A kid in Savannah called 911. Instead of saying “Two guys just hopped the fence into our yard and they’re trying to get in the back door” or “My mom fell, and she’s not moving” or “The house across the street is on fire and people are trapped upstairs” or “I think I might have taken an overdose somehow,” he simply hollered “Deez nuts!”
His parents found out what the 6th-grader had done, put him “on lockdown,” and had him write a letter of apology to the dispatchers. They may also have hinted they were disappointed in him.
911 dispatcher who does not need to hear about deez nuts at dis time.
Let’s back up for those who are not familiar with “Deez nuts” pranks. Maybe it will explain some curious happenings in your life. The essence of the prank is to get someone to say something to which you can reply “Deez nuts!”
I don’t have to tell you how amusing this is. But when I tell you “deez nuts!” is a shorter way of saying “these testicles!” you will grasp the subtlety.
Deez-nuts pranking isn’t new. It comes from Dr. Dre’s 1992 album, The Chronic, on which the song “Deez Nuts” starts with such a call. To a friend, not 911.
Hardcore punk band Deez Nuts playing in Cologne. When rehearsing they say “Give me a D” a) never, b) always.
Recently, deez-nutsing has come back into style in certain circles. It’s like a renaissance. We may be living in a golden age of deez nuts. Perhaps because it lends itself to Vine clips and compilations.
The website Bofa D’s gives examples. “Ask your scholarly friend, ‘Do you prescribe [sic] to the theories of Dr. Rubdy?’ If they have read the paper ‘Sensitizing Learners Towards a More Productive Classroom Participation: an “Exploratory” Approach’ by Rani Rubdy of the National University of Singapore, they are likely to respond with a resounding yes. Then it is your turn to shout ‘Rub Deeeeez Nuts!!!’ If they ask who Dr. Rubdy is, you say ‘Rub Deeeez Nuts!’ then grab your crotch, and then explain that Dr. Rubdy wrote a very important paper on class participation.”
They note, “This joke works under all circumstances. Those who don’t know Rani Rubdy will still be shocked when you say rub deez nuts. The scholars in this world who know about Rani Rubdy will be happy to discuss their feelings and then will enjoy the fact that you really just want to discuss your balls.”
Not sure this would work for me.
Okay, so 6th-grader’s parents made him write a letter of apology. Hand-deliver it to the police’s 911 Center. And read it aloud:
Dear Emergency Dispacher,
I am writing an apology letter for what I did last night. Last night I called and said “Dezz Nuts.” I know this was stupid but I was not listening to myself but I knew it was wrong. Please forgive me for what I said. I know there will be consequences for my actions and I will not complaine about them. Again please if you can forgive me if you can. What happened was that me and my friends we’re talking and I got dared to call you. I would get nothing out of it and only get in trouble for it. In the end I got in trouble for it and this is a letter for you. I am sorry for what I did and hope that you can forgive me.
Sincerely,
[name redacted]
My parents have a gun on me as I write this.
The dispatchers liked this. They accepted his apology, and gave the family a tour, showing, “how they work, how prank calls interrupt that work, and how it puts the general public at risk by taking both dispatchers and first responders away from legitimate situations.”
That’s what the apology was missing. The letter is too much about him, and how much trouble he’s in. (A lot.) He does say what he did wrong, but shows no understanding of why it was wrong. However, after the 911 tour, I’m sure he understands now.
Little schmuck. I would have made him type it and write what he would do in restitution — and trust me, there would be some free labor for the city/county out of this. Surely they have need of trash pick-up at six a.m. on a Sunday? Because he’s so old and already falling into that “well, they dared me” stupidity, this would not be over for months.
This is also why no one lets me have children. And why my classroom was the quietest in the school when I was teaching… Ms. Davis Is Mean.
I think this apology is adorable and that you could have mentioned a few of the things that were great about it before noting that it was missing something. For starters, it sounds sincere. He doesn’t just right the minimum. I think the repetition of certain ideas “it was stupid/wrong” and “please forgive me” indicate a real understanding of the heart of an apology.
I especially like the part where he says “I was not listening to myself.” That indicates that he does know right from wrong and that he should listen to his feelings about what is right.
I don’t think you can expect a 6th grader to automatically know what the effect of his prank call would be. Did it hurt someone’s feelings? How much time did it take really? Maybe the only thing he could think of is that it was disrespectful or just not right.
In any case, I thought it was a fine apology and would be happy to receive one this good from the adults in my life!
**He doesn’t just “write” the minimum…
Well, I suspect “I was not listening to myself” was his parents’ phrase. Given that suspicion, I think his parents ought to have addressed the issue of the letter being all about the trouble he’s in, and not about trouble he might have caused.
Am I too rigorous? After all, the people who count — the staff at the 911 Center — agree with you!
But maybe they were just STUNNED to get an apology for the kind of thing I imagine happens too often.
We are all about the rigor here at SorryWatch Central, so I’m good with my colleague saying that young Master Nutz didn’t show that he truly understood why what he did was bad. (And also that, presumably, once he saw the call center — and props to the dispatchers for the tour, btw — he did understand.) Even when you’re an elementary-school-age kid, when you apologize you need to show that you understand WHY what you did was wrong. (And 6th grade is either elementary school or junior high. Old enough.) That’s on parents — when you have your kid apologize, as you should, you need to be sure he both comprehends and expresses why he did something hurtful.