Well you better go catch it!
I think I have figured out the kids that troll. When we were kids and stayed up late at slumber parties our guilty pleasure was prank calling people. I don't remember all of them anymore but I remember calling stores and asking do you have Prince Albert in a can...
Can't prank anymore, caller ID. Even if you block there is a star something you can use to call them back, whole mess of nasty things you can do to the little reprobates!!
So now they prank call message boards. Much harder to track them down.
So what do you all think?
As I remember we were called a mess of bad names. Seems pretty similar, no?
I don't know if they are back or not, I am not trolling for trolls but it seems like a reasonable explanation. Trolling is the new prank calls.
Liv, I could actually see a few of them hanging out, getting bored, and each making up stupid questions and laughing their ass off. All of my kids have laptops, granted they would lose them if they pull stuff like this, still it seems the norm to have a portable. I don't know about you but the payoff was the person on the other end cussing us out to no end!
I don't know, I was a mischievous kid, I could see me finding it funny as hell to frustrate the women here when I was a kid.
Denise, that is the point of this. If we understand what they are doing it is easier to ignore. Sort of like when the kid asked the question and the person hangs up. That wasn't fun, that was the dud. I figure if we understand why they are doing it then it makes sense to hang up on them, ya know?
Prince Albert, if I remember correctly, was a canned tobacco. Most stores carried it so they would answer yes, then you said well you better let him out! Yeah, we were a clever lot!
Lucky! it is I. P. Freely!
Are they back?
I think I hear my weekend calling.
Walking away slowly. Trying not to get sucked in.
My refrigerator IS running.
It's where I keep my Prince Albert in a can.
Repeat after me: "Ignore troll posts!!!"
ETA: Personally, I don't feel the need to understand the motivation; a troll is a troll.
Most are fairly obvious.
A troll is a troll is a troll is...well, you get the idea.
We grew up in the same era J.! Caller ID has killed a lot of phone pranks, now the pranks just seem cruel.
We did have a string of ding dong ditches at our house last summer. Finally, one of my friends told me that her kids love to ding dong ditch us because my husband would open the door and yell funny stuff like "I hope you kids aren't missing supper!"
Pranks should be something younger kids can do together and laugh about together, I feel sad if there are kids on here by themselves because they don't have anyone to laugh with.
I dont really play with the trolls....except Dandy...she holds a special place in my heard. I agree with you though.
Now, if you'll excuse me while i finish reading the book "Yellow River" by I. P. Daily.
I was really impressed that nobody answered the "my kid is holding his poop in" question!
But that could have been a good opportunity flushed away....
What a waste. :)
My 15 year old daughter recently went to a basketball "team bonding" sleepover. I suggested that they TP someone's house. She looked at me like I had 3 heads! What has this world come to when teenagers don't TP houses anymore?!
Those were the good old days.
Pranking and teepee'in were way more fun! Bunch of dorks!
My kids now try this stuff to people's faces...
Most recent?
"Hmmm... smells like upgenius in here."
(you're supposed to then ask: "What's up-genius?"
or... "Watchout! Don't look under there!"
(you're supposed to ask: "Under where?"
Ha. Ha.
Except that pranking used to be kind of a social activity. But I think internet trolls are often alone. Otherwise your explanation makes sense.
"I got nothing" as far as the message boards are concerned, J.. But you gave me a big smile with the frig and Prince Albert in a can jokes. My dad used to do this to his grandma. She, my great-grandma, used to tell me about what he did when I was a little girl, and my daddy would laugh and laugh, and then they laughed together and would start joking again with each other. What a wonderful memory! Thank you!
Dawn
I never did those sorts of things-- I think I thought I would have died a thousand deaths and have been strung up by my toenails if I'd been caught. I kept the pranks "in house" and tormented my little sister with things like:
putting Crisco on her doorknob
telling her that my male bff 'knows what's in your dresser drawers' (we never looked, but she *still* called mom at work. ugh.)
and other very stupid stuff not important enough to recall
I did ask Mamapedia to consider a weekend moderator. Despite a very respectfully-worded request, I have heard nothing back from them. C'est la vie. I may just stay off Mamapedia this weekend. I'm not interested in watching people respond to the trolls by throwing other people under the bus.
We got "ding dong ditched" a couple of nights ago. Cracked me up, that kids would still consider it fun. Makes me want to go TP a friend's house, just for old time's sake.
I completely agree! I used to play ding dong ditch on a fairly regular basis. We thought that was just HILARIOUS! And pool hopping, in a cop's pool? Don't mind if I do!
When I was 15 I had a crush on a 17 year old boy at my school. He worked at the bakery in a grocery store, so I would call and (without identifying myself) would ask him about all the different types of cakes I could order. At some point I would just hang up. What the hell was wrong with me?! I guess that's not really a prank call. But your post reminded me of it.
Oh, will you please explain the Prince Albert joke to me? I can't remember why that was funny!!!!! Guess I'm getting old.
ETA: HAHAHAHA!! I still think that's funny. Maybe I'm not so old after all. Ahhh good memories..
What a sweet thought - you could be right! Although, it seems less "Is your refrigerator running?" and more " Is there a Michael Hunt there?"
Happy Friday!
There was a movie in the late '50's early '60's called "I Saw What You Did". Two teen girls and a pre-teen sister of one of them were prank calling and one of them called a man who had just murderd his wife. Good movie. I think it was re-made in the '80's or '90's.
Another prank call was to have a group of friends call the same number over a 2-3 hour time asking for Tom and when the person who answers says no Tom here, and hangs up. Then after several calls a different person calls and says this is Tom, do you have any messages for me?
Exactly!
They just want some attention..
I always wonder how pathetic and desperate, must someone be to decide to be a troll on a mom site? I mean really?
Teenagers, women, men... Sad...
We give them so much fun when we answer them - it makes their slumber party the best! Personally, I like mischief...even if it can be extremely annoying. I never answer any of the troll questions...what a spoil sport I am! ;)
So, maybe the kids need to get off their butts and go out and play "Knock on Ginger" or "Nicky Nicky Nine Door" or "Ring and Run". At least they'd be getting some exercise. Oh, yeah, kids aren't allowed to play outside unsupervised anymore...
LOL... That's what I've been sayin'!!!
Even funnier... If you'd asked that last week... My amswe would have been "nope!"
My ex called the power company & told them I was going on vacation for 6 weeks. Starting Friday of presidents weekend. So... Obviously... No one could come turn it back on over the holiday weekend!
I was in the hospital with my son, so didn't know for a few days.
Until I came home to find out what happens when the fridge defrosts full of food.
Ugh. Ugh. Grooooooos.
I am ALMOST finished getting the smell out of all my fabrics (just the couches & chairs left!).
We didn't do much with the phone - but we were great "ring and runners" - ring a doorbell then run like hell to a hide and watch them open it and look out. Have no idea why we thought that was fun.
Social media has changed the complexion of pranks. Not so fun anymore I think.
Sherri G please explain "Knock on Ginger" or "Nicky Nicky Nine Door" I'm dying to know
J. I used the extremely clever "is your refrigerator running" and "do you have Prince Albert in a can", gosh we were crafty whippersnappers.
Had a friend with the last name Bates people would called asking for Master Bates, her mom never got it which frustrated the poor prank callers.
My friend and I only tried to do prank calling once. We made one call and asked if Tutti Frutti was home and the guy says "Just a second, I'll go get her". It freaked us out and we hung up real quick and never tried a prank call ever again. And no...Tutti Frutti isn't even funny. I don't know why we thought it was at the time. lol
