[JVN]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

It's all good Arefin.
I'll get on writing up a release form that teams that get pranked can sign next year so the folks who like to lawyer situations will all be happy before we have any fun again at the expense of another team.


Obviously I'm being sarcastic here, & laying it on thick.
Imagine if any candid camera, or situational television show ever aired on tv with humor in mind had the people getting pranked sign a waiver BEFORE they got pranked?? Or what if you were told before hand you were going to be given a surprise party? Takes some of the fun out of it now doesn't it?

Seriously folks. There is a time & a place & a way to go about pranking someone or a team in the FIRST community, or even outside of it.

Yes, I'll agree things have the potential of getting damaged if a prank is approached the wrong way (as I've had the misfortune to experience first hand actually - but I'm no more of an opponent of pranking after that, just more of a propponent of pranking in a non-destructive way), but sometimes people just need to lighten up & have some fun (in a safe way).
FIRST teaches us to be safe. It's in the core values.
It also teaches us to have fun with all we do, & be innovative, & also creative.
With that in mind, if a person decides to pull a prank, you hope that they will approach it in a safe way & they will always, in my mind, be fully responsible for anything that went wrong, which Im sure in ALL these pranks we are talking about the prankster(s) would agree.

I'll again preface this with the comment that I like practical jokes and have been known to play a prank or two in my time. However, I get agitated when thinking about pranks involving our robots. I find your attitude toward this issue EXTREMELY irresponsible.

If an accident happens, and you damage our robot... how exactly would you be responsible? Would you pay for it? How would we determine cost for such a thing?

Why should I trust that you won't do something stupid which results in a bad situation? How can you be sure there won't be some horrible accident?

If you break something, should I just lighten up? Do you expect me to be happy that you derived pleasure at my team's expense?

It is all about risk. If everything goes fine, great... we laugh at ourselves and everything is cool. If something goes wrong, then what? Why is it worth the risk? Why should YOU get to decide whether it is worth the risk or not.

Why would I ever sign your hypothetical waiver to allow you to mess with me or my team or my robot?

Let me be very clear:
Stay the heck away from 148. I don't trust your judgment.

I wonder if there are other teams who don't trust your judgment. I wonder if you've ever given that any thought.
Then again you ARE a professional pranker, right?

-John

PS - Greg Ross once said "Playing a practical joke means doing something mean and calling it funny."