Acceptable Pranks

[sailingpj]

I got one of our most senior crew members to go look for prop wash once, along with plenty of other crew members. Hmmm, I haven't brought that one out in a while. Perhaps this weekend, I am going to be fixing one of our outboard motors.

[packsaddle]

Trustworthy. Which ones of all these do not teach that it is fun and OK to lie?

[sailingpj]

So far none of the pranks I am seeing here require any lying of any sort.

 

There is a lot of plastic spiders, snakes, and that sort of thing. I don't see how any of those pranks entail lying.

 

If you are talking about sending people off for prop wash, then again I fail to see how that entails lying. There are multiple things that they can bring back that fit the description of prop wash. Really any cleaning product can be used in that capacity, though brasso would be appropriate. If people are really thinking they can even grab a bucket and run down to the marina. There is plenty of prop wash down there.

 

Packsaddle, I would like to see your explanation as to how any of the pranks listed in this thread violate that point of the scout law.

[packsaddle]

I was once sent to find a shelf stretcher. I'll put this into the same category as 'prop wash'. I was young, naive, trusting, and wanting to be accepted by the group and to show how I could really contribute.

1. I trusted the people in the group. I trusted that they had the same sense of honest desire to do the right thing that I had. I trusted that if they said something, it was 'truth'. I trusted that they would not say or do anything to deceive anyone, much less me, the new guy.

2. When I was asked by a couple of them to go ask 'so-and-so' where the shelf stretcher was, I trusted them. I trusted that 'so-and-so' knew the answer and I was going to return with it. Moreover, I knew that my success was important to being accepted by the group so I was very sincere when I asked 'so-and-so' for the shelf stretcher. He wasn't sure so he referred me to the next guy.

This process eventually worked me up to the top rank.

3. Each of these persons were 'in' on the prank. Each of them knew that I was sincere...heck, it had worked countless times on other boys, on them for that matter. They were going to teach me a lesson.

4. Every one of them knew there was no such thing as a shelf stretcher but they told me that not only WAS there such a thing, it was also critical to solving the problem they were working on.

5. I sincerely believed all of them.

6. I sincerely wanted to be accepted as a member.

7. I sincerely wanted to help solve this problem, whatever it was, evidently the shelf needed to be longer.

8. The last guy sent me back to the first and when I arrived there, they all laughed.

I learned my lesson. It is fun to deceive. It is fun to prey on someone's sincerity. Heck, later in life I could perhaps make a lot of money doing this to people.

 

I wasn't physically harmed. But my understanding of 'Trustworthy' was permanently modified. You might argue that this was going to happen anyway, that life is hard and we all have to learn how to deal with betrayals and I would agree. But is Scouting where you want this lesson to occur? Or in as trite a manner as this?

If you can't see the elements of deception and betrayal in this, I'm sorry for you.

[sailingpj]

"Trustworthy. Which ones of all these do not teach that it is fun and OK to lie? "

 

Ok, so I read this as you taking issue with the majority of the pranks mentioned in this thread. However it appears that you only have a problem with the go and find this nonexistent item pranks. Is that a fair statement?

 

Let me explain the culture of the ships in my area. When someone gets sent to go find something they may get sent to a couple people, but along the way someone is going to A) explain whats happening, and B) probably assist the new crew member (or even senior crew member) in crafting a prank to play on whoever sent them looking. This usually starts some sort of prank war. These prank wars are just another form of friendly competition. There is one that has been going on between a Skipper and Mate on this one ship since they were scouts. They both have kids in the program now, so that is pretty long.

[OldGreyEagle]

Hey Pack, maybe the two of us damaged people could car pool to the therapy we need for being such fragile children?

 

Your analysis is what I have been trying to get across in my Snipe Hunt/Cannon Report story. The taking advantage of someone eager to please. That was and is my objection.

 

Carry on

 

 

 

 

[packsaddle]

Sailingpj, it was YOUR request: "I would like to see your explanation as to how any of the pranks listed in this thread violate that point of the scout law."

Moreover, YOU suggested the 'prop wash' example so I went with that one. I answered your question using your example. And from your response I think you understand how that violates point 1 of the law, at least.

You didn't ask me to address ALL of the examples. You asked me to respond to "any". I did.

OGE, yeah, I know. See you at therapy...

