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The Text-Your-Parents-Your-Drug-Deal Experiment

Posted by Soulskill on from the gets-interesting-when-they-say-you're-charging-too-much dept.

theodp writes "Having fooled major news outlets with a heartwarming-but-entirely-faked video of a pig rescuing a drowning goat, Nathan Fielder turned his attention to texting. CNET reports on the great Twitter 'text-your-parents-you're-a-drug-dealer' experiment, in which the Fielder called on his Twitter followers to text their moms and dads and (accidentally) reveal a drug deal. Fielder's tweet read: 'Experiment: text your parents "got 2 grams for $40" then right after "Sorry ignore that txt. Not for you." Then tweet pic of their response.' The reactions are various and, sometimes, hilarious."

27 of 267 comments (clear)

  1. Seems like a risky proposition by bytesex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the United Paranoid States.

    --
    Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
  2. This is a good idea. by hedwards · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Now these people know that their children are morons.

    1. Re:This is a good idea. by marcello_dl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes.

      And while the standard moron often shows initiative, these ones are "obeying morons", the duller subset.

      Come on, make your parents regret having had you.

      Again.

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
    2. Re:This is a good idea. by hedwards · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because nothing good can come from texting that to your parents.

      At best, they just ignore it. At worst, well, there's all sorts of possibilities for that.

    3. Re:This is a good idea. by VortexCortex · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sure sure, just one question, why are they morons?

      I will answer you, but first you must complete my next "experiment": Text your parents, "n car wrek hlp", then turn your phone off for at least 12 hours.

    4. Re:This is a good idea. by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No True Parent...

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    5. Re:This is a good idea. by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 4, Funny

      You are walking through the desert as you see a turtle lying on its back. You do not help the turtle. Why won't you help the turtle?

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
  3. Slashdork by VortexCortex · · Score: 4, Informative

    News for tards. Ass that blathers.

  4. just an observation... by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Geeks need t' lighten up.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  5. All iPhone screenshots? by nd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why are all the screenshots from iPhones?

    Android phones account for 51.2% of smartphone sales, with iPhones trailing at 43.5% [1].

    So how likely is it that out of a sample of 10 screenshots, all 10 of them would be from iPhones? Seems suspicious.

    [1] http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/News/Android-Sprint-and-Samsung-Increased-Share-In-Early-2013

    1. Re:All iPhone screenshots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Simple. iOS lusers are far more sheeplike and willing to follow stupid suggestions like this one.

    2. Re:All iPhone screenshots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Remember that there is an implicit observational bias here. Only a moron who can't think for himself would participate in this experiment.

    3. Re:All iPhone screenshots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      ifaketext.com

  6. Because by dreamchaser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because encouraging kids to lie to their parents is a good thing. Causing family stress is a good thing. What a stupid idea. Kids lie enough and cause enough stress as it is.

  7. In related news... by loufoque · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... The FBI has dismantled a large network of drug dealers apparently led by a man named Nathan Fielder. Having failed to secure the drugs, the FBI has seized their computers instead to examine possible connections with other drug dealing groups.

  8. really? by SpeZek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've never actually done a comment like this, where I go "Oh come on Slashdot, what is this and why is it here?"

    But come on Slashdot, why is this here?

    News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters.

    1. Re:really? by Al+Al+Cool+J · · Score: 4, Funny

      "got 2 grams for $40" - the story is really about the US adopting the metric system

  9. On the validity of screenshots by dontbemad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I personally have made it a point to NEVER believe any sort of screenshots I see on the internet, ESPECIALLY ones from an iPhone or really any Mobile platform. These "hilarious auto-correct mistakes", "crazy responses to accidental messages", or "super funny drunk texts" are almost always faked. There are several sites where one can create these messages in very believable looking screenshots (http://www.iphonetextgenerator.com/ for one). Why this is posted to /. as news is troubling to me.

  10. Not to mention not nice by stevegee58 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to the ones who gave you life.

    1. Re:Not to mention not nice by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ah come on, what sort of a relationship do you have with your family if you can't play a little prank on them from time to time.

    2. Re:Not to mention not nice by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ah come on, what sort of a relationship do you have with your family if you can't play a little prank on them from time to time.

      Perhaps the kind of relationship where one or more of the parties is under the care of a cardiologist.

