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Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

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Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#51

Post by dkersten »

midgetjones wrote: post #29
jmkd wrote: post #23

I find this a mean-spirited, depressing and (ironically) tone-deaf idea. 1. People need humour in challenging moments 2. Black comedy and gallows humour can lift the spirit at even the worst of times 3. As much of the northern hemisphere enters spring we could collectively do with a fillip to jolt us into a more optimistic mindset The only value in this proposal I see is that if you are working on a tedious April Foo…

I agree with you, but in agreement with OP, April Fool jokes just aren't funny. They're inherently mean. You can be funny without tricking someone, and everyone is already on an emotional knifepoint at the moment.

I agree. I haven’t found a single April fools prank funny in years. It’s just an annoying day where even more fake news is passed of as fact only this time tolerated by all because lols. In the past few years I’ve tried to simply stay offline for the day.

Joke all you like if that helps you stay sane through the pandemic, but leave those who don’t wish to out of it and don’t play pranks on people.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#52

Post by scotth »

jmkd wrote: post #23

I find this a mean-spirited, depressing and (ironically) tone-deaf idea. 1. People need humour in challenging moments 2. Black comedy and gallows humour can lift the spirit at even the worst of times 3. As much of the northern hemisphere enters spring we could collectively do with a fillip to jolt us into a more optimistic mindset The only value in this proposal I see is that if you are working on a tedious April Foo…

For many, recent April Fools Day "pranks" come across as just another megacorp advertising opportunity. I don't personally find it funny, or even pleasant. It's forced...like someone's putting it on their promo packet as evidence of community service or something.

So yeah, I'm jaded, but that said I don't want to be a grouch about it (except for here, for argument's sake). If people enjoy it, then I'm cool with quietly simmering.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#53

Post by akiselev »

mschuster91 wrote: post #24
collyw wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And no "quarantine is over" type stuff.

Serious question, how are people supposed to tell the difference for this one between a joke and a certain politician's utterings or the demands of ruthless big-corp leaders?

Critical thinking?

I know it's a foreign concept but I'm sure we can import someone to teach us.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#54

Post by anonsubmit2671 »

midgetjones wrote: post #29
jmkd wrote: post #23

I find this a mean-spirited, depressing and (ironically) tone-deaf idea. 1. People need humour in challenging moments 2. Black comedy and gallows humour can lift the spirit at even the worst of times 3. As much of the northern hemisphere enters spring we could collectively do with a fillip to jolt us into a more optimistic mindset The only value in this proposal I see is that if you are working on a tedious April Foo…

I agree with you, but in agreement with OP, April Fool jokes just aren't funny. They're inherently mean. You can be funny without tricking someone, and everyone is already on an emotional knifepoint at the moment.

Wow, that would be really sad. When or if you've lost your sense of humor, then you've ceased living. Either that or someone is so fragile, crybully, or politically-correct that they can't handle a good joke. And people without a sense of humor are usually drama-oriented.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#56

Post by anonsubmit2671 »

mcv wrote: post #49
midgetjones wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you, but in agreement with OP, April Fool jokes just aren't funny. They're inherently mean. You can be funny without tricking someone, and everyone is already on an emotional knifepoint at the moment.

Yeah, we need to get rid of "jokes" that mislead people, mock them, or otherwise hurt or disadvantage people. Especially since fake news and misinformation has become a serious problem online. Jokes that are actually fun are great. But those don't need to be restricted to April Fools either.

Either you're joking or don't appreciate humor. What a sad and dreary life.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#57

Post by jmkd »

midgetjones wrote: post #41
jmkd wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about easter-egg style April Fools' like Google's 8-bit maps? Not an ounce of meanness https://maps.googleblog.com/2012/03/begin-your-quest-with-go...

Fair enough, good ones can exist. But every year April 1st becomes such a barrage of PR stunts, mostly not of that quality, that I'd rather companies didn't waste the resource.

I definitely agree there is typically a lot of chaff to sort through.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#58

Post by bryanrasmussen »

Etheryte wrote: post #39
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said some people would take levity badly, I don't necessarily agree with them, but there are people who often say things are too serious to joke about or during. on edit: submitted before your edit.

Why do you care what people like that say? Especially so if you say you don't agree with them.

I dislike April Fools days jokes, basically it makes everything worthless for the internet that day and some of it worthless the day after. So I would like to have people not do it.

In my experience from previous years lots of people on HN seem to feel the same way because there are always all these pranks, and people complaining that they're not very funny.

So I would like people not to put out these stupid jokes.

One thing that might help people to decide not to make the pranks is the observation that some people would find them offensive, given that the purpose of these pranks are essentially marketing exercises.

As for why I would care what people say, I care to a minimal extent and tolerate what I see as humorless behavior in the same way that while they might say that was inappropriate when I make a joke I would like them to tolerate my viewpoint. Thus if I think something might be offensive to some people in a context I consider if it is really funny before saying it.

And then I come on HN and laboriously explain my reasoning for every little bit of politeness I practice because that's just the kind of guy I am.

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#59

Post by jjgreen »

spery wrote: post #26
schappim wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah it is an instant recipe for being downvoted. :-(

As it should. Empty comments posted for the giggles of author (and maybe a few others) would just add too much spam. Look at what reddit grew into, you have templates of comments and meta comments everywhere, very low quality content.

An appropriate HN comment: "Shouldn't that be 'April Fool's day"? ... [long thread about whether singular or plural]

Re: Suggest HN: No April Fools this year

#60

Post by midgetjones »

anonsubmit2671 wrote: post #54
midgetjones wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you, but in agreement with OP, April Fool jokes just aren't funny. They're inherently mean. You can be funny without tricking someone, and everyone is already on an emotional knifepoint at the moment.

Wow, that would be really sad. When or if you've lost your sense of humor, then you've ceased living. Either that or someone is so fragile, crybully, or politically-correct that they can't handle a good joke. And people without a sense of humor are usually drama-oriented.

I totally agree with your second sentence. Nobody's saying "ban jokes, I hate humour". Just this specific type of joke, at this specific point in time.
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