rant · moment 17 of 18

What Being an American Means: The Kidnapping Prank Story

from #304 - What America Means To Me | The Tim Dillon Show · #304

4 min

Ben gives an earnest definition of being American around individuality and property; Tim counters with a long personal story about a childhood ransom-note prank on a mentally disabled babysitter and her mother's cruel reaction.

In this bit7 moments
  • Tim suggests finding something Americans can agree on, like insurance fraud, that doesn't hurt anybody.
  • Asked what being American means, the guest defines it as individuality, property ownership, and freedom from religious or government influence.
  • Tim points out the guest's definition doesn't actually apply to himself since he rents and leases everything.
  • Tim launches into a story about pranking his friend's mentally disabled sister with a fake kidnapping ransom note when they were young.
  • The sister actually called the police and was hysterically crying, believing the boys had been kidnapped.
  • When Tim's friend's mother arrived and saw what happened, she called her daughter a retard and blamed the boys.
  • Tim concludes that the kidnapping prank story is what being American means to him.

All 18 moments in this episode →