      --
      I am not a crackpot.
    3. Re:Not to mention not nice by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Not to mention not nice to the ones who gave you life."

      Seriously? I just emailed the link to my son, telling him that I wanted to watch from the sidelines when he texted his mother. Are you suggesting that I am not nice?

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    4. Re:Not to mention not nice by erice · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ah come on, what sort of a relationship do you have with your family if you can't play a little prank on them from time to time.

      Probably the kind where the parents can not entirely dismiss the notion that their child may be doing something quite serious that they don't know about. In other words: virtually every parent of a teenager who is honest with themselves.

    5. Re:Not to mention not nice by NatasRevol · · Score: 5, Funny

      Think of the parents!

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  11. Fun 'prank' that is... by QuasiSteve · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...makes me think of punk'd, to be honest.

    Remember when there were good prank shows?
    When you'd have a desk clerk do a quick change act between tending to a customer and seeing them slowly wonder "wasn't she wearing a red shirt just a moment ago? Hold on, I swear she was a brunette!". Or perhaps one of the greatest pranks, switching a regular car for its UK equivalent in mere minutes, moving the person's every possession, then watch as they come back, get into 'their' car, try to start, and suddenly realize the ignition they tried to put the key in is actually thin air and wonder just wtf happened.

    Now it seems it's a 'better' prank if you take the same car and bash its windows in in front of the person, then quickly run up to them with a camera in their face telling them how they were had because the celebrity victim is about to call the cops in on the situation - and being a celebrity, they have little choice but to react 'like a good sport' because who wants to be deemed the sourpuss?

    No, I don't see what's funny about this. Nor newsworthy; Jimmy Kimmel has put up prank challenges and asks viewer to YouTube them for some time now. I'm sure he wasn't the first either.
    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jimmy+kimmel+challenge

    What's next? "Text your mother 'Mama, just killed a man' and post their replies"? You know, 'cos that's hilarious - and if found otherwise just claim it's a sociological experiment to see how many pranksters' moms know Bohemian Rhapsody. 'cos the text in this story clearly doesn't refer to drugs either (I'm sure he ran that by legal).

    1. Re:Fun 'prank' that is... by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Most "pranks" just seem to be forms of bullying. They only work because there's an asymmetrical power relationship, those in a position of power "pranking" those in a position of weakness.

      [I saw this illustrated in Punk'd. The crew tried to prank Ashton Kutcher himself. He responded by "pretending" to throw a tantrum and fire the crew involved. Then "ha ha, only joking" revealed that he knew he'd been set up and was just turning the tables... However, what I saw (both in the reactions of the crew, and in Kutcher's braying "ha ha! I am the master! You don't Punk me, I Punk you!") was a thin-skinned bully demonstrating his power over those weaker than him. He showed them that he could, in fact, destroy their livelihoods if he chose to, and they continue purely because he decided to be a "good sport".

      By contrast, while I's not a fan of Jackass, it does seem like they have a culture where they genuinely mutually prank each other; however painful/violent the pranks, it's not coming from the more powerful against the weaker. The dwarf is just as likely to do something to the star as the reverse, and the reaction of the rest of the crew (including the star) is of appreciation of the prank. 180 degrees from Kutcher's reaction.]

      --
      Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
  12. No pranking my parents at my age... by Tolvor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm in my 30s and thankfully both my parents are still alive. With the small insight my age has given me I am increasingly grateful for the endless s*** my parents had to put up with (which I'm not going to list). My parents are nice enough to not rub it in my face now that I'm somewhat wiser, and in return I try to demonstrate that maybe I learned from it.

    Now days if I get a call from my parents wondering if I could look at their PC and fix it, or teach them (again) how to use MS Word templates, or needs ANYTHING, no problem - I am there. I don't say "I'm kinda busy, and my kids have the flu..." (Cat's in the Cradle (no I don't have kids, I read slashdot)). I do it with a smile. My Mom says she would appreciate it if I would call more often, like once a week, I call, even if I don't really have anything interesting to tell. Because she asked.

    Doing this false drug prank would be the worst kind of crass. It is taking the love and concern that a loving parent has for you, mocking it, and using it against them to cause them worry, concern, and pain. Then saying "Ha ha!! Just a joke. Got you!!!"

    Kids now days... Did I just say that? Geez I'm getting old...