The games!
I love throwing balls down a clown's throat (and yes, I know how that sounds, pervert) or shooting tin ducks with a BB gun in the misguided attempt to win a stuffed toy that I know I'm just going to throw away before the end of the day. I don't know why I love it, but I do! I guess it's just part of the experience.
Still, I'm guessing that if I'd done what this guy did, I wouldn't be raving about it quite so much.
This guy, poor sod, lost his entire life savings on one of those toss a ball in a bucket games. Honestly, almost three thousand dollars trying to win an XBox Kinect, and all he ended up with was a hilariously large stuffed banana wearing a Rastafarian hat.
I know, it's a glorious image, isn't it.
But I can understand how he got suckered in. Anyone who's ever sat at a pokie machine, waiting for those "free spins" knows the magical lure of gambling. And that's essentially what he was doing. It was a crappy gamble, I'll give you that. He'd have been better off walking into the nearest casino and putting it all on black.
But to then blame the side show for the fact that he essentially lost his mind and willingly handed over three thousand dollars ... no, I can't agree that it was their fault. They provide crappy, hard to win games with prizes that are worth a pittance. We all know this, it's the agreement we have going in. To then turn around and blame them because he was out of control doesn't seem fair to me.
Still, poor bastard. He spent three grand trying to win something that would have only cost him a couple hundred in the shops, and instead all he got was a dreadlocked banana. That's going to be a hard one to explain to his wife, I'd imagine.
Sure is, assuming he tells her :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL! And assuming he's actually still married ;P
DeleteThe guy's an idiot. Those games are rigged, yes, but most people know that!
ReplyDeleteI just assumed it was common knowledge. I'd guess a judge would laugh at him if he tried to sue them.
DeleteYour post and thoughts are hilarious, but this HAS to be a fake story. It sounds too much like an Onion headline. His LIFE savings was $3K? No wonder he's only riding a bicycle and can't afford sleeves or a collar on his shirts. Then again, the dreadlocks do make it extra cool. WORTH IT!
ReplyDeleteLOL! That's the scary thing, it's exactly the sort of parody The Onion would do, but it seems legit. At least it's been reported on by plenty of reputable sources.
DeleteI must really be tired. I read "slide shows" twice and, bewildered, asked, "Games?"... Went back and started again and on the second occurrence, figured out it was "side shows"...
ReplyDeleteAnd this "...doesn't seem *fair* to me" bit?? You're just having pun with me tonight, aren't ya? And yes, I totally blame you for my inability to comprehend this on my first attempt. At least it was free.
Great job as always. Now, it's time for bed.
LOL! Side show, slide show, I could see how you mixed them up :D
DeleteOuch. I'm just not into side shows--they freak me out. One time, my dad tipped a carnie a couple of bucks to make the ride, "go faster". I almost died. AND, it was the most fun I've ever had on a carnival ride. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! I had a friend who started dating a carnie back when we were in high school. I remember that being quite the scandal.
Deleteyou're assuming he still has a wife!!
ReplyDeleteGood point :D
DeleteYup. Pretty ludicrous he was. Sigh. Sorry to hear of it, but naught I can do.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)
Yeah, I don't think he's going to get his money back any time soon. But at least he got a sweet banana out of it.
DeleteHe was actually trying to win an X-Box Kinect I think but ended up getting the banana as a consolation prize or something?
ReplyDeleteEither way, really stupid.
Yeah, definitely a bad move on his part. He would have been much better off just buying the xbox.
Deletecould he not just have bought a xbox kinect with his life savings if he was willing to spend it all at one of these games
ReplyDeleteThat would have been the sensible thing to do, but I think we've established that he wasn't particularly sensible.
DeleteI always feel sad when I hear these stories. For the poor guy who really did not seem to grasp reality but for him it may have been more of an addiction. Buying the XBox was easy, winning the Xbox was hard. I also feel sad that in our society that people treat others so poorly. I can see them all laughing at him for being so short sighted and yet they took his money.
ReplyDeleteOh well
Came by from
http://talesofthereborncrafter.blogspot.com/
I can't really blame the carnival people. It was probably a huge windfall for them, and I'd imagine business isn't always the most lucrative. And he was the one who showed up and paid.
DeleteWhat a coincidence. Thinking alike I guess. http://keepinyouout.blogspot.com/2013/05/your-world-and-im-just-in-it.html
ReplyDeleteLOL! Snap!
DeleteHey, that Rasta Banana was worth every penny!
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty sweet rasta banana, but I don't think it was worth three grand ;D
Delete"Oh, this scammer carnie is gonna look SO stupid when I spend $3,000 and win that $200 Kinect!"
ReplyDeleteAlso, you have to admit, that carnie's a bit of a dick. You'd think you'd reach a certain point where it's like, "Dude, stop it. I'm not taking your money anymore. You can't win. JUST GO HOME."
