Snakes in a Theater

Practical jokes have been with us for as long as there has been abstract thought.

Most of us have known inveterate practical jokers and probably most of us have been involved in some sort of practical joke, whether it involves the first of April or a surprise birthday party.

Practical jokes can be fun, but they can also be cruel, such as that depicted in the horror film, Carrie.

Today, someone in Arizona thought it would be funny to release two rattlesnakes in a theater showing the film Snakes on a Plane.

Someone released two poisonous snakes in a theater that was showing the new movie, "Snakes on a Plane."

Snake wrangler Tom Whiting was called to one theater twice in one day to collect the diamondback rattlesnakes. He says all a moviegoer would have to do is startle a snake in the dark and it will attack.

No one was bit during the incident.

www.wltx.com...

Clearly, not many people will find such a thing humorous and will call this prank pathological and I would agree with that assessment.

But, what distinguishes the quality of a practical joke?

In this case, the answer is obvious. Someone could have easily died because of someone's sick sense of humor.

But, no matter the consequences, almost all humor must be at someone's expense.



Some groups seem to handle jokes at their own expense better than some others and I have always judged people, in no small measure, by their ability to laugh at themselves.

I am proud to be a member of that group of Americans often referred to as hillbillies, rednecks, crackers and peckerwoods. Some of us have made careers of poking fun at ourselves.


The Baldknobbers

Some may think that this subject belongs on BTS, but while I would like to hear about the jokes that people play and have had played on them, I'd also like us to discuss what it all means.

What do practical jokes say about a person who plays them? What can we learn about the person who is the target? What do practical jokes say about our culture? Do jokes vary between cultures, races or nationalities?

What does it all mean?


[edit on 2006/8/22 by GradyPhilpott]

Throwing plastic snakes up in the air in theater = funny

Releasing live poisonous snakes = bad and criminal

My $0.02

edit:additional $0.01

Not only because of the people but the snakes. It is animal cruelty to take these wild animals and release them in a cinema.

[edit on 8/22/2006 by djohnsto77]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpottI am proud to be a member of that group of Americans often referred to as hillbillies, rednecks, crackers and peckerwoods.

No, you're not. You're just a conservative white guy from the south. You're far too intelligent and articulate to belong to any of those groups, all of them being defined by other measures in addition to race, political perspective, and location. I.e., a hillbilly/redneck/cracker/peckerwood is a stupid, ignorant, bigoted, and usually unwashed conservative white guy from the south. You're not stupid, ignorant, or bigoted, and although I can't personally attest to you being washed, it's safe to say you're smart enough to use soap and water so if you are unwashed it's just a weird idiosyncracy and not a sign of redneckdom.

Good topic. And I have always understood that humor does vary from country to country. The U.S. does perhaps have a rougher sense of humor than is found in, say, Europe. We might find things funny that involve more personal suffering than some other cultures would tolerate. At the same time, some of those other cultures in ages past found things amusing that we would find sickening. For that matter, so did our own ancestors.

I have to add, though, that even for Americans, releasing poisonous snakes into a dark theater crosses the line and becomes dreadfully un-funny. While a diamondback rattler bite is rarely fatal if promptly treated, it is certainly painful and debilitating, and can be life-threatening of there are any complications such as youth, old age, or a heart condition. That "joke" was not funny in the least.

Originally posted by Two Steps Forward
No, you're not. You're just a conservative white guy from the south. You're far too intelligent and articulate to belong to any of those groups, all of them being defined by other measures in addition to race, political perspective, and location. I.e., a hillbilly/redneck/cracker/peckerwood is a stupid, ignorant, bigoted, and usually unwashed conservative white guy from the south.

Thank you for the compliments and yes, when I leave the house I do shower. Actually, what you describe is a stereotype, but if you read the definitions I provided, you will see that I am, in fact, all of those things. And I am not ashamed of it.

"I yam what I yam!"

up north you dont pride yourself on being called a redneck. you're just a misplaced yankee.

about the snakes, i always take my kid to the movies and the only reason we didnt see soap is the R rating. if we did go and someone released a snake ,even a gardner snake in the theater well quit simply there would be an asswhipping.

edited to correct grammar. damn i should have paid attention in english all through school.

[edit on 22-8-2006 by elitegamer23]

[edit on 22-8-2006 by elitegamer23]

Originally posted by elitegamer23
up north you dont pride yourself on being called a redneck. you're just a misplaced yankee.

This subject is only tangential, but what does that mean?

[edit on 2006/8/22 by GradyPhilpott]

im not sure but it was meant to be respectful. up north being called a redneck is nothing to brag about. im not trying to incite a civil war so here is a hug.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Releasing live poisonous snakes = bad and criminal

Criminal, indeed. Not even close to a practical joke!!!

The depravity of some never ceases to amaze me... :shk:

Originally posted by loam

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Releasing live poisonous snakes = bad and criminal

Criminal, indeed.

Not even close to a practical joke!!!

I am in 100% agreement here. I find this to be disgusting as well.

I am rather pleased to see that I am included in the very first post on this thread. *throws the last touches on this hair*

Tomorrow she is getting a haircut.

Originally posted by niteboy82
Tomorrow she is getting a haircut.

Dye job too????? Blond, perhaps????

[edit on 22-8-2006 by loam]

A good practical joke should make both parties laugh. Rattlers in a theatre is not a joke but harmful, not even a "sick" joke.

Humor is universal; but what makes for humor can be cultural based. Humor can also be different for different ages.
Also, a joke in one language can often fall flat when translated.

Ideally, everyday everyone should have a great laugh, the kind of laugh that leaves you in tears rolling on the floor. Good for the body, and mind.

Good Lord, Grady, you discovered the truth behind George W. Bush's leaving the National Guard! Did you find this atop an office wastbasket?

