Pranks May Not Necessarily Be Bad, But They Are Not Nice

April Fools is the day for pranks, but let's be real here, pranks are not nice. Does that necessarily make them bad? Well, that's highly up for debate. In my opinion, pranks are just one step away from being a jerk and possibly a bully if the same person is pranked over and over again.

Hansen O'Haver wrote a post on Vice why Pranks Are Bad and she sums it up pretty well:

There's a pretty simple way to tell if a joke is offensive: If the punchline is the victim, the joke is probably bad. Pranks take this one step further. They not only laugh at the victim, pranks create a victim for the sole purpose of laughing at them. If that's your idea of a good time, maybe you're the April Fool.

When I originally posted this on Facebook for family and friends last year, I learned that many family members actually didn't mind being pranked, so I guess if you truly know the person you are pranking it might be okay, HOWEVER, that does not make it "nice."

According to Oxford, "nice" is defined as: "Pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory."

I fail to see see how covering someone's stapler in jello is "nice," or how tricking someone into eating an onion that looks like an apple is "nice." To me, these are unkind acts. "Unkind" is defined by Oxford as "inconsiderate and harsh to others."

Now maybe if you somehow know your friend is okay with a prank it could be considered "considerate," and the best way to know is to ask! However, that kind of takes away from the point of a prank and I think the chances of someone saying "Yes" to being pranked are pretty slim. Even though I had pretty persistent family members saying they were okay with pranks, I am skeptical that if asked "is it okay if I depants you in public?" that many of them would say yes.

My Personal Experience Being Pranked

Maybe I'm a sour apple, but I still remember being pranked in elementary school and it still hurts to this day. I'm not friends with any of those girls anymore (probably a good thing), but that one act left a lasting impression on me and caused me to be more anxious about sleepovers.

I was at a friend's house for a sleepover. Some of us decided to sleep, others stayed up and watched videos in another room. The girls who stayed up thought it would be funny to hang a pair of underwear on the ceiling. Guess whose underwear it was? Yup. It was mine.

I was one of the few to wake up and see it. Someone asked whose it was, but the girls who did it didn't tell and went back to watching videos on a computer in another room.

I waited till the other girls went back to sleep. I just had a sinking feeling it was mine, and, of course, it was. I took it off the ceiling, rolled it up, and shoved it in my pillowcase.

I later found handwritten notes in the bathroom that some of the girls were passing back and forth. They had purposely tried to figure out what bag was mine. I was singled out of all the girls at that sleepover and it hurt. These were people I thought were my friends.

It was kind of a bad prank as no one even seemed to notice the underwear had disappeared and it was easily forgotten by everyone, but, of course, me as I still remember that moment to this day.

That's the problem with pranks, they are usually only funny to the people who are doing them. The person who is the butt of the joke often does not often share in their laughter, and even if they do, it's most likely because they don't want their friends to think of them as a poor sport.

What About Surprises?

When talking to my husband about if there was such a thing as a "nice prank," we came up with "surprises," like a surprise birthday party, or when someone surprises you with a bouquet of flowers. Like pranks, these are unexpected acts, but instead of having unkind results, these are actually nice gestures.

Also, in my search for "kind pranks," I came across this article on Sherrie's Berries, titled 13 Nice Pranks, where it lists a prank or trick like:

Cover their bedroom door, their car or their desk at work with multicolored Post-it® notes.

And then adds a "treat" to go with the trick:

Depending on who you’re pranking, write short and sweet love notes or kind thoughts on every note.

So in a way, a surprise could be considered a "nice prank."

Instead of pranks this April Fool's, I highly encourage you to consider skipping the holiday altogether, or instead, give someone a sweet surprise. Trust me, they will appreciate the surprise way more than they would the prank.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Terms and conditions for the giveaway can be found in the giveaway form. Affiliate links are also used in this post. You can read my full disclosure here.


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About The Author & New Series: Dark Agents

Dark Agents is written by US Clinical Psychologist, Janina Scarlet. Janina Scarlet was awarded the UN's Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award for developing 'Superhero Therapy.' She experienced trauma as a child when she was exposed to Chernobyl radiation before arriving in the US as a refugee and is now helping teens through her new series, Dark Agents.

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How can fiction help teenagers be heroes in their own journeys?

From the Author, Janina Scarlet:

Most teens are not taught how to understand and cope with some of the challenges that they face, such as bullying, social pressures, and mental health. Through fiction, kids, teens, and adults can learn to identify their emotional experiences, learn that they are not alone in their struggle, and learn tools to help them manage their mental health. 

How can fiction help young adults fight trauma?

From the Author, Janina Scarlet:

Many people who go through a traumatic experience begin to isolate themselves from others, often shaming themselves for the traumatic event, or believing that others cannot understand what they are going through. Fictional characters undergoing a traumatic experience can help people to recognize that they are not alone in their struggle and learn ways of asking for help.

For example, many survivors of sexual assault reported a strong identification with Marvel’s Jessica Jones, especially as portrayed on Netflix. Seeing how Jessica isolates after her assault has reportedly allowed many survivors to see how social isolation can make the trauma survivor feel worse. And through seeing Jessica’s experiences, many trauma survivors are able to see that they are not alone.

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Why is Mental Health for Teens Important?

• 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year (source).

• 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14 and 75% by age 24 (source).

• 70% of adolescents experiencing mental health problems have not had appropriate treatment early enough (source).

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Why did I wait so long?

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From the Author, Janina Scarlet:

The best way that teens can help fight stigma about mental health is by sharing their experiences. I have worked with many teens in therapy, who after learning about managing their mental health, went on to start a mental health club in their high schools. In these clubs, the students meet and discuss what they are going through, support one another, watch movies (e.g., “Inside Out”) or read books related to mental health and discussions about mental health coping skills.

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To this day, many people think that PTSD is something that only active duty service members or combat veterans have. However, most people will experience at least 1 traumatic event in their life, such as a car accident, sudden loss of a loved one, school shooting, sexual or physical assault, bullying, and other types of trauma. Of those exposed to trauma, approximately 10-20% might develop PTSD, while others might recover naturally over time.

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