LOL! I can't really blame the carnie. I'd imagine it's not the most lucrative of careers, and if he was willingly handing over the cash then I can't blame the carnie for taking it.
DeleteI hate gambling. I only every played a carnival game once, and I lost horribly, and that was enough for me to decide that it was not for me. Giant novelty toothbrush notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteI love the games, but I don't go in with the idea of winning something specific. Perhaps that was his mistake.
DeletePoor slob. I think carnival games are seductive. Just like slot machines...you keep telling yourself...just one more time and I'll win. Still, you would think after losing a 100 bucks you would realize there is no way to win.
ReplyDeleteOoh, slots are definitely addictive. I try to keep my trips to the slots down to about once a year, just to be on the safe side.
DeleteWho was it....PT Barnum I think....who said "There's one born every minute." Well, he was the one.
ReplyDeleteS
Yep, and I bet that carnie was glad he found him!
DeleteThis might be funny if it wasn't so tragic.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of sad. If three thousand is his life savings, it's probably a lot of money to him.
DeleteI kinda feel sorry for the guy and a little pissed at the carnies, who should have said, "whoa, what are you doing? Still he made a choice to continue, so has no one to blame but himself. And who the bloody hell thought that making a Rasta Banana was amusing...which it kind of is...:)
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the carnie. The bloke showed up and played, he did his job.
DeleteDo you think he is available now? Sounds like a keeper!
ReplyDeleteWell if he was married before, I'd say there's a fair chance he's single now ;P
DeleteSo do you think if he had won it on his 3000th dollar he would have been like "Phew! I got it! That was close to being embarrassing."
ReplyDeleteLOL! I'd imagine he wouldn't have gone to the newspapers at least.
DeleteHate the carnival, the smell of greasy food, the unwashed attendants, the dust. I hate it all. And yet, I take my young grandchildren because they love it. I don't, however, let them play the games.
ReplyDeleteI love the carnival. It's a whole atmosphere, the smells and the crowding.
DeleteKellie, I agree with you that when we enter a fair or carnival, there is an unspoken agreement that the games will be impossible to win and the prizes will be crappy. This is a case of a gambling addiction, not a problem with fairs and carnivals. But now that I think of it...I'm going to head to a casino and blame them when I lose my 401(k), then when I sue them I won't NEED my 401(k)! GENIUS! BRB....
ReplyDeleteLOL! Good luck with that :D
DeleteI try to stick to the games I know I can win at least something decent on. Like the ones where you toss dimes into glasses, ashtrays and all sorts of breakable things. I usually come home with a box or two brimmin with matching sets of 4, 6 or 8 of certain things and not too worried of breaking one or two between the end of this years carnival/fair and the one next year when I can replace it all again for around $10-$20.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I always stick with the shooting games or the popping balloons with darts. They're harder for the carnival to rig.
DeleteHe looks like a Gen Y so he's stupid for a start. He's male, stupid for second, he's a cockhead for third, and it would have been cheaper to buy one for fourth!
ReplyDeleteAll very true :D
DeleteI could definitely be a compulsive gambler given the chance. But even I couldnt be that out of control or stupid.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know too many people who would do that, compulsive gambler or not.
DeleteHe lost $3,000? Even if it was a $5 game... this would have taken a LONG TIME--why didn't anyone try to stop this dude. This has to be so much more than just a man who wanted an XBox Connect. Damn that's what a gambling addiction combined with lack of cognitive thinking skills looks like.
ReplyDeleteOh, it had to be a gambling addiction, for sure. But I don't blame the carnie for it. It's not their job to stop him.
DeleteI suck so hard at the games... So hard that instead of playing, I just go to the store and buy a stuffed animal!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Valerie
It'd probably be quicker than playing the game six hundred times, which is what he must have done to lose three grand.
DeleteBoy, there's one born every minute!
ReplyDeleteYep, and he was the one for that minute ;P
DeleteI use to love the sideshow ally too! Although I have admit seeing the freaks was a big thing for me, like the amazing twins connected by their necks with NO heads - and yet, without ears or... HEADS... they could respond to instructions and wave at the audience. Incredible. I'm obviously gullible enough to win a $3,000 rastafarian banana.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I think we just suspend disbelief when we see things like that. We WANT to believe.
DeleteI used to work at an amusement park. I THINK we had a cut off point for each game if someone had been playing for a while. It was about 200 bucks per outing. We would normally stop them about 50 bucks though and say hey you can buy said prize cheaper if you want to just buy it outright instead of frustrating yourself. It would really just depend on the person though if they took us up on it. And there was one guy that we had to turn away from the booths cause after about 2 hours he'd nail the big prize at almost every stand in the park.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Really? He must have been good! Or he lost a lot of money on each booth, I suppose.
DeleteMy GOODNESS people are stupid.
ReplyDeleteI have one of those Rasta Bananas. Seriously.
I refuse to play those games. Here you have to spend a fortune to get anything. No thanks, I'd rather ride the Scrambler:)
ReplyDelete