Is it wrong to pull a really really really hilarious practical joke on someone when the least expect it?

Yes.

It depends on your relationship and history—do you guys play a lot of practical jokes? Also, will the joke hurt or upset them? Will they find it funny?

It may be hilarious to the pranker, but I seriously doubt that the recipient will be rolling on the floor laughing. I have usually found that practical jokes are cruel and the receiver pretends to find it funny, but doesn’t.

All practical jokes are based on the humiliation or pain of the receiving party. They are cruel. Period.

And from what your question text implies… yours is not on the nicer end of things. If someone did that to me, I’d press charges.

Your friend needs your support right now not your childish pranks.

ONLY SOMEONE REALLY MESSED UP WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

@nikipeda I THINK SHE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@mjoyce: Someday you will get yours.

Only you can know how the person’s sense of humor is and whether they would appreciate it. If you are asking if it is appropriate, obviously you are uncertain and therefore should take a good, long, hard look at your expectations before doing it.

Hey, I’m all for a good practical joke, but I have had a few that didn’t go over so well. One even resulted in law enforcement getting involved because the person overreacted (no really, they did). It got really messy, really fast.

Be careful.

wow..so many people seem to think it’s a terrible idea…practical jokes are usually fun. Anytime I’ve had a joke pulled on me, I laugh about it later. Lighten up people.

It’s only wrong if you’re the only one laughing WHEN IT HAPPENS.

Why would anyone want to ruin their friend’s day/hour/minute/second?

I think a fake eviction notice is not only wrong, it is cruel and very un-funny.

@RandomMrdan: Some can be fun and lighthearted when you know the other party well, however form his post we can gather he is having second thoughts and that his friend is in an unstable position in life. To use that information and circumstance against him is wrong, that’s it. His idea of funny in this instance can have vrey severe consequences on his friends life, his friend’s family, his relationship with his friend etc.

This is a stupid fucking idea.

Was she laughing because she thought it was funny?
Or was she laughing because she was so relieved it wasn’t real?

whoa, dropping the F bomb now. And first of all, if anyone was really in a state of mind that one more thing would put them over the edge and they might hurt themselves or others, then you shouldn’t pull a prank. It’s common sense. You don’t pull pranks on complete strangers for shits n giggles either. Obviously Mjoyce knows this person if she knows about this person’s current state of being, and would know how they would react. I wouldn’t go jumping to conclusions so fast.

Is it wrong to pull a prank on someone having a bad time in life? Yes, it is wrong, but it could also be funny, and the person may not like it then, but depending on the person, and Joyce would make the call on this, but might be laughing on it 5 minutes after they realize they’re being pranked.

No. Humor is the best medicine for most anything.

@Random: Seriously? It’s just a word. All I was saying was based on the information given, it is a bad idea. This isn’t a question for Fluther IMHO because it all depends on the values he and his friend have and whether they share them. If you have to ask the internet about pranking your friend instead of just doing it, you are clearly doubting something. And you shouldn’t be doing it.

I responded because of the “Wow….lighten up people” in your post. It didn’t sit well with me because of the hints to bigger problems in the original question.

It wouldn’t work so well if they were expecting it.

I actually didn’t have second thoughts. I sent (someone who responded in this post) some fake legal action and she totally fell for it. Then I was like “i just asked a great fluther – see if you can answer it before we go get drunk”. This question was the reveal. It worked great. I didn’t let it stew long for lasting emotional damage, great fun.

More power to you then.

Life is too short to be uptight about [poop].