How to Ruin Someone's Fun (Without Being Too Mean)

Did you hear? The Yankees won the World Series for like, the gazillionth time. (OK, fine, the 27th time.) Big deal. It's not like people didn't expect this to happen. It's sort of like that girl who always claims she did "awful" and "failed" a test, when you know she's going to get an A. Then, when she does get an A, she acts all surprised and wants her parents and friends to congratulate her on her perfect GPA.

Well, you know what? We're tired of this sort of repeat-offender success. It's boring. In the spirit of true competition, we've come up with a few ways to challenge someone's celebration and have a little fun at the same time. Yeah, it might be a little nasty, but it's only meant to put things in perspective and keep your friend's ego in check.

Selective Memory Recall
So your friend is really jazzed about getting the lead role in the school musical...again. But he's always the lead and everyone knows and expects it. It's cool to congratulate him, but why not add a little anecdote when you do: "Hey, that's great that you're going to play Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls! Wouldn't it be awful if you forgot all your lines like you did in the kindergarten play, 'Meet the Snails'? Remember that?" When your friend denies that this ever happened (even though it did), draw a crayon re-enactment of him running off the stage crying. Nathan Detroit will be humbled by the reminder that he too can fail.

Bigger, Louder, Better
Your friend got an A on the chemistry test that everyone else struggled with (and her grade ruined any chance of a much-needed curve). But she doesn't realize that it might be a little rude to talk about how she "can't believe she got that question about orbitals right even though it was a total guess!" The best way to get her to pipe down is to out-do her show of triumph. "I can't believe I got a B minus!!! You know, I wouldn't want to always get top grades because then Mr. Francis wouldn't know how hard I'm working. This B minus proves that my better grades were really a challenge for me to achieve. I worked for them and Mr. Francis knows that and he appreciates it. Man, a B minus!! I'm so excited!" Your friend will be so stunned by your pride (after all, she would be devastated by anything other than perfection) that she'll forget to shout about her own grade.

Reverse Psychology
This morning, over the PA system, your friend announced that she's running for class president. She stated her goals for the year—more communication between teachers and students, increased study resources, a reward system for academic success—and asked everyone for their support. This shouldn't be hard for her, since she's been class president since 5th grade and she's running unchallenged for the position. But you know she's going to want you to be her spokesperson, helping her rally votes. When she approaches you at lunch and says, "Did you hear the announcement? It's campaign time!" respond with a low-key, "Oh, no, I didn't hear it. I must not have been paying attention." She'll be stricken with fear thinking that everyone missed her announcement and will spend the rest of the lunch hour visiting each and every table, checking to see if students know she wants to continue "acting on their behalf" for the "good of the student population." You'll be free to eat in peace.

Have you ever tried to ruin someone's fun? How did you manage to bring their triumph down a notch?

Related Post: The SparkNotes Guide to Teacher Appreciation Gifts