Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

This was hard for me to even believe:

Our family does a gift exchange of the variety you've probably heard called numerous things: Yankee Trader, Chinese Gift Exchange, Thieves Christmas, etc. One person opens a gift, the next can steal or go under the tree, etc.

Well, my brother ended up with a couple of lottery tickets. He and his wife have thousands in school debt and are struggling month to month. She scratched off the ticket after the exchange and found it to be a 10k winner.

It was total joy in the household. 30 family members, celebrating with my bro and his wife. They were talking about paying off some loans and what a break this was for them. They even gave the ticket a quick glance to see that it was legit. It seemed so.

15 minutes later, my cousin (the black sheep of the family, really) announces, "Now, hold on, make sure you read the super tiny print on the back of the tickets!" In mega-small print practically requiring a magnifying glass, the print said that it was a gag gift.

My sister-in-law immediately started crying. My brother looked like he was ready to jack my cousin.

Question: how long can the gag go on before it's not funny? What would you do?

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

Thats pretty funny. Very mean, but funny. If I was the recipient of this ticket, I would probably be bitter and angry. Not sure what I would do either.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

ep,

A timely story for the holidays; families bring out the worst.

The gag was at no time appropriate and your cousin is the black sheep for a reason.

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

This is funny only bc your cousin actually thought he was being funny. The idea of him thinking it's this crazy awesome practical joke he's been saving up is making me laugh out loud.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

Well,

The joke served its purpose, getting PO about it seems silly, but he maybe should have excercised better judgment in revealing the gag a little bit sooner.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

I always thought if anyone gave me one of those that I would punch them in the face. If your brother is ok financially, then it'd be ok. the fact that your bro is going through a tough time makes it a douche move.

ps...

is this your cousin??

http://img282.imageshack.us/img282/7...ineddieae8.jpg

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is funny only bc your cousin actually thought he was being funny. The idea of him thinking it's this crazy awesome practical joke he's been saving up is making me laugh out loud.

[/ QUOTE ]

Proper recourse? I've never seen my brother so steamed. I thought he might kill him.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Well,

The joke served its purpose, getting PO about it seems silly, but he maybe should have excercised better judgment in revealing the gag a little bit sooner.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's kind of what I'm interested in -- how long can this go on before the giver should morally reveal the gag?

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is funny only bc your cousin actually thought he was being funny. The idea of him thinking it's this crazy awesome practical joke he's been saving up is making me laugh out loud.

[/ QUOTE ]

Proper recourse? I've never seen my brother so steamed. I thought he might kill him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Vicious beating hopefully broken up by the family.

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

This makes me think more about that other lottery ticket thread.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

Ep,

Wanting to beat his ass is a douche move. It was a joke, it is not his fault your brothers wife got so emotionally crushed. I would assume normally the 'winner' would feel elated and rightfully so, but I think anyone would be skeptical if they'd received the ticket as a 'gift' and would therefor not have their entire world come crashing down had it turned out to be a faux pas.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

the gag is only about as funny as a bad pun. therefore it's only funny for about a nano second. I would ban the black sheep from the gift exchange for a while.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ep,

Wanting to beat his ass is a douche move. It was a joke, it is not his fault your brothers wife got so emotionally crushed. I would assume normally the 'winner' would feel elated and rightfully so, but I think anyone would be skeptical if they'd received the ticket as a 'gift' and would therefor not have their entire world come crashing down had it turned out to be a faux pas.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, here's the problem: We limit the gift value to $20, and many people will buy something for like $15 (a bottle of wine, some beer, etc) and throw in $5 worth of lotto tickets. It's pretty standard. There were lotto tickets in about 4 or 5 of the 30 gifts.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]

That's kind of what I'm interested in -- how long can this go on before the giver should morally reveal the gag?

[/ QUOTE ]

Revealing it to be a fake instantly kills the whole purpose of the joke, you should wait until the elation sets in before being like "NOPE IT'S A JOKE", else its a waste of $. So the kid did play the joke out right, it is unfortunate she became so emotional afterward but hey [censored] happens, he doesn't owe her an apology at all.

But obviously, don't wait until she drives down to the local deli or tries to mail it in to collect, but give it a few minutes.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

That's kind of what I'm interested in -- how long can this go on before the giver should morally reveal the gag?

[/ QUOTE ]

Revealing it to be a fake instantly kills the whole purpose of the joke, you should wait until the elation sets in before being like "NOPE IT'S A JOKE", else its a waste of $. So the kid did play the joke out right, it is unfortunate she became so emotional afterward but hey [censored] happens, he doesn't owe her an apology at all.

But obviously, don't wait until she drives down to the local deli or tries to mail it in to collect, but give it a few minutes.

[/ QUOTE ]

The "kid" is 35. But I appreciate the response; it's easy for me to think it's a cruel joke, given my position. I'm pretty sure it sucks, though, biased-be-damned.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

i think thats a terrible joke. ESPECIALLY for someone who really needs the money.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

Dem,

What you seem to overlook is that is it's a terribly mean spirited joke that simply is not funny. Of course she is emotional to a huge (to her) amount of money, what would one expect?

