Farris Hassan's Day Off

The major story on this lazy Friday with all the major outlets seems to be the tale of Farris Hassan. For those who don’t waste their time with CNN and company, and use their webtime more wisely here on YAB, Hassan is a 16 year-old Florida high school student with Iraqi roots and a penchant for journalism. On December 11, he decides to hail a taxi to Miami International Airport and take the first flight out to the Middle East. Via three stopovers, Hassan ends up in Baghdad, and it is only THEN he decides to call Mom and Dad to let them know he’s not sleeping over at Jimmy’s house.

Read this interview with Mrs. Hassan before going any further. It reads like the aftermath of bad episode of Punk’d. This kid took a vacation from school, managing to fool every responsible adult he knew. Sounds familiar, don’t it?

And yes, his name is Farris.

This clearly isn’t the first time a prank savvy high school kid with that name (albeit a different spelling) has managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the world. I’d like to cite a similar interview given in 1986 in the Chicago suburb of Shermer given by another duped mother, Mrs. Katie Bueller. Here’s the transcript:

Reporter: Your son -- first of all, let's get it straight right now. He took the entire day off from school in order to romp around Chicago with his girlfriend and his best friend, and you had no idea. How do you feel about that?
Katie Bueller: Yes. I know. It’s pretty remarkable. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. I have an eye for details. I’m in real estate.
Reporter: Despite having nine absences – you surely know his record is far from perfect – he just took off without you or his father knowing. How did that happen?
Bueller: I have no idea how. I went in this morning and all the tell-tale signs of sickness were there. The clammy hands, the raging fever, the precariously dangling sports trophies connected to the door – that always means he’s come down with something.
Reporter: So how does a boy fake out a responsible parent? With electronic rigging, no less? Where can he bankroll that?
Bueller: You mean the synthesizer? Oh, we got that for Ferris on his 11th birthday. He said he might like to pursue music. We just assumed he would be the next Jon Bon Jovi.
Reporter: Er, right. So let’s move on. Do you know Abe Froman?
Bueller: The Sausage King of Chicago?
Reporter: Precisely. Apparently your son managed to book a reservation at Chez Quis this afternoon under that name. A family friend?
Bueller: I always buy Froman’s Breakfast Links – does that count? Come to think of it, the mailman keeps deliverying packages to our home addressed to Mrs. Butterworth and Captain Crunch. I wonder what my son is up to. I’m not very bright.
Reporter: What is with his friend, Cameron? How does he get away with wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey in a Blackhawks town? I mean, really?
Bueller: We are very good friends with the Fryes and we’ve always thought Cameron to be a bit unusual. Why aren’t you grilling his parents, by the way?
Reporter: We called them, and we got a curt response. Something about “airlifting a Ferrari out of a creek.” Tell me, did you attend the parade in the city today? You would have seen your son as the guest of honor, we’re told.
Bueller: No, it couldn’t have been him. He was home sick in bed nurs- oh that’s right. I forgot. I’m the dumbest parent ever.

Until now, Mrs. Bueller. Until now.