I'm Not an April Fool's Person

Truth be told, I've never liked April Fool's Day. Like... at all. That’s never felt like much of a loss, though.

The whole thing always struck me as a really strange social experiment where everyone agrees, for one day, that deliberate (and sometimes mean-spirited) confusion aimed at other people is an acceptable form of entertainment.

Much to my confusion, most people seem to love it. The setups, the reveals, the “gotcha” moment where someone realizes they’ve been completely misled for a few seconds, if not completely made a fool of. Meanwhile, there I am, standing off to the side thinking, this feels like an awful lot of effort to go to just to make someone else feel bad for a second or two.

I guess I'm just the sort of person for whom humor lands best when everyone’s in on it and fully consents to what's going on. But nearly everything to do with April 1st tends to be associated with the opposite approach.

The Problem With Pranks (That People Pretend Isn't There)

Over the years, I've noticed that most pranks rely on the same tired recipe:

• Catch someone off guard.
• Lead them to believe something that isn’t true.
• Enjoy their confusion, embarrassment, disappointment, or anger when they inevitably react to it.

And yeah, I get that others think stuff like this is harmless or clever, even. But the part people gloss over is that pranks also seem to appeal to a very specific personality type — the type that loves to watch other people squirm for no good reason.

April Fool’s Day gives impulses like that a hall pass when they really wouldn't be acceptable the rest of the year. And if there's anything the world could use less of, especially now, it's pointless meanness for its own sake.

"It's Just a Joke" (Except It Isn't Always)

I guess I also don't like the suspiciously gaslight-y script that kicks in whenever a prank isn't taken well or otherwise doesn't land. The person gets irritated or embarrassed, and suddenly the focus goes from what happened straight to their reaction:

• “Relax.”
• “Lighten up.”
• “It’s just a joke.”
• "You take yourself so seriously."
• "You're just so easy to fool."

Now, whoever it was who didn’t enjoy being misled has to defend the fact that they do indeed have a sense of humor.

I grew up with a brother who loved playing extremely mean-spirited pranks on people, including several that actually hurt people physically or emotionally. Once, when he was still a kid, he set my mother up to believe he fell out of an extremely high window, left her in tears, and seemed to think that was the height of hilarity.

He grew into the type of adult with the same sense of humor, much to our dismay. I was also in a long-term relationship once with someone who was the same way. (I think I'm still dealing with some of the trauma that caused, actually.)

Those experiences have taught me to ask who exactly these jokes are for when they're aimed at people the prankster knows won't appreciate them. Because the more harm certain jokes seem to do, the more the jokester seems to enjoy it all.

So I Just Plain Don't Participate

That decision was about realizing that I don’t enjoy either side of the equation. For starters, planning, setting up, and executing pranks feels like a waste of my very limited free time. And, as I've said, being on the receiving end honestly feels pretty horrible a lot of the time.

Because there are actually plenty of ways to have fun or interact with others that don’t involve testing someone’s patience or tolerance for a couple of cheap laughs. And given the options, I’ll take those every time.

April 1st Eventually Came to Mean Something Else to Me, Anyway

Because April 1st, coincidentally, also happens to be my anniversary, which considerably changes the tone of the day.

While everyone else leans into jokes, tricks, and elaborate setups, I get to spend it celebrating my relationship and (if I'm lucky) taking it a little easy for the day. Because 21 years (the number we're celebrating today) is long enough to outlast trends, phases, and more than a few questionable decisions along the way.

Plus, there's literally no other situation in life I've voluntarily stayed in for 21 years straight, and that alone is something to celebrate. Especially for someone who's always had trouble sticking with things.

Having your anniversary on April 1st comes with a pretty neat side effect, too. People tend to leave you alone when they know you're celebrating a special day, so even the most dedicated prank enthusiast will usually pause and think, maybe not today.

You Don't Have to Participate

I get that April Fool's Day has a lot of tradition behind it at this point. Plenty of people genuinely enjoy it, and that’s fine. They can have it.

But it's also totally OK if you're not interested in participating (on this occasion or any other). Not everyone enjoys being made fun of or making fun of others.

Stepping back doesn’t require a big statement, though. It can be as simple as deciding for yourself where your attention is going to go when you get up in the morning, as well as what kind of interactions you want to have with others.

Because, yeah, some people like pranks (or at least don't have an issue with them). But others prefer a different kind of humor, or a different kind of day altogether. Both approaches can exist under the same sun (kind of).

I know which one I’m choosing.