Originally posted by desert
Good Lord, Grady, you discovered the truth behind George W. Bush's leaving the National Guard! Did you find this atop an office wastbasket?

I have to credit niteboy with that. It was irresistible and apropos.

Originally posted by elitegamer23
im not sure but it was meant to be respectful. up north being called a redneck is nothing to brag about. im not trying to incite a civil war so here is a hug.

Well, the problem is that up north, they don't know what a redneck really is and I am definitely not a yankee, except in its original sense.

Well this story brought a chuckle to me anyway
Bit out of order, but I think in the future they'll look back at this and laugh, certainly something they'll remember

Originally posted by loam

Originally posted by niteboy82
Tomorrow she is getting a haircut.

Dye job too????? Blond, perhaps????

[edit on 22-8-2006 by loam]

You must know my stylist!

She's purrrrrty! Reminds me all the other ladies from that golden era! Earlier I may have had a brief Andrews Sisters moment with a fellow ATSer. Tomorrow will be Fabo!

There is nothing practical about a practical joke. I guess it just depends on a person’s sense of humor. Although I find it detestable, I’d bet that the person(s) responsible for releasing the snakes in the theater thought it was hilarious. Makes me wonder if chickens think rubber humans are funny.

For a practical joke to be concidered a joke, all sides must at least see the humour intended, even if they don't share in the hilarity. Releasing a couple of rattlesnakes into a movie theater just doesn't qualify.

I, too, is a proud member of the redneck society. Although a lifelong westerner, and Alaskan may not qualify on all counts. In my view its the attitude, not the birthplace.

Well, now I suggest that someone move this thread to the urban legends forum. Phoenix police say that there's little truth to this story, and what truth is involved has been stretched quite a bit. What are the odds of finding a rattlesnake in Phoenix. I'd say they were pretty good any day of the year.

'Snakes in a theater' turns out to be hoax
Police say reports that rattlesnakes were let loose during a showing of Snakes on a Plane at a north Phoenix theater have taken moviegoers for a ride.

There is some shred of truth to the story, Phoenix police Sgt. Joel Tranter said. A 10-inch-long rattlesnake was found Friday in a hallway at AMC Desert Ridge 18, near Tatum Boulevard and Loop 101. But it likely slithered inside on its own, Tranter said.

Phoenix TV (ABC) went into this in a little detail last night.

It looks like it simply happened and there was no "practical" joker involved.

The theater has a parking lot out front, a two lane - maybe four lanes - road in front of that, then an expanse of dirt and beyond the dirt, housing construction.

One theory - and this from the snake wrangler - is the snakes were disturbed by construction activity and left the area.

The snakes were lucky to get across the road and parking lot with no problems and they probably traveled in the coolest part of the night when the asphalt temperatures were down.
Then, getting caught by the rising sun, they probably found a shaded and cool area.

Arizona has seems to be an area much preferred by snakes.
It has many of the things they require to make a good living.

You do get used to watching where you're going when stepping out of the house and even when walking into the garage.

Shaded areas are the most dangerous, snakes won't venture into the hot sunshine unless forced to do so.


I think I'm doing ok in the snake dept. cuz I have three active dachshunds running around the property - although most times they're inside.
Got one more Doxie, but he's retired and sleeps a lot.
Two cats makes the menagerie complete and they probably help keep the snakes away.

We do a lot of exploring here in the Arizona dez and we do keep our eyes open, but walking into a restaurant or theater, a snake is the last thing on my mind.

One thing the snake wrangler said that was interesting was that both rattlers were young.
They tend to strike because they get nervous in strange situations.
An older more mature snake will hang back.

And then we have the Mohave Green rattler.
They're all over the state and other southwestern states as well.
They are coming into California and their range is just west of the Lancaster/Palmdale area right now.

They're aggressive and very dangerous.


The power company I used to work for had a snake wrangler that gave a lecture to most of the away from the city work locations about once every two years.

Interesting stuff and a couple of things I took away from the lecture were:

A regular rattlesnake has a hemotoxin in it's venom.
The hemotoxin destroys tissue and can create a lot of damage in skin and muscles over a period of time after the bite.

Cobra's have a neurotoxin in their venom.
This can paralyze the nervous system if enough venom is injected.

Mohave Greens have both hemotoxin and neurotoxin in their venom so you get a double whammy from their bite.

There are Coral snakes in the S/W US and I understand their venom has a neurotoxin.
Which leads one to wonder if Corals and Rattlers interbred somewhere along the line.
The Mohave Green does seem to be a fairly new species.
With information about them not reaching the general population until the late 70's - early 80's or so.


Mohave Greens are not always green.
The green being a very pale shade of green.
Sometimes they are a very light tan.

Keep in mind that a rattler will not expend all his venom in one bite.
You may get a minor amount or if he feels cornered and desperate you may get a lot more.
More than one guy has gotten into trouble when he got a minor bite and grabbed the snake with his bare hands to kill it cuz he thought all the venom was expended on the first bite.
One of our power company guys did it and the 2nd and 3rd bites were bad.


As a side note, you may have noticed I spelled Mohave with an H.
And I used to see it spelled with a J - as in Mojave - when I lived in California.
The different spellings I always wondered about.

A while back I found that the different spellings came about because there is a Mojave, California and a Mohave, Arizona.
With spellings going both ways depending on the speller although locals usually get it right.

In the late 1800's, the San Bernardino postmaster decided California's Mojave would be spelled with a J and Arizona's Mohave would be spelled with an H to help relieve confusion at the mail sorting level.



[edit on 23-8-2006 by Desert Dawg]

i heard this morning on msnbc that one of the snakes was in the parking lot and the other only in the lobby. it really sounds to me like there was no joke, just some lost snakes looking for a dark place to nap.