Everything is wonderful and everyone is happy.
April Fools.
Seriously, wouldn’t it be lovely if that wasn’t satire? Alas, it’s not meant to be. Probably ever. The best we can do is tend to our own selves and take care of our side of the street.
The tradition of playing practical jokes, tricking people with hoaxes, and the like on April 1 — April Fools’ Day — has been around for centuries.
In 1957, the BBC ran an April Fools’ story about an unusual bumper crop in Switzerland, complete with photos of people picking spaghetti noodles off trees. Creative. The news station received multiple calls from folks who wanted to know how to grow their own spaghetti trees.
Various brands have used April Fools’ pranks to their advantage over the years, from Velveeta announcing its new line of skincare products to cauliflower-flavored Peeps, to Krisy Kreme doughnut glaze sold as a dip (I would actually buy that one if it existed). My heart goes out to all the customer service reps who get to answer those calls and emails from the gullible.
Every year I think of all the fun April Fools’ Day stories we could publish, and then, when the actual day rolls around on the calendar, all those ideas have vanished from my brain, leaving me with plain old reality. Kind of like thinking of perfect birthday and Christmas gifts for those hard-to-shop-for friends and relatives and then not being able to recall what it was you wanted to buy for them when the time comes.
And not exactly April Fools’ Day related, but certainly helpful for avoiding being gullible, here’s a shout-out to the Ground News Blindspot Report, to which you can subscribe for free: https://about.ground.news/blindspot-subscribe. This weekly email newsletter spotlights news stories from both sides of the political spectrum and points out blindspots for the left and right by measuring the distribution of stories among news outlets. It’s fascinating, and a little alarming.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
