# Shining a bright flashlight into people's houses? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600 "2012-08-15T20:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/101 "2012-08-17T16:42:16Z")
You guys have a really poorly developed sense of humor. Next you’ll tell me you’ve grown out of being ticklish, too. Boo! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/102 "2012-08-17T16:56:25Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Cuz their funny, lol! > > [http://www.break.com/index/bag-of-apples-to-the-face-prank-1938804](http://www.break.com/index/bag-of-apples-to-the-face-prank-1938804) > > Now, tell me that you didn’t laugh. 🙂 😉 😃 > > Edited to add: I seldomly pull pranks anymore, because I don’t want to deal with the shit that could go wrong. BUT I’m still entertained by other people’s pranks. Wow, that _was_ hilarious! [Here’s a video of a guy getting shot in the head](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TL7CLAQA91Tns). LOLOLOLOL SO FUNNY!!! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/103 "2012-08-17T16:57:15Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Ok then, I’m curious what is considered as an “adult” prank then. Shining a light into someones house won’t harm anyone physically or damage anyone’s property. A “prank” involves your friends, and a funny prank involves specific knowledge of how the friend will react to the prank action. Sometimes a prank of this sort could include making someone confused or even a little alarmed for a short time, but it would end with the pranker owning up to the scheme. The key to a prank is reveal where the pranked realizes _the situation was never real and there’s nothing wrong_. In other words, to quote you, “have you ever seen Punk’d?” There simply isn’t anything prankish about harming total strangers secretly. We call hurting other people for laffs “childish” because normally only a child is so lacking in empathy and experience to wish to take pleasure in other people’s pain. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/104 "2012-08-17T17:03:35Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Wow, that _was_ hilarious! > > [Here’s a video of a guy getting shot in the head](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TL7CLAQA91Tns). LOLOLOLOL SO FUNNY!!! Wow, talk about misrepresentation! That guy wasn’t just getting shot in the head, he got shot in the _face_! ---
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/105 "2012-08-17T17:50:57Z")
Getting shot in the head and getting hit with a few apples, is sooooo the same thing. LOL Note to self: beware of those who don’t find Punk’d, Jackass, or Equals Three type of humor funny. They will label me as a sociopath. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/106 "2012-08-17T17:52:54Z")
Thanks for making me feel even worse about using my phone’s flashlight feature to see what’s hanging out in my yard! I’m well aware that the light must spill through the fences to the neighbor’s yards too, but I wanna make sure the neighbor kitties aren’t sleeping where I’m walking. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/107 "2012-08-17T17:53:15Z")
I used to think getting shot in the head was funny, but then I took an arrow to the knee. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/108 "2012-08-17T17:55:13Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Getting shot in the head and getting hit with a few apples, is sooooo the same thing. LOL > > Note to self: beware of those who don’t find Punk’d, Jackass, or Equals Three type of humor funny. They will label me as a sociopath. 😛 Would you think it’s funny if _you_ were the recipient of a bag full of apples to the head? “Oh, you got me there guys…Good one!” “This baseball-sized welt on my head is pure gold, Jerry, pure gold.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/109 "2012-08-17T18:05:43Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Getting shot in the head and getting hit with a few apples, is sooooo the same thing. LOL > > Note to self: beware of those who don’t find Punk’d, Jackass, or Equals Three type of humor funny. They will label me as a sociopath. 😛 I already told you: I like Jackass and you almost certainly have a personality disorder. But thanks for confirming the theory I proposed over [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15393609&postcount=58) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/110 "2012-08-17T18:06:14Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Would you think it’s funny if _you_ were the recipient of a bag full of apples to the head? “Oh, you got me there guys…Good one!” “This baseball-sized welt on my head is pure gold, Jerry, pure gold.” 🙂 Not to mention the concussion and permanent brain damage! Although I guess in some cases, there’s not that much there to damage. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/111 "2012-08-17T18:06:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > No, I didn’t laugh. I thought the guy hitting his roommate was a prick. If anyone hit me in the head with a bag of apples I’d go all medieval on his ass. And anybody who would laugh has a sick sense of humor. Yeah, I was expecting something kind of clever, like the faucet being the trigger. But nope, it was just a guy that jacked his friend in the face with a bag of apples. There was nothing about that that was a prank, it was just someone being an asshole. Someone who pulls that as a prank is the same kind of person who threatens to kick your ass and then says “I’m just messin’ with ya” and laughs. There’s a difference between humor and being an asshole. If that’s what you consider a funny prank, you’re setting a pretty low bar. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/112 "2012-08-17T18:09:55Z")