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
i think thats a terrible joke. ESPECIALLY for someone who really needs the money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, to be fair, my cousin did not know who would end up with the tickets. However, he seemed to delight in spurring on the celebration before the big reveal.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

Jay,

Of course, but it is a practical joke afterall. I'm not saying it's wrong to sympathize with her for getting emotionally shaken, but I'd say most generally the persons reaction is more of a "ahh, damn you!" type of thing as opposed to a literal breakdown.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

Have you ever met a woman?

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Jay,

Of course, but it is a practical joke afterall. I'm not saying it's wrong to sympathize with her for getting emotionally shaken, but I'd say most generally the persons reaction is more of a "ahh, damn you!" type of thing as opposed to a literal breakdown.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why I wanted to know how long people think this gag should be permitted to last. We were talking 15 minutes of whooping it up. My SIL was saying, "I've never won ANYTHING, and this is going to clear up some bills that I thought would bury us!" It was high-five city.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever met a woman?

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate ed but I gotta quote him on this one

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

Dem,

You so fail to understand the mentality of the debt-ridden middle class. I'm guessing you are either a child who has never had to support himself or have a very high income. My bet is the former as a college student with parents who foot the bills but I may be stereotyping.

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]


I hate ed

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I'm white though.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever met a woman?

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you ever posted content?

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

You don't know how you would feel until you are in that situation. Last summer my dad bought my mom one of these and she got elated thinking she was going to help my struggling brother and sister out.

Once she found out and I watched her almost cry, I hated my dad in that instant. What he thought was funny caused her grief.

It's almost like handing someone a stack of hundreds and then taking it back an hour later after you already spent it in your dreams.

It's like getting hit in the nuts, it's funny until it happens to you.

my two scents [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

EdFurlong is right. And he posts enough that that was bound to happen sooner or later [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Many in this thread need to work on reading comprehension, or maybe they just have never played the game in question. The person who this joke is acted out on was randomly selected, not selected by the guy.

Some women are just prone to emotional breakdowns over stupid [censored]. One of the greatest travesties of this world is that many times these breakdowns enable the villanization of men who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mom, god bless her, cries at the drop of a hat. And maybe he did carry the joke on too far, it is pretty much impossible for us to determine this I think. But don't be results oriented in your analysis, and remember that your sister-in-law's emotional breakdown is not to be blamed on the circumstances that 'seem' to have caused it. I think if she is a rational person then she will be able to look back on this event in the future and see that her breakdown was not really provoked by your cousin to the extent that it might have seemed like at the time.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


I hate ed

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I'm white though.

[/ QUOTE ]

well played.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
EdFurlong is right. And he posts enough that that was bound to happen sooner or later [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Many in this thread need to work on reading comprehension, or maybe they just have never played the game in question. The person who this joke is acted out on was randomly selected, not selected by the guy.

Some women are just prone to emotional breakdowns over stupid [censored]. One of the greatest travesties of this world is that many times these breakdowns enable the villanization of men who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mom, god bless her, cries at the drop of a hat. And maybe he did carry the joke on too far, it is pretty much impossible for us to determine this I think. But don't be results oriented in your analysis, and remember that your sister-in-law's emotional breakdown is not to be blamed on the circumstances that 'seem' to have caused it. I think if she is a rational person then she will be able to look back on this event in the future and see that her breakdown was not really provoked by your cousin to the extent that it might have seemed like at the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

All good points. I think I've been pretty reasonable in my openness to interpreting this situation, as I've said in this thread that I'm

1) obviously biased, and
2) it was clear that my cousin did not know the eventual ticket holder.

However, my anger was more in the amount of time he allowed to pass -- and the mounting elation for this couple (10k is a lot of coin to them). But again, I realize I'm biased. I'm just saying he could easily have stepped in after one or two minutes went by.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

since im not part of your family or the butt of this joke, I think it is [censored] funny as hell.


And anyway, your cousin prolly gave the best gift at that party, how many people truly know what it feels like to win the lottery? 1 in 10s of thousands? They should be thanking him for such a unique experience! (am I kidding? who knows!)

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dem,


You so fail to understand the mentality of the debt-ridden middle class. I'm guessing you are either a child who has never had to support himself or have a very high income. My bet is the former as a college student with parents who foot the bills but I may be stereotyping.


J

[/ QUOTE ]

Jay,

I'm married and not in debt. But I'm amazed at the conclusions you were able to draw at my labeling of this whole ordeal as a practical joke (which btw-it was), certain debt-ridden folks being more rattled by this doesn't turn the joke into a 'cruel act'. Plenty people of all income levels including those who are in debt have a sense of humor, but perhaps folks should compare credit scores before exchanging humorous gifts.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Dem,


You so fail to understand the mentality of the debt-ridden middle class. I'm guessing you are either a child who has never had to support himself or have a very high income. My bet is the former as a college student with parents who foot the bills but I may be stereotyping.


