A Joke Too Far

Over the past week or so, I've been watching hidden camera pranks that have gone beyond good fun and was starting to consider where a line should be drawn.

The videos in question were from a South American television show where the victims enter a lift. The lights would then turn off and a young girl - dressed up like a zombie - would come out from a hidden door in the lift and then, as the lights returned, scare the passenger.

A week later, the same television show featured a similar prank where the lift users were sharing the carriage with a coffin. As the lift was in movement, the coffin door would open and a zombie-kind of body would jump out at them.

The following day, the Australian prank call to King Edward VII Hospital was making the rounds online.

I had a listen and thought it was a lame prank that was getting coverage only because it was a security breach. It offered no humour to me because, to be honest, it was two disc jockeys trying their best to be comical.

When I heard that one of the victims of this prank committed suicide, I was shocked.

Shocked isn't even the word.

In a way, I felt appalled that I didn't even think how this sort of prank would affect the recipient. I spent the past week considering how the victims of the videos would feel but didn't take into consideration what would have become of Jacintha Saldanha and her fellow colleague.

What I mean is this - we're living in a tough world at this moment where jobs are few and far between. These two professionals were caught between a rock and a hard place believing they were talking to members of the Royal Family.

Even if they had felt that this was a wind-up, they were in a position where they couldn't call the bluff just in case it was a legitimate conversation.

Then, when all the controversy kicked off and it was apparent that the pair had been duped, I wouldn't put it past either of these nurses to have concern about their employment.

That's what I think, anyway.

Hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy for me to sit here and type out that the joke went too far.

But it did.

Surely there must be some kind of broadcast code about recording conversations and airing them without the consent of the other party. Especially when you consider they knew they were breaching Royal security.

The producer and the DJs all knew what they were doing before they dialled the number so their actions should not go unpunished.


After thoughts
I wrote the above a number of hours ago and - looking back before publishing - I want to clarify the point that the concern about getting the sack from her job may have been one of many things to drive the nurse to do what she did.
I'm not stating that that was what I think is exactly what happened. Just suggesting one of many possibilities.
The prank call was certainly the thing that fuelled her despair.
I feel really sorry for Jacintha Saldanha - a person who earned a living helping others with such a tragic final few days she must have endured.