Many of us wake up on April 1, just like any other normal day, while there are those who remind everyone that it is April Fool’s Day with their silly pranks! Some of the most common pranks that are played are related to hoax news, or throwing a fake insect at another, or ringing the doorbell and running away.
Playing pranks started as a harmless practice, but over the years, the jokesters and pranksters have taken this a notch higher, and ended up making it a stressful and even dangerous game for their victims.
To avoid making it a not-so-happy day for both parties, let’s try to tone down the pranks a bit. We aren’t playing spoilsport, but if you’re going to choose a prank to play on someone, you’d better pick something that isn’t going to hurt them emotionally or physically.
Here are some things you need to keep in mind so that you have an enjoyable Fool’s Day.
1. Be considerate
Avoid playing pranks that focus on, or include, body shaming, stammering, health-related issues or any issue which could bring down someone’s morale. People are very conscious about their health problems and body issues. Let’s be clear that everyone is dealing with several problems in their lives. If you are going to keep reminding them about these things through pranks, they are surely to get hurt. Though they might not make it obvious, but deep down, the hurt will always remain. Avoid pranks that include these factors.
2. No shocks, please!
Spreading hoax news, related to someone's death, accident or illness is a complete no-no. These are some of the cruelest pranks one could try on April Fool’s. Each and every person who forms a part of our lives is dear to us; however, if we hear such shocking news, it will surely to affect us in a huge way, and we don’t mean, a good way. And, for people with health issues, it can trigger something bigger. Try not to sensationalize and narrate a story, which in turn, could be a shocker for the April Fool’s victim hearing it.
3. Don’t mess with someone’s job
There are several pranks that employees try on each other during office hours on April Fool’s. For example, throwing a fake lizard on a colleague’s desk, or sticking a funny note on their back, or conveying a message that ‘the boss has called’, etc. While, these pranks are childish, there are several which are quite expected, such as receiving a fake pink slip of being fired from work.
Let’s be honest, colleagues work hard, and at the same time, are dealing with a lot of work stress. You certainly don’t want the person to deal with something that has never happened and ruminate over it and stress even more. Let’s be sensible no matter how eager you are to play a prank on your colleagues at work. Make sure you don’t do anything crazy, which could end up negatively affecting their job and reputation at work; and yours, too, in the bargain.
4. Don’t play the same pranks again and again
Some of the most bizarre pranks that people try are on their loved ones. They share the ‘news’ of their marriage’ or engagement’ date being finalized. While many fall prey to such ‘news’ and are happy for you, for something that is not going to happen anytime soon, on a honest note, this is one of the most common pranks that isn’t going to garner any attention, and may turn out to be a spoiled game for the prankster, in return.
Every year, an Instagram story that is based on announcing the engagement date, or the married status, on Facebook has just become out-dated. Try something more creative instead.
5. Don’t give false hope
If someone in a relationship sees a future with you, and you end up telling them that you are going to be with them forever, when it’s all a prank, please be sensible and not try this! People in relationships are pretty emotional and tend to believe everything that the other says. So, avoid giving such hopes. Don’t mix pranks and emotions; not everyone can handle them. The one time that Kingfisher pulled an April Fool’s prank was in the year 2019, with their newly-launched Kingfisher Instant Beer mix. This went so viral that the public were actually happy about the new product! But, the next day, people realized that it was all a joke. This left the beverages-lovers heartbroken.
