April Fools’ Day has always had a special place in my heart. It’s a day where you and your friends can play little, harmless pranks on each other and laugh with one another. Recently, though, I feel as though the harmlessness of the holiday has disappeared. The childishness of April 1 isn’t there anymore, which is crushing to someone who loves a good prank.
It seems to me that the pranks from my childhood have been overshadowed by large, sometimes boundary-crossing pranks that leave people confused and sometimes hurt. The magic and wonder of water-squirting-flowers and fake roaches is now seen as lame or child’s play. But isn’t that the point?
To me, the point of the day was childish pranks that add a little whimsy and joy back into your day. It’s something that makes you stop and laugh for a minute. Now it seems like pranks are meant to upset others or scare them. Everyone is trying to outdo each other with pranks that can often go too far.
When you look up prank videos online, you’ll typically find pranks like “cheating on my girlfriend prank,” “screaming in stores prank” and “pranking fast food workers.” I hate that these are the pranks people think of now, because they can be so hurtful and cruel. What is funny about making your significant other think that you have betrayed them in one of the worst possible ways? What’s so hilarious about harassing minimum wage workers?
Just before spring break, I walked down my stairwell in Goodwin-Kirk Residence Hall and saw that someone had egged the walls on multiple floors. I was so frustrated that someone thought it would be funny to egg the walls, inconveniencing not only maintenance staff but also other students who had to smell rotting eggs in the stairwell. Not to mention it’s just unsanitary and gross.
What makes it even worse is how widespread these pranks have become among influencers and content creators. Some people make these kinds of cruel jokes for their livelihood. Prank channels online make money by putting people, sometimes even strangers, in uncomfortable or upsetting situations to make a quick buck on the internet.
Even if the pranks are staged, viewers don’t always know that — especially younger audiences who these pranks are marketed towards. So when the younger generation is watching these cruel prank videos, they don’t know any better. They think that because the video doesn’t have consequences, they won’t face any either if they replicate it. Legally speaking, pranks can be considered harassment or assault if they involve some kind of physical or mental harm to an individual. So instead of filling Oreos with toothpaste or taping over the sensor on a mouse, April Fools’ is now filled with fake breakups and destruction of property.
I understand if April Fools’ Day isn’t for everyone; some people just don’t want to be pranked, and that’s fine. The problem is that the harmless, childish pranks I grew up with have been replaced. The silly holiday at the beginning of April now has some people worrying about going to work because customers may decide to “prank” them at work.
Pranking has officially gone too far, and it has ruined a holiday that has been a fun little tradition for some since childhood. The magic of the holiday is gone, replaced by tension. Now, when April Fools’ Day comes around, I see people talking about the awesome prank they’re going to pull on their partner and instead of it being a silly small thing, they go on about how they’re essentially going to traumatise them for laughs.
