Do I want friends like these?

Human nature is a rather strange ‘thing’ is it not? I’m not quite sure if I’ve workd this one out yet, but it seems we have a desire to constantly be ‘unique’ to be ‘one up’ on the next person. This drives us to do weird and not so wonderful things that just don’t seem rational.

I remember watching the movie ‘The Game’ with Michael Douglas in which his brother gets him a rather unique birthday gift, instead of a fancy pen, or trip to the ‘well-being’ clinic, he signs him up for one of the most horrific experiences of his life. A game in which it appears someone is stalking him, tormenting him, and finally chasing him over roof tops and making him crap his pants. Why? Because his brother thought since he has everything he could ever want what else could he get him? Hmmm, how about a pair of socks? Red, perhaps, since he doesn’t yet own that colour.

My reason for bringing this up is that I read an article in the weekend paper about a man who shared a similar experience, his friends had obviously seen ‘The Game’ one too many times.

The latest trend in Russia among the rich and the powerful it seems, is to buy a police squad for a night, get your friend arrested at his local trainstation for example, threatened with torture and then thrown in the back of a police van with barking german shepards wanting to taste your throat muscles. A few minutes (depending how sadisitic the cops are) later and the van opens to let you join your friends at the surprise party theyve set up for you. How nice, now if only you could get those brown stains off your pants before going inside.