November 15th, 2007
Unhappy slapping
The telephone is a great invention – one that has no doubt transformed our lives, but it is the other uses that interest me.
When was the first prank call? Who was it to? (I’ve seen it actually credited to Alexander Graham Bell; “Watson, come here, I need you!” The joke being that Bell didn’t need Thomas Watson at all)
And now that telephony has become mobile we have the great phenomenon of happy slapping.
I can’t think of a dumber pastime than to commit a crime whilst encouraging people to film you doing it.
One last tip: If you are going to cold-call me to try and sell me something, do it at a reasonable hour, not 3.30am – the line may be clear, but the reception won’t be good.
Sean on 
Maddie on
I’ve never heard of Happy Slapping before. This is a serious fad over there? People do that? How bizarre, and dumb. Also, 03.30 sales calls? I hope you gave that caller a piece of your mind. Do you have an equivalent of the Do Not Call Registry in the UK? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Do_Not_Call_Registry]
We have the Telephone Preference Service over here that does the same thing… still doesn’t stop everything though.
As for happy slapping – I haven’t witnessed it myself, so it may just be another media creation used to persecute the youth… though the videos show up on youtube quite frequently.
If you’re on the TPS and get a call from telemarketers then they can get fined for doing so. This leads to an entertaining game of trying to find out who exactly is calling you without them cottoning on to what you’re doing (as they’ll hang up if they do, not that that’s a huge loss), so you can report them.
I like to try a different tactic with cold callers… I call it the ‘old man’ approach.
Essentially the plan is this: I’m not going to buy or agree to anything, but I am going to keep them on the phone for as long as possible before THEY hang up. Sometimes I tell them stories about my past (fiction past that is) other times I talk about a current illness or trip to the doctors.
Or, if I’m showboating, I try to sell them something. ‘You want to buy a battleship?’.
The longer you can keep them on the line, the more money they are losing and the less potential sales they are making. I figure that if everyone did this it would make the whole practice of cold-calling so cumbersome and unprofitable that people would eventually just stop.
That sounds like fun. I’ve really been tempted to do that a few times, but most of our telemarketers are from charity organizations that I actually want to support without really giving any money. Elections are next year, though. Maybe I can get in some fun debates with all of the political callers I’ll be getting. Something to look forward to. =D
mr.Bell was actually trying to construct a hearing aid, and was instrumental in advocating for the oral method of education for deaf children, discouraging the use of sign language. or so I’ve been told in my sign language class. my teacher displays all the oralists in a very negative light
I’ve never heard it called that, but it seems like people do that occasionally around here, too. I really only get telemarketing calls from people who would be allowed to call even if I was on the Do Not Call Registry, but they usually don’t call in the middle of the night (not that it matters as I mostly sleep in the daytime anyway.)
Happy slapping I mean. My first sentence was a little vague. People seem to occasionally happy slap around here.
Imagine having to make a sales call
at 3am in the morning? Most people
are well into their cups at that hour, i
f they are able to answer the phone.
Hmm we get cold calls from companies who let their telemarketers use auto dialers, that play hold music while the telemarketer gets their shit together.
Hold music from some one who calls you, f**cking stupid f**cking idea.
I make sure I abuse any one who uses this method on me.
ATM, my favourite trick is to call ppl in my class during class with a silent number. Every call you recieve in class with out your phone on silent costs you a carton of beer.
Happy slapping is truly a stupid thing to be doing. I am amazed that the law enforcement agencies aren’t having a field day with arresting ppl who provide their own persecuting evidence.
Happy Slapping is pretty common as far as I know… just never heard that term before.
Neither did I. I’m carrying pepper spray.
What a world. This is civilization?
i often ask myself that question, roo. it scares me a little.
i, being the youngest in my household, often get asked if my parents are around and if i can tell its a telemarketer i just say no. hopefully ive never done that to anyone important! oh well. if its important theyll call back.
In the book “Good Omens” by Pratchett and Gaiman, there is a subplot involving a telemarketing center (or “centre”, I suppose, since it’s in Great Britain) where they hold contests to see who can get the most irate people out of baths, naps, and, possibly, to win the weekly award for coitus interruptus.