Just a Prank
Remember back in 2016, when YouTubers, almost all of whom were men, majority of whom had comedy-
geared channels, kept using the phrase, “it’s just a prank, bro.” A deceptive, “harmless” phrase, and one
that’s not completely incorrect. At their roots, pranks are… just pranks. Just jokes. But there’s some bit of
evolution that’s turned them into not just pranks. A whole culture of pranking has emerged, mostly in the
last half-century, in which pranking expertise equals power.
geared channels, kept using the phrase, “it’s just a prank, bro.” A deceptive, “harmless” phrase, and one
that’s not completely incorrect. At their roots, pranks are… just pranks. Just jokes. But there’s some bit of
evolution that’s turned them into not just pranks. A whole culture of pranking has emerged, mostly in the
last half-century, in which pranking expertise equals power.
In Black Swan Green, pranking is arguably one of the most conveying displays of social power and
influence. After all, what got Jason Taylor invited to “test into” the notorious gang-sorry, secret society
called the “Spooks”? His successful tying of a cherry-knocker to a loathed teacher’s door. It seemed after
that, he was respected overnight - suddenly, Jason was being invited to hang with higher-status groups,
finally being called “Jason” or “Jace” rather than “Taylor”, being given chocolate bars for free, and
ultimately, getting an invitation to join the Spooks. All because he got an “ace laugh”. This was power
and influence that Jason had observed for years and dreamed about obtaining, as we see clearly in the
first chapter that Jason has this obsession with status and self-editing, and it seems in this moment, his
efforts have paid off.
influence. After all, what got Jason Taylor invited to “test into” the notorious gang-sorry, secret society
called the “Spooks”? His successful tying of a cherry-knocker to a loathed teacher’s door. It seemed after
that, he was respected overnight - suddenly, Jason was being invited to hang with higher-status groups,
finally being called “Jason” or “Jace” rather than “Taylor”, being given chocolate bars for free, and
ultimately, getting an invitation to join the Spooks. All because he got an “ace laugh”. This was power
and influence that Jason had observed for years and dreamed about obtaining, as we see clearly in the
first chapter that Jason has this obsession with status and self-editing, and it seems in this moment, his
efforts have paid off.
But who exactly are the Spooks? I can best describe them as a secret clique of tough guys famous for
revenge at epic proportions. One of the most classic stories of a Spook was the one Jason remembers
of the ringleader, Giles “Pluto” Noak, who got revenge on a teacher who was preying on his girlfriend by
flipping the teacher’s car, and classically stating, “you tell the pigs what I’ve done and I’ll tell them why
I’ve done it!” Under this gang mentality, pranks are far from harmless jokes. They’re about who ends up
on top, and who can stay on top. And as Jason and his friend Dean, a fellow Spook-audition-ee, find
out, one wrongly executed prank, one small mistake or loose lip, can cost you all the status you’ve
racked up.
revenge at epic proportions. One of the most classic stories of a Spook was the one Jason remembers
of the ringleader, Giles “Pluto” Noak, who got revenge on a teacher who was preying on his girlfriend by
flipping the teacher’s car, and classically stating, “you tell the pigs what I’ve done and I’ll tell them why
I’ve done it!” Under this gang mentality, pranks are far from harmless jokes. They’re about who ends up
on top, and who can stay on top. And as Jason and his friend Dean, a fellow Spook-audition-ee, find
out, one wrongly executed prank, one small mistake or loose lip, can cost you all the status you’ve
racked up.
When we were children, we were all at least a little bit intrigued with the art of pranking - the montage
of dull-brained robbers being booby-trapped near the end of 1990 family comedy Home Alone made
us all roar with laughter, but also come to further respect the figure of the prankster. This figure makes
others ganga along with them (quite like the “mob effect” we studied following the “Maggot” chapter),
and gets to end up on top by receiving the last laugh. There’s something about being pranked that’s
even more degrading than just being given a stupid nickname and getting shoved around. It’s as if
you’re being shown directly to your face that you’re inferior; not just regarding looks or social status,
but also intellectually.
of dull-brained robbers being booby-trapped near the end of 1990 family comedy Home Alone made
us all roar with laughter, but also come to further respect the figure of the prankster. This figure makes
others ganga along with them (quite like the “mob effect” we studied following the “Maggot” chapter),
and gets to end up on top by receiving the last laugh. There’s something about being pranked that’s
even more degrading than just being given a stupid nickname and getting shoved around. It’s as if
you’re being shown directly to your face that you’re inferior; not just regarding looks or social status,
but also intellectually.
