Hello, A Bomb Is Coming

Status: Weird and disturbing practical joke
The Israeli army has been phoning homes in Lebanon to warn the people inside that a bomb is about to drop. This is odd, but true. But even odder is that this practice has now inspired Palestinian practical jokers. Hurriyet reports:
Palestinians turned the "hello, a bomb is coming" phone calls into a prank joke amongst themselves. The prank has become so popular in recent weeks that the main Palestinian prosecutor's offices have forbidden "hidden" numbers on cell phones, to keep people in Gaza from calling and scaring each other. Reports say that many people in Gaza have turned off their cell phones, and disconnected their land lines, to keep from being pranked by those imitating the Israeli army forces.
That's a pretty bad joke, but from the point of view of social psychology it's probably an attempt to gain some sense of control over a desperate situation through the use of comedy.

Military Pranks

Posted on Fri Aug 04, 2006



Comments

Or perhaps a cynical effort to ensure Western outrage at civilian deaths, by ensuring that civilians are in the line of fire.
Posted by Sam  on  Fri Aug 04, 2006  at  03:26 PM
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