Picture an average suburban neighborhood with houses lining the streets, trees swaying in the breeze, a cat darting by the road. Yet this idyllic image is ruined by the sight of an otherwise lovely house covered in wispy strips of toilet paper. The rolls hang from the chimney, spiral around tree trunks and cover bushes and the rooftop like cobwebs.
TPing is usually done as a joke or means of revenge, but either way, it’s wasteful, ineffective and disrespectful.
The most obvious flaw in T-Ping is the waste it produces. It uses up countless rolls of toilet paper, all of which will be thrown away the next day.
With toilet paper being such a valuable commodity these days, this issue is more relevant than ever. Why waste toilet paper on a hideous mess that ruins someone’s house when instead it could be used for some useful cheek wiping?
The next issue: It’s ineffective at achieving its primary aim. It's simply not funny. There is nothing comical about spending an afternoon climbing to the tops of trees and desperately attempting to remove toilet paper from every crevice and branch.
Some sports teams and friend groups will even TP as a bonding activity or as a tradition, which is even worse. In this scenario, the victim is often a random, unsuspecting person who did nothing to deserve a TPed house. Regardless, when there are so many other enjoyable ways to bond with friends, TPing should be off the list.
Others use TP as a form of revenge, but this is simply unfair because it affects every person in the household, not just the intended victim. TPing someone’s house only to have their parents or siblings spend the following afternoon cleaning it up forces the wrong people to deal with the mess.
On top of all of the practical issues, T-Ping is extremely disrespectful, especially to the other members of the household who are not the intended targets. Owning and taking care of a house is no small feat, and having it vandalized with messy, unkempt toilet paper is irritating and difficult to deal with. Cleaning up the mess is tiresome, takes up a lot of time and sometimes is impossible to clear out completely.
And despite the fact that there aren’t any specific laws against T-Ping, perpetrators can always be cited for trespassing, littering or disorderly conduct. According to an article from SCV Bail Bonds, in extreme cases, when property is damaged, this could result in a felony or even misdemeanor charge. There are also those reports about fearful homeowners firing guns and killing people when spooked at night. In the U.S., it’s smart to assume everyone has a gun (and it’s often a good assumption).
Instead of T-Ping, try pranking someone in a way that doesn’t cause as much waste. Go kart as a team or do any other method of team bonding that doesn’t disrupt other people. Talk things out with problematic people rather than resorting to extreme methods.
Instead of wasting toilet paper on T-Ping houses, enjoy it while it lasts, because who knows how long it will.