J

[/ QUOTE ]

Jay,

I'm married and not in debt. But I'm amazed at the conclusions you were able to draw at my labeling of this whole ordeal as a practical joke (which btw-it was), certain debt-ridden folks being more rattled by this doesn't turn the joke into a 'cruel act'. Plenty people of all income levels including those who are in debt have a sense of humor, but perhaps folks should compare credit scores before exchanging humorous gifts.

[/ QUOTE ]

FWIW, my cousin who gave the fake lotto ticket is in all kinds of financial ills himself.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Dem,


You so fail to understand the mentality of the debt-ridden middle class. I'm guessing you are either a child who has never had to support himself or have a very high income. My bet is the former as a college student with parents who foot the bills but I may be stereotyping.


J

[/ QUOTE ]

Jay,

I'm married and not in debt. But I'm amazed at the conclusions you were able to draw at my labeling of this whole ordeal as a practical joke (which btw-it was), certain debt-ridden folks being more rattled by this doesn't turn the joke into a 'cruel act'. Plenty people of all income levels including those who are in debt have a sense of humor, but perhaps folks should compare credit scores before exchanging humorous gifts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dem,

Ok, so you are in the very high income class. I notice you did not deny that while asserting yourself.

Here is what you are missing, for some people 10K is a life changing amount. It is enough money that the problems which have been causing loss of sleep and late night spousal fights could at worst delay themselves for a little while longer. Dangling that carrot and then saying haha is a terrible thing to do. This should be obvious.

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]

Jay,

I'm married and not in debt. But I'm amazed at the conclusions you were able to draw at my labeling of this whole ordeal as a practical joke (which btw-it was), certain debt-ridden folks being more rattled by this doesn't turn the joke into a 'cruel act'. Plenty people of all income levels including those who are in debt have a sense of humor, but perhaps folks should compare credit scores before exchanging humorous gifts.

[/ QUOTE ]

This wasn't a humorous gift. It was a cruel practical joke, no matter who the victim is. That he didn't know who would receive the gift is not a mitigating factor.

Giving that item as a gift is an [censored] move. The point of the gag is to delight in their disappointment after you reveal it's a fake ticket and that doesn't require a poor person to be the victim.

Basically, OP's cousin is a dick and deserves at the least some shunning.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

Jay,

My financial status is irrelevant. I could have a networth of $20 or $200k, it has no bearing on whether or not this is a joke or an act of cruelty.

I can assure you the fake lotto ticket was not made to harm others, it's a silly joke designed to get a rise out of people. The reason its silly to reveal it being a hoax right away is because it defeats the purpose of the joke, it sounds like you just don't appreciate the humor behind it and thats entirely your right. Villainizing the cousins character is silly.

Remind me not to hang around you on April 1st, though.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

I think this is an okay prank if the person who receives it is well off or has a very good sense of humor. But giving this to someone with money problems is pretty cruel.

Although I have to admit that I am cracking up now since I don't know the victim of the prank.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
Jay,

My financial status is irrelevant. I could have a networth of $20 or $200k, it has no bearing on whether or not this is a joke or an act of cruelty.

I can assure you the fake lotto ticket was not made to harm others, it's a silly joke designed to get a rise out of people. The reason its silly to reveal it being a hoax right away is because it defeats the purpose of the joke, it sounds like you just don't appreciate the humor behind it and thats entirely your right. Villainizing the cousins character is silly.

Remind me not to hang around you on April 1st, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

The person's financial status is incredibly relevant. Being in debt/not being able to make ends meet can put people into severe depression and even cause some people to commit suicide.

Playing this prank on someone who is in serious debt is along the lines of a doctor telling a cancer patient that he is cured and then saying just kidding. Obviously it's not as serious as that, but it's the same idea.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

he had a minute or less to reveal the prank. Longer if the person is rich. pretty effed up.

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

[ QUOTE ]
Jay,

My financial status is irrelevant. I could have a networth of $20 or $200k, it has no bearing on whether or not this is a joke or an act of cruelty.

I can assure you the fake lotto ticket was not made to harm others, it's a silly joke designed to get a rise out of people. The reason its silly to reveal it being a hoax right away is because it defeats the purpose of the joke, it sounds like you just don't appreciate the humor behind it and thats entirely your right. Villainizing the cousins character is silly.

Remind me not to hang around you on April 1st, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dem,

Net worth is actually key here. I should not need to explain why a 10K gift means more to the -50K folk than the +250K.

I have yet to hear an argument how this joke is funny at all to any wealth class. This is at best a meh, at worst a murder.

Have you given such a gift recently?

J

Re: Fake Winning Lottery Ticket Causes Ecstasy -- Then Fury. What Now
 

The only thing he did wrong imo was let it go on to long, I think 5 minutes tops before he should have fessed up. Also I would make sure someone with a good sense of humor got them.

I did something similar to a girl I use to work with, except it was for the state lotto worth millions. I'm pretty sure that I am lucky to be alive after that stunt.