You Shouldn't Be Offended By April Fool's Jokes

April Fools is a meaningless yet popular world-prank day celebrated and hated by many.
It's very likely that your family, friends, co-workers, classmates, and lovers will play some sort of joke on you. In fact, the event is so popular that even well known companies, websites, games, tv shows, artists, celebrities, restaurants, etc... take place in creating really believable things that are actually in fact just jokes. Sometimes these jokes are so popular that eventually they become real features or functions.

We can all agree that the majority of these jokes and pranks are completely harmless and are somewhat obvious. It's just common sense to stay on your guard about anything and everything on April 1st because the chances are... whatever you're being told, is a lie.

A very common joke usually involves someone announcing on social media that they're pregnant, getting married, got fired from their job, found out they had cancer, is coming out as LGBTQ, etc...
Even though EVERYONE knows that these are jokes people still find the need to get offended.

So you've probably seen this image floating around on the internet today. I know I saw it several times on Facebook and this image is really what inspired me to make this blog post. I'm a very opinionated person and I feel like society has become way too PC and censored about everything.

When is it OK to joke about sensitive topics? Who is ALLOWED to joke about them?
Why do we joke about them? Why is it funny? How is it enabling or damaging to others?
When is too much... too much? And why does it bother you?

The majority of people who commented on the picture above on Facebook were all very understanding and supportive of the fact that it is "wrong to joke about a false pregnancy." They also go on to say that men also experience infertility but only women get the spotlight and that it's a very traumatic experience to have a miss carriage or not have the functionality to give birth etc...

I don't get offended easily. You can spit out the most gruesome, twisted, pile of filth that spawned from Satan's ass himself and I would probably find it funny. I have the common sense to assess situations and understand what is appropriate and inappropriate and when. For example... if I'm in a living room with my friends and we see something funny and reenact it, we don't need to concern ourselves with being offensive to others. If I'm in a hospital and there are people who are ill or dying, I'm not going to make death jokes. There is a time and place for everything. I think April Fool's jokes are the one day where you can be a cute and silly person or a complete ass and not be called out on it.

If a fake pregnancy isn't a joke, then I guess I'm going to hell because I made a joke saying "haha I'm a man jk april fools" and there's tons of people who are suffering from identity reassignment in the trans community. I guess anyone who jokes about getting engaged better stop so that the people who are single or recently divorced won't get offended by a fake announcement!

If you are offended by something so simple as a joke on a social media site then perhaps you shouldn't be on social media. Comedians, artists, books, tv shows, movies, people, etc... you name it poke fun at everything that is taboo to joke about. If something offends you, then don't take part in whatever it is. If it shows up on your feed then just scroll past it and move on. If you are strong and grounded then the things around you shouldn't waver your beliefs or emotions. If a picture or a status on the internet gets your nipples in a twist, then maybe you should build a thick skin or log off.

I'm sorry but society isn't required to cater to your needs. While I think it should be a general courtesy to be nice to everyone and spread positive vibes and kindness I don't think people should be required to tame their comedy or opinions to a PG level because some person is too sensitive over a few words. I get it that words can be painful but people aren't saying "pregnant JK" to be hurtful. We don't intend to cause someone who is not fertile any misery or depression. It's honestly that individuals fault for feeling that way over something like that.

Millions of children are working in child labor sweat shops. They are responsible for making the clothes you're wearing, the toys your children are playing with, the household items that you use and toss away without a second glance. They work for wages that are less than the average panhandler. You might see a video now and then showcasing the horrible working conditions that these children are subject to and you might share the video and be like "oh that's so sad, those poor children" but you still buy the products, eat the food, etc... and you have no regrets. I guarantee 99% of the things surrounding you right now were made in China, Taiwan, Thailand or Cambodia. Even though tons of these people are suffering in these horrible conditions, nobody is getting offended and standing up for them and saying "hey this isn't right, they should change this, let's boycott their products!" It's not an immediate concern of ours because when we go to the grocery store we can pay $15 for a USA made item or we can pay $5 for a China made item. But if someone makes a joke about lesbians, gay people, homeless people, the military, blondes, blind, deaf, pregnant, ugly, fat, etc... whatever the descriptive word is... SOMEONE gets offended and everyone needs to chill out.

Whenever the Deadpool movie came out a large group of people wanted the video to be removed from an R rating to a PG-13 rating so that kids can see the movie. People need to understand that the Deadpool character was created to be this outlandish, offensive, and fucked up character. His sense of humor, his sexuality, his personality, etc... are all what make his character so dynamic, relatable and entertaining. I can understand making minor adjustments to improve the character so that it's easier to follow, understand, or relate to etc... but if you strip away the elements that make the character who he is, you're going to have a boring piece of shit. Without the offensive material in the movie, the movie would have sucked. We all loved the movie because it was raw, it was real, and it was unforgiving and hilarious. Content creators and people in general should not be required to cater to a specific demographic, age, gender, community, personalty, religion, beliefs etc...

So on April Fool's unless someone is being immediately endangered/threatened ie: rape, kidnap, terrorism, etc... then I think everyone should put on their adult pants and shut the fuck up.

I'm sorry if you can't get pregnant and having children is really important to you. If I could, I'd offer my reproduction system to you in exchange for yours. You want children, I don't... if we could swap, I would do it in a heartbeat. And don't sit there and say I'm being selfish for not wanting children. Children and raising children aren't for everyone. We like different food, music, clothing, and activities. The idea of marriage, children, family, etc... doesn't exist in my arsenal of "fun things to do." So keep it to yourself. Likewise, I'm sorry if you're overweight, blind, deaf, or if you have some sort of disorder, disease, condition that disables you from being able to do certain things. I get that these are serious issues that deserve recognition, awareness, education, and action... but I don't think comedy and artistic expression should have to suffer to keep you from weeping at night.

Like I've said if you are grounded as a person, your surroundings should not cause you to waver. To me being strong is being able to make fun of your flaws and set backs. Allow yourself to overcome the things that you are bound to and don't let them bother you in any way. Dwelling on the things you can't do won't allow you to do them. Find what you need to do to accomplish what you want. If it is something that is just not possible to do then focus on some alternatives. Discover a way to channel that desire through something that is tangible/feasible. In the mean time, don't get offended by dumb shit.

I'm pregnant, just kidding.
I'm actually a man, just kidding.
My boyfriend and I broke up, just kidding.
I got fired from my job today, just kidding.
I spit on your hair today, just kidding.
Apple closed down 35 stores today, just kidding.
Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris broke up, just kidding.

These are stupid things that everyone says on April Fools. Get over it.