(no subject)

[wyntir_knight]

*grumble* I really hate April Fool's Day ... A full day devoted to being juvenile, to playing cruel tricks on other people, to acting like pathetic little delinquents. And what gets me the most is that adults pull this shit. I can see it coming from children; after all, it's been my experience that children are often cruel little creatures. But adults should know better -- I mean, they're the fragging grown ups for gods' sake!

As a child I was bullied terribly (I mean to the point that I'm rather surprised I didn't end up in the Bell Tower over it). Sometimes the teachers would step in and stop it -- though more often than not they just looked the other way because it was a part of childhood and I was an antisocial freak anyways (this was well before Columbine and the Trenchcoat Mafia made adults reconsider their stance on bullying and us silent introverts). One thing was guaranteed though; on April Fools Day and on Frosh Day (aka "Let's haze the Minor Niners") all bets were off and we "outsiders" were on our own. That only changed when two students were hospitalized after their hazings (one had severe asthma and was duct taped to a tree in the smoking quad while the other was dosed with Nair and had an allergic reaction).

I never really got over my anger at this condoned cruelty masquerading as "innocent pranks". April Fools day just brings all that anger and resentment up to the surface. I've been told that I should learn to chill out, that it's all innocent fun, but I will bet you anything that the people who are telling me this were never the ones who were bullied.

*sigh* I suppose that with my general lack of faith in humanity, I shouldn't be surprised that this day brings out the worst in people. And yet, every year, I wake up on April 1st hoping that the general populace will have grown a brain and every year I am surprised when I'm disapointed.

April Fool's is a day of nothing more than sanctioned bullying and I *hate* it!

Comments

[m-danson.livejournal.com]

I'm not doing anything. Hopefully I won't encounter anything more than minor jokes either.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

Hopefully. RIght now I'm trying to avoid one employee who's having a blast with April Fools. Thankfully he's mostly sticking to claims that people have stains on their clothing.

[twilit-wanderer.livejournal.com]

... I was about to make a post like this, minus the hazing horror stories and with an expression of disbelief because half of my public schooling took place after Columbine and still no one ever did anything.

Anyway, thanks. Always reassuring to know that there are other people out there who don't like April Fool's.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I think that there are a number of us who feel the same way about it -- no one in my office mind you, but I'm sure we're out there in large numbers.

You know, considering that nearly every time there's a school shooting you hear that the perpetrator was severely bullied, you'd think that parents and the schools would take it more seriously.

[corradus.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I agree with you - 100%

I hate practical jokes...I hate them with a passion. The last person who pulled a practical joke on me got a slug in the face. The ONLY practical joke I ever played was to pull all the vowels before a scrabble game.

(P.S. I sent you a little present in the email)

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll admit that that qualifies as innocent fun *grin*

And thank you :) I'll chaeck my mail as soon as I get home. The firewalls I'm dealing with wright now block access to all internet email systems.

[okamichan.livejournal.com]

The way I look at it, any holiday seems to be a reason for people to act like they have no sense. It isn't just this day. Halloween's really just as bad (I have no love for that holiday after someone threw rotten(?) eggs at my dad's car). Look at the pre-Christmas shopping madness. (Adults fighting over toys, and short tempers all around). New Years practically encourages drunkeness. Whatever meaning that should be applied to a holiday is lost in rampant childishness. (...is there any meaning behind April Fool's Day? :/)

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

That is a very good point ... I think that St. Patrick's Day could be lumped in to the same category.

[tiamat1972.livejournal.com]

I guess I should feel bad I played a trick on my husband. My only defense is it wasn't premeditated. It really just harmless fun and he got a kick out of it too.

Pranks should be held in the same light as sexual harassment. It's only okay as long as everyone is fine with it.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

Don't feel bad! He got a kick out of it so it's okay :)

I was more railing against the needlessly cruel, only one person laughs kind of pranks ...

[tiamat1972.livejournal.com]

I hear you. Those pranks aren't really funny because they hurt someone. It's only funny when everyone is laughing.

[bittereloquent.livejournal.com]

Ah see, we always only pulled playful pranks on one another. Not cruel ones so I guess my view on the day isn't as bitter. If you're going to pull a prank, everyone should be laughing at the end. But I can see your viewpoint because people do take it too far. But people do that on anything. Otherwise we wouldn't have scares of people putting needles in apples or some idiot drinking himself into alcohol poisoning on St. Patty's day. But man, don't even get me started on St. Patty's day. -_- Oh yeah, let's a man who banished the 'snakes' from Ireland. It was a church sanctioned genocide of pagans. *grumble* Okay, stepping off the soap-box.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I try to stay away from that view on St. Paddy's just because I have visions of the argument between me (an Eclectic Pagan) and one of my coworkers (an Irish Catholic from Dublin) ... Yeah, that argument might not have been too pretty

Anyway though, I do agree that if everyone is laughing pranks are harmless. It just gets me every year when people decide to go too far ...

[finnyb.livejournal.com]

As a very late random commenter (I've been reading your Transformers-fic and greatly enjoying everything I've read thus far) from Calgary (who got her permanent residence on the 3rd and thus is now officially allowed to stay in Canada!), I totally agree. I dread April Fool's Day (and St. Paddy's Day, and just about every other holiday out there) every year, and am ever so glad that my husband feels the same way I do about it--no pranks from him, at any rate!