Why I Hate April Fool’s Day

There’s one holiday in this world that I just cannot stand. I despise, loathe, and detest it with every fiber of my being. It’s April Fool’s Day.

I know, you say I’m a humorless, self-righteous bore who can’t take a joke, blowing things out of proportion. But in this age of lies and disinformation—when politicians spew the most outrageous nonsense about pedophiles eating children, when network news personalities make up stories out of air—I’ve come to value truth.

This April first, a political columnist I respect posted that he was going to be taking a break from Facebook for a while. A reputable news source posted that biologists had discovered a new species of penguin. An actor I love posted that he was set to star in a new movie—all completely credible, right? Nope, April Fool! I was left feeling dumb for having believed them. But I want to be able to believe them whenever they speak. And the actor and the commentator are progressives who frequently bemoan the falsehoods told by elected officials.

Why do we do this? I’ve done my share of April Fool’s tricks. I don’t anymore, though. It seems to me that at its most basic level it’s an attempt to control someone else. At least a prank done in person—switching the salt and sugar , for example—is less harmful than posting lies—let’s call them what they are—on social media, which has already done so much damage to our trust in society.

One thing I’m certain of. Admit it, deep down inside. No matter how good a sense of humor you have–April Fool is a lot more fun for the fooler than it is for the fooled.