41–50 of 175 posts
Simple, don't read the news today. Really, it's just one day. You don't have a huge problem to solve.
I guess this is a first world problem
I really don't see anything to be mad about.
> It seems every single company and publication that communicates via the web has a corporate communications department or something that thinks it's a corporate priority to come out with something for April Fools. It's not really the lameness of April Fools Day, it's the lameness of internet businesses, social media marketing, or marketers and salesmen in general. They need to take over, trivialize, devaluate and de…
That's a copout, like blaming the legitimately elected political leaders in a democracy.
_People_ do this to holidays and special events because they are easily impressed and inclined to follow social trends like lemmings.
If people weren't so impressed by lameness, then the advertisers and marketers would attempt other ways to gather eyeballs.
I shudder when I think of how unreadable I used to find Slashdot every April 1st (back when I was reading it).
But there are unicorns on Stack Overflow.
However...
They are a 'joke' in the broadest sense of the word, but not a joke. I am not 'fooled'.
A true April Fool's Day joke is about pulling the wool over someone's eyes in such a way that they really do not know if it is true or not.
April Fools' Day is amateur hour for people who aren't funny the other 364 days of the year. It's much like New Year's Eve for people who don't party or Valentine's Day for people who aren't romantic. They feel like they have to do this on this exact day, which of course leads to an embarrassing situation for everybody.
Out of their comfort zone, feeling social force to try to be funny, they overextend themselves in obvious ways.
April Fools' Day is amateur hour for people who aren't funny the other 364 days of the year. It's much like New Year's Eve for people who don't party or Valentine's Day for people who aren't romantic. They feel like they have to do this on this exact day, which of course leads to an embarrassing situation for everybody.
I'm keeping this in my "quotable quotes" file - do you have a preferred attribution, or is "jedrek" sufficient?
Unlike Halloween and Christmas, which keep pounding nails into my head from about a month or two before they occur to about two weeks after they're over.
Next I guess somebody should parody this? Then a rant about the parody?
Seriously, the internet is full of annoying things, and April Fool's, where folks actually try to have fun with each other, is what's bugging you? I'd place "having to be upset about something 24/7" as much higher on the list than a bunch of bone-headed PR stuff.
I'm really happy HN is mostly humor-free. PG made a smart move there. But one day a year where companies compete to be funny? I can think of a million other things to fret about. Seriously. Trust me, somehow you'll live through it. A day without Erlang innards will leave you mostly scar-free.
> It seems every single company and publication that communicates via the web has a corporate communications department or something that thinks it's a corporate priority to come out with something for April Fools. It's not really the lameness of April Fools Day, it's the lameness of internet businesses, social media marketing, or marketers and salesmen in general. They need to take over, trivialize, devaluate and de…
in hope to get some additional sales That's a copout, like blaming the legitimately elected political leaders in a democracy. _People_ do this to holidays and special events because they are easily impressed and inclined to follow social trends like lemmings. If people weren't so impressed by lameness, then the advertisers and marketers would attempt other ways to gather eyeballs. I shudder when I think of how unread…
It's a feedback loop; one that is arguably easier to break on the marketer's side. OTOH posts such as OP's complaint are attempt to break that loop on the side of people by signalling that well, we're fed up with crap. I doubt any marketer will listen though.