This “prankster” effect is especially effective when in public. In the chapter “Maggot”, Ross Wilcox puts
a dead mouse in Jason’s pencil case, and while on the bus, eggs him to take out the case so everyone
can get a laugh, but Jason refuses. It’s still painful when Jason finds the dead mouse by himself, but
in a way, Jason took Ross’s “ace laugh” away by not publicizing this act. Back to how Jason got invited
to join the Spooks in the first place, what would’ve happened had he not had a crowd of cool kids
watching him tie the cherry knocker to Mr. Blake’s door? Sure, word spreads fast in this town, but he
wouldn’t have gotten the full witness of his craft and Mr. Blake’s reaction. (In fact, knowing Jason, he
wouldn’t have tied the cherry knocker to the door in the first place if no one was around to egg him on.)
Instead, he did it in front of Pluto Noak, Ross Wilcox, Gilbert Swinyard, and the ultimate subject of his
hormonal lust, Dawn Madden. Witnessed by these top dogs, Jason earned his status update (which,
of course, he ultimately loses thanks to his caring nature).
a dead mouse in Jason’s pencil case, and while on the bus, eggs him to take out the case so everyone
can get a laugh, but Jason refuses. It’s still painful when Jason finds the dead mouse by himself, but
in a way, Jason took Ross’s “ace laugh” away by not publicizing this act. Back to how Jason got invited
to join the Spooks in the first place, what would’ve happened had he not had a crowd of cool kids
watching him tie the cherry knocker to Mr. Blake’s door? Sure, word spreads fast in this town, but he
wouldn’t have gotten the full witness of his craft and Mr. Blake’s reaction. (In fact, knowing Jason, he
wouldn’t have tied the cherry knocker to the door in the first place if no one was around to egg him on.)
Instead, he did it in front of Pluto Noak, Ross Wilcox, Gilbert Swinyard, and the ultimate subject of his
hormonal lust, Dawn Madden. Witnessed by these top dogs, Jason earned his status update (which,
of course, he ultimately loses thanks to his caring nature).
As we see in Black Swan Green and its parallels with our own lives, the art of pranking has much more power than those who claim “it’s just a prank” are acknowledging. The Spooks and the surrounding culture of Jason’s world are ultimately responsible for Jason’s brief rise to “fame” and eventual downfall into being a mercilessly bullied “leper”. This doesn’t necessarily mean we shouldn’t booby trap sinks on April Fools’ Day, but we should keep a lookout on how our social dynamics are affected by rivalries and revenge plots. As we see in Jason’s storyline, sometimes, it’s not just a prank, bro.
Harmful and unkind messages and actions are often hidden by the cloak of just being comedy or pranks. I think it's important for people to keep in mind how their words and actions affect others. Comedy and pranks can be fun, but they can also be flat out mean and cruel. The Spooks' are a prime example of pranks and jokes that go too far, and the boys often have mean intentions when carrying them out. Jason showed throughout the book that he was thinking about the affects of the pranks on the people around him. I think he's far too empathetic of a person to have ever been a member of the Spooks.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think in this situation the comment "It's just a prank bro" is less about whether someone may/may not find it funny based on whether its a "benign violation", but more about perspective. The prank goes from being a way of gaining power for Jason, to a way that he's ridiculed. And this is perhaps where pranks are like jokes - someone didn't think about what was the point.
ReplyDeleteReally well-written post. And I think you're completely right, that it is much more than "just a prank bro." I think it's interesting how dudes (because it's almost always dudes) write off their own pranks as "just a prank" though. Like they know it means more in terms of their societal status and so does everyone else. It almost reminds me of humble-bragging culture at Uni. Like, everyone knows that the more epic the prank, the cooler you are, so the ultimate display of popularity is to act like your prank isn't a big deal even though everyone (including yourself) knows it is.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons Jason is never able to really fit in with the "top group" at his school is because he can never really adapt the attitude of "just a prank bro". When he ties the string to the door he is pretty unsure about it and at some point in the scene he realizes things have gone too far and he wishes he was no longer involved. He thinks that the all the pranks the spooks do our really cool but when he has the opportunity to join the spooks he can't do it because his conscious won't let him leave Dean. Jason seems to actually have a moral compass that prevents him from enjoying any of the pranks that happen.
ReplyDeleteI felt like comparing the spooks' to pranksters was really interesting. A lot of Ross Wilcox's and the other bullies actions required an audience and for Jason to respond. There's no point in giving Jason a grundy if there's no audience and if Jason doesn't respond to it. A lot of the mean stuff the bullies did seemed to partially be because they wanted to see cool. Likewise, pranks require a response and an audience. There's needs to be someone to laugh at the prank.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I think Jason begins to understand that the pranks and games the other boys play are actually expressions of violence. Most of the boys' games seem like battles, and the constantly shifting factions lead to tensions that result in violence. I wonder if the bystanders see Ross' bullying as "just a prank" or a serious problem. When does a prank turn into a violent act? Certainly we see that all Ross' bullying indirectly leads to the loss of his leg, and that sure isn't a prank.
ReplyDelete