[Eagle92]

I've been sent to get 50 feet of shoreline, and I did it. Got two large cups, went to the waterfront, and scooped up 50 feet in a straight line. Went back to the SPL, and proceeded tolay out the 50 feet of shoreline on the ground no biggie.

 

Went after a left handed wrench too. I went to the tool box, got a wrench and shifted it to my left hand.

 

Now I did encourage the O WAH TA GOO SIAM skit at PDL-1, and national trainers blew a gasket. I didn't see the big deal though.

 

I just don't encourage sending folks out to find 50 feet of fallopian tubes when you have a female staffer, even though she herself pulled some stunts on staff.

 

Best stunt I know of was payback for a camp director putting a bunch of lobsters in the staff showers. In the middle of the night, some staffers towed his jeep to an accessible, but out of the way place, jacked up his jeep, removed his tires, and used them as compass course markers.

 

Only complaint was that the jeep was blocking the main "road" for the wilderness area, and an emergency vehicle would not get through. Otherwise no problems.

 

Also I was told that all pranks among staff stopped after that one.

 

@Fish,

 

I personally like a quote attributed to Col. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, USMC (ret.) of VMF 214 fame, "Don't get made, get even. And don't get even, get ahead!"

[FScouter]

Take the camp director's golf cart when he's not looking, but instead of carrying it up two flights of stairs, take it around back, wash it, wax it, and do a complete detail job.

 

Instead of hanging dirty socks in somebody's tent, wash them, fold them, and leave on his sleeping bag.

 

Why must "pranks" cause damage, or inconvenience, or otherwise upset and disturb the peace of mind of another person?? The whole concept is rather sick.

 

Off now to prank the elderly neighbor woman while she's off at a doctor appointment - going to weed-whack around her house. Can you top that?

[Crew21_Adv]

Fellow Scouters,

 

 

Didn't the 2009 National OA Chief prank his own NOAC contingent, by filling the entire bus with ping pong balls?

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21_Adv

[jonathanrbaker]

Our standard has always been nothing that causes physical harm to person or property, and is not intended to humiliate/degrade. Beyond that...anything's game.

 

Very rarely things went too far and had to be addressed, but those are so infrequent that they are best dealt with on an individual basis rather than making overly restrictive rules.

[srisom]

Just gotta be careful where you have the snipe hunts. In the mountains, it would be hazing. On the coast it would be seen as endangering wildlife, unless you were hunting the Common Snipe.

[sailingpj]

Ok pack, that is a fault in how I crafted my question. My intention was for you to give an explanation of how any and all of the pranks in this thread are untrustworthy. Your original question seems to indicate that you find fault with most all the pranks listed here. I simply want to read what your side of the story is. I'm not looking to get into a massive war over a difference of opinion about 1 prank.

[SSScout]

In college, I worked on the stage crew. It was a professional quality theater, with broadway shows coming thru, so we were paid guild scale!

The christmas show was spectacular, the stage was festooned with long garlands of shiny balls, each about 18" in diameter. We had spent days making these, crumbled up newspaper and aluminum foil, fastened onto the ropes, maybe 300 feet long all together.When the lights shone on them , they were really nice.

As we were striking the sets, an office secretary came thru and commented on how beautiful everything had been and gee, she wished she had some garlands like that for her tree at home.

The crew chief watched her walk away (well, we all watched...) and said, "okay, boys, Ginny wants some garlands...".

We stuffed her car full of the garlands such that all you could see was aluminum thru her windows.

[sailingpj]

Pack, I understand that a prank like sending someone for prop wash can cause harm in the wrong circumstances. However I am simply explaining that those circumstances are not present in my ship. I am not talking about send an 11 year old on their first camping trip off on a wild goose chase. I am talking about sending a 14, 15, 16, 17 year old off with a problem that needs a creative solution.

 

One of the best solutions I got ended with me being thrown in the marina. The crew member came up and told me that they found the prop wash but could get to it. She then asked for my help. We walked down to the boat, I was ambushed, told to get the prop wash myself, then thrown into the water. I inhaled half the marina from laughing.

 

They helped me out and we all laughed there for a few minutes. Later at lunch we had the entire crew rolling on the floor as we told the epic tale.(This message has been edited by sailingpj)