Friday, May 05, 2006

Best Buy Swarmed by 80 Pranksters

Click on the link below to see a pretty interesting prank organized by a group called Improv Everywhere. You've got to check out the pictures and videos on their site.

I think most pranks are pretty stupid, but some are funny. This one is definitely interesting because of the sheer number of the pranksters involved. About 80 people gathered together at Best Buy's in New York dressed in blue polo shirts and khaki pants. They were all standing in different spots in the store. They were helpful to other customers but told them that they were not Best Buy employees.

The real Best Buy employees started panicking thinking the pranksters had some dangerous conspiracy planned. I thought it was hilarious when one employee yelled, "The Thomas Crown Affair! The Thomas Crown Affair!" It can also be likened to the scene in V for Vendetta when the mob dressed up all wearing the Guy Fawkes' masks.

I can definitely sympathize with the Best Buy employees who must have been really confused and scared thinking something big was about to happen.

These pranks can turn out to be really bad for the original planners if some crazy guy joins them. It looks like their prank turned out to be okay and they had their laughs. But what if some bad guy who dressed up like them started stealing things or caused a fight or riot? Their prank could have all gotten them arrested for conspiring to commit a crime such as burglary or a riot.

Anyway, it was a good social experiment to see the effects a mob of people all dressed alike can have on another group of people.

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