Tuesday, April 1, 2008

We humans like a good joke, and we're not above making our friends and family the butts of these pranks, especially when the powers that be have set aside a day purely for that purpose. The first of April releases something within us that at other times during the year we attempt to keep bottled up. Yet whatever social constraints we normally submit oursleves to, it is the amateur joker in us that comes to the surface every first of April, leaving us contemplating secreting ketchup in the shower head on this day or filling the sugar bowl with salt.

The first of April pranking takes place on a larger scale too, with the media likewise giving into its urge to pull the wool over someones eyes, if only for one day. Throughout the years, those who we trust to provide us with reliable facts and honest reporting have themselves pulled an hilarious, and some have been meanspirited, yet they've all been part of the insanity and deception of the day.

Some jokes have been pulled by those we would hope they know better. In 1989 two police officers in Utah were suspended without pay for a couple of days for their April Fool's Day prank of placing invisible dye (used by police to catch criminals and normally put on money) in restrooms in the city-county building and the mayor's office. The colorless powder dye turns a dark purple when it comes into contact with the skin. It's harmless but takes a while to wear off, as the mayor found out when it turned him into a 'marked man.'

Over the years I have played my own pratical jokes on this day. From telling my boys that there was no school, but it had snowed a foot over night, only to have them be disappointed the second they looked out the window and saw nothing but sunny skies. Some of my jokes have even been played against law enforcement. Many years ago, before having children, I decided to mess with an officer who had been giving me a hard time, by using a piece of cut intertube and placing it over his tail pipe to his patrol car. It made the funniest noise when he drove away.

Last night around 12:45 am I played a little prank on some Sand Springs police officers, by making them beleive that I was coming over to their town to start 'trouble'. Of course it was just a joke, but I'm still not sure how they took it.

Just once a year we have the opportunity to play a unforgettable prank, which means the books will never be closed on this topic. I hope those who I have pranked today, forgive me tommorrow.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh wow thats pretty serius to make police offcers think ur gonna start trouble in there town. why would u mess with cops? u could probly get into a lot of trouble for that even tho it wuz just a joke they find out evrything!

Anonymous said...

Mostly because I thought it was/still is a law enforcement officer who is messing with me.

And yeah they did find out.