April Fool’s Day is a holiday celebrated by most countries on Apr. 1 every year. It’s a day for practical jokes, pranks, and fun and while the holiday has been recognized for years, no one knows where it originated. Regardless of where it came from, there are many varying opinions on it.
“I do not like it,” freshman Vicktor Nelson said. “I think it’s stinky. People can get hurt easily from it, emotionally and physically. Even if it’s less extreme, they can still lead to arguments or tension between people.”
While Nelson makes a good point, some people enjoy the holiday, such as junior Ruby Hallam, who uses the day as an excuse to play friendly pranks on her friends and family.
“I think me and my family have always done it,” Hallam said. “My friends do it too, and we all kind of play little harmless pranks throughout the day.”
Some enjoy the little jokes, such as taking a part out of their friend’s pen or switching keyboard settings, others have a more neutral stance on it. Sophomore Clayton Russel says it’s always just been another day.
“Nobody I know ever celebrated it,” Russel said. “It’s another day with another pointless title – like those national days that nobody ever pays any attention to. It’s nothing to scream about.”
Usually, past experiences with it influence your opinions. If you’ve never had a good experience with something, why would you like it?
“A past prank from my little brother that ended up with me falling and slipping on the bathroom floor has kind of made me not like April Fool’s Day very much,” Nelson said. “And there are other things, too.”
The same thing applies if you’ve never participated in the holiday or if you have fond memories of it. You’ll likely remember it fondly if it’s left a good impression on you, or feel neutral if it hasn’t left one.
“I really don’t care what people do either way,” Russel said. “As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or go too far, or accidentally mess something up, I don’t know what the problem is. It’s not like I’m even doing it anyway, it’s none of my business.”
Others, like Hallam, believe that April Fool’s Day is something fun that everyone should try.
“Even if you’ve had a bad experience, there’s still a chance to redefine it, you know?” Hallam said. “Everyone plays a joke on their friend at one point or another, and now you have an entire day just for that.”
With that, there are also people who get too into the pranks and could take something too far. People could get hurt, something could get broken, and you could potentially ruin a friendship for something that’s not worth it.
“Like I said, just don’t get too into it,” Russel said. “Other than that, like don’t kill anyone, don’t put tension between anyone, keep it mild, it’s all good.”
Of course, there is always the possibility of someone getting too into it, and that’s usually where the problem arises. People take things too far all for a good laugh.
“I personally do not like it when people get way too into the holiday,” Nelson said. “That’s when the possibility of hurting someone is at the highest peak, because if you get way too into it, something you could do could get somebody seriously injured, or it could end up with an argument.”
Even Hallam, who has previously said that everyone should try participating in the day of pranks, jokes and silly fun at least once, agrees that it shouldn’t get taken too seriously.
“It’s not worth it if someone gets upset,” Hallam said. “If you think it’s a bad idea, it probably is, and you should probably just drop it.”
