Mid-terms stink at North Hunterdon High School

BY PAM LOBLEY

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

NOW THAT'S FUNNY

A 16 year old boy at North Hunterdon High School took a short break last Monday during mid-terms. He went to the bathroom. When he came back, he was carrying his own excrement in a cup. He then took the lid off the cup to release the smell into the classroom.

He got 10 points off for not showing his work.

Perhaps the boy just wanted to break up the tension of mid-terms. Perhaps it was his way of saying "tests stink." Perhaps he is a lonely lad who just wanted someone to pay attention to him. He will get that wish: the local police will be issuing the boy a juvenile complaint for disorderly conduct.

I doubt this kid has a Chinese mother. He is clearly watching too much YouTube, where the video "Poop In a Cup" has over a million hits. And since hits on YouTube is the new Ivy League, being the pooping prankster obviously seemed more important to him than getting a good grade on his mid-term.

I don't want to say that New Jersey is a breeding ground for crass behavior, but we do have toll collectors who have threatened to strip search and/or flash motorists, we have a teachers' union who sent an internal memo "jokingly" wishing for Governor Christie's death, we have elected officials who refuse to vote down pay-to-play, we have the fist pump, we have Snooki.

Crass behavior is a growth industry, and more and more people are investing in it. New Jersey is at the forefront of this trend, as shows like "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" demonstrate. There's a reason that "The Real Housewives of North Dakota" is not a show: they haven't found enough asinine people there. Yet.

The way to get ahead in this world is to perform some base acts that shock and outrage, get it on film, and try to get it to go viral. Barring that, you can write about other people's base acts.

I hope I get a lot of hits.

Pam Lobley writes the "Now That's Funny" column. Sign up for her mailing list at pamlobley.com.