I’m at work, so I can only watch things posted on Mammoth Tube, but I wil check out the apple smash video once i get home. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/113 "2012-08-17T18:13:28Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I’m at work, so I can only watch things posted on Mammoth Tube, but I wil check out the apple smash video once i get home. It’s not a prank. A guy loads 3-4 apples in a sack, sneaks up on his roomate and clobbers him, knocking him down. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/114 "2012-08-17T18:14:35Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > It’s not a prank. A guy loads 3-4 apples in a sack, sneaks up on his roomate and clobbers him, knocking him down. That’s it? My dog comes up with more clever tricks than that. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/115 "2012-08-17T18:28:08Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Note to self: beware of those who don’t find Punk’d, Jackass, or Equals Three type of humor funny. They will label me as a sociopath. 😛 Please point to any episode of any of Punk’d that does not include a reveal that the whole situation is a setup. It’s pretty clear why Punk’d always has a reveal: the reveal that the situation was a setup is what makes it funny. In the pilot episode for Punkd, they “punk’d” a random, noncelebrity couple by making it appear that there was a murder victim in their hotel room. (those humorless jerks sued him for $10 million, don’t they know that finding bodies is the funniest…?) A few years later, Ashton Kutchner went to his girlfriend’s house, [to find that she had been stabbed to death for realsies](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340075/Ashton-Kutcher-recalls-horror-girlfriends-2001-murder-trial-serial-killer-looms.html). I’m sure **Diamonds02** ’s reaction to the second is “lulz” because, what’s more funny than finding your girlfriend dead in a big pool of blood, amirite? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/116 "2012-08-17T18:37:05Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > Potential funny things that could happen > > -As someone mentioned up thread, some stoner/druggie could panic and flush their stash down the toilet. LOL > -Some über-paranoid person may believe the FBI or whatever is after them. Person would probably go around telling everyone about it, also. LOL > -He would like piss off several people severely. Watching people throw tantrums can be quite funny. LOL > -Some people may believe thieves are casing their house. It would be humorous if you returned to the same house and notice that all their valuables have been moved out of sight, or security cameras have been installed. LOL > -The possibility that my friend may get his ass whooped. LOL > -The general chaos that could arise, all because of a flashlight. LOL Y’know, all sorts of good things start to happen in your life when you grow up. And if you want those benefits, it takes a lot of self-control and discipline, and giving up dickish behavior. And getting more mature “friends”. (that is, if you are honestly serious about thinking this stuff is funny in all these threads, and not exaggerating, which is a bit hard to believe) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/117 "2012-08-17T18:43:58Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > My dog comes up with more clever tricks than that. Maybe your dog could take **Diamonds** under it’s wing? Be her mentor? You know; teach her some things. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/118 "2012-08-17T19:00:39Z")
I used to prank people for hours in my basement. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/119 "2012-08-17T19:29:40Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > A “prank” involves your friends, and a funny prank involves specific knowledge of how the friend will react to the prank action. Yeah, like [this guy](http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/man-kills-friend-punch-face-ocala/nRDS9/)who pranked his friend pretty good. They’re both gonna be laughing about that one for years! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600/120 "2012-08-17T19:34:13Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Yeah, like [this guy](http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/man-kills-friend-punch-face-ocala/nRDS9/)who pranked his friend pretty good. They’re both gonna be laughing about that one for years! nm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shining-a-bright-flashlight-into-peoples-houses/631600.md?page=7)