laugh at them in public.
April fools!
( I didn’t mean a damn thing I just said, it was a joke)
Completely taken in and answered in good faith, but it’s worth noting that since I’m in an entirely different time zone I didn’t get the message until this morning (April 2) and so didn’t twig until after responding that it was likely an April Fool’s joke. My sides, they are splitting with the laughter.
And while I give permission to post my PM if you want, isn’t publicly posting PMs without permission against board rules? Maybe I should ask a moderator…
I checked the rules. You can post them, even with the name and everything. There is no privacy for them at all.
Remember when jokes were crafted to be funny, with a set up and punchline?
Now they can just be any old crap, and it’s your own fault for not “getting it”. Let’s all laugh at the foolish people who believed a plausible lie.
:D:D:D
I figured the person had to be insane, because they claimed they liked my posts. That was a real spoiler.