Submitted 5 months ago by ramble81@lemm.ee to showerthoughts@lemmy.world
I was listening to a Weird Al song about prank calls and realized you can’t really do them anymore now. Also it was funny that he mentioned dialing 7 digit numbers instead of 10
Back then “if it’s important they would call”. Recently, “they will call back if it’s important”. Now, “they will leave a message if it’s important.”
Now is just, “They will text if they are not trying to sell you a warranty extension for your car”
“They will text me why I should pick up”
Don’t go making fony calls. Please stick to the 7 digit numbers you’re used to!
When I was a kid, we would spell out “dirty word” in people’s phone numbers and call saying we were from the “Telephone Number Decency League”. We’d say the naughty word thier number could spell and encourage them to call the phone company to ask for a new phone number.
Love it. We used soundboards. The Schwarzenegger one was a blast. You get them paying attention with the lines from kindergarten cop then start going wild on them with lines from predator, etc. My personal favorite was “I hope you left enough room for my fist, because I’m gonna ram it into your stomach!” One memorable woman tried to save Arnold’s soul with gospel music. I think she enjoyed the whole thing.
Who is your daddy, and what does he do.
I used soundboards with my friends. My favorite was Betty Grovenstein, she was a sex hotline worker with a nasally New Englander accent.
Hahaha, I would have loved to listen in on those. Arnold quotes are a favorite language a la ‘Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra’ in this house.
The natural evolution of prank calls is rickroll links.
Speaking of, did you know that there’s a Chrome extension that turns random links into rickrolls?
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/rickroll-extension/ljkcmgibdnmdjdfpbggohpophnkiajfm
Or, if you’re a firefox user, maybe:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/rickrollify
I haven’t tried either of them, but I think the concept is neat. I’m a fan of doing a little self-pranking now and then.
People still try. When I worked retail we’d get them often enough as you can’t just not answer an unknown number when someone is calling the store.
That said, if it’s an unknown number we’re already expecting a prank call and are just waiting for the first excuse to hang up.
Moe from the Simpsons would be happy.
Anyone know Amanda? Hey! I’m looking for Amanda Huginkiss!
“Moe’s Tavern. Hold on, I’ll check. Hey, everybody. I’m a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt and my butt smells, and I like to kiss my own butt.”
My younger brother and me used to call prostitutes and pretend to be clients. Not very proud, but to 13 year old me it was hilarious.
I prank call people all the time. You just gotta call tech support scammers instead nowadays.
RIP Jerky Boys
Hello ramble81, I am calling to check if your refrigerator is running… It is? Oh my goodness you better run faster and catch it!
Al mentions 7 digits and not 10 because back in our day you had to pay long distance charges if you dialed a number outside of your area code. Therefore only the 7 digits were required because no one was dialing 1-xxx to get to another area code and have charges show up on their parents bill and then have to explain who you were calling and why.
I see someone has never worked in telecom
Or a food delivery place
In the US *67 still works, but people hardly answer unknown numbers anymore. It’s telemarketer’s fault
I miss The Jerky Boys…
Wit that silly little sauce ya got there I got it all up on my nuts.
frank rizzo needs to eat did you think of frank rizzo?
Damn if that wasn’t a resurrection of the most forgotten memory.
Who has voicemail? Lulz
One day you’ll grow up big and strong.
Imma just leave this here: prankcast.com
We just called businesses instead during lunch time at school. We were starting on algebra and they showed us how to calculate the radius the area etc. So to us it was the funniest thing to call a pizza place and order a 4-2x(12π) sized pizza or something like that. That and calling completely unrelated businesses and ordering a pizza also
As someone who managed a ridiculously busy pizza place. Fuck you from the bottom of my heart. I’m convinced that job took years off my life from stress and the constant prank calls totally fucked up production.
Really though you were just a kid and couldn’t have known. But I cussed some kids out in ways they’d never heard.
I later worked at McDonald’s, and I understand and I am sorry
expatriado@lemmy.world 5 months ago
my phone has been on silent mode since 2012
Thalion@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
Because of my job I have to answer unknown numbers. My God is it ever irritating
MutilationWave@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Same here internet comrade. Gotta answer every call because my number gets passed around. At least my work pays my phone bill.
Speculater@lemmy.world 5 months ago
People get really upset that I don’t check my phone often and keep it on do not disturb…
KittenBiscuits@lemm.ee 5 months ago
They can just keep on being upset. Their reaction kind of reinforces why I have the damn thing mostly disabled from its primary function anyway.