I don't like April Fool's either. I'm so gullible and naive everyone always gets me. >3>'

Couldn't agree more, far too much of what I see is people going WAY TOO FAR.

Most of the time it's not in the least fun and much of the time its dangerous or disgusting.

Yeah, I remember when it was actually fun. Pranks were good-natured and harmless, and just gave people a moment of derp everyone could laugh about after. Now most 'jokes' people throw out today are really mean-spirited or ugly or preying on legitimate fears and worries that will only catch people who give a shit about you.

I think the first time I got caught in an April Fool's joke that went too far was when one dude we knew (boyfriend of a friend) thought it would be >hilarious< to email all of us that cared about the two of them, list several actual rl serious big bad potential-life-ruining things that we knew they'd been facing as very real possibilities for a while, saying they'd happened. Big Time shit that you just don't joke about. When everyone poured on their support and concern and holy shit, are you guys gonna be okay, he acted like we were jerks for not getting the joke or thinking it was funny.

It's basically seeing someone who's been expressing worry and concern over their beloved grandmother's failing health for months go "well... I don't know what I'm going to do now... grandma passed away this morning" or someone legitimately afraid their parents might kick them into the streets announce that it's happened, and then LOL APRIL FOOLS LOLOLOL and thinking everyone else has the defective sense of humor.

The humor of 'April Fools' was in catching someone in a moment of gullibility believing an obvious or at most only barely-plausible falsehood. When a moment of thought makes it apparent that there couldn't have been truth in the 'joke,' the person who fell for it can laugh at themselves along with everyone else laughing at them for falling for it. Good-natured fun for all. Throwing out something negative or hurtful that is entirely and completely plausible and reasonable for someone to believe - especially when what makes them believe it is a knowledge of your personal circumstances, and a concern for your well-being, is not in the spirit of good-natured fun for everyone. It's a joke >you< might find funny at the expense of people who care about you. You haven't gotten people to 'fall for it' due to their gullibility and your own wit or cleverness, you've merely taken advantage of A: the fact they know this is something you've actually been worried about, and B: that they give a shit about you and would be concerned for you if it really happened to you.

I know explaining a joke never makes it funnier, but with how many people completely miss what makes these funny in the first place, too many people clearly DO need this explained.

Exactly. While I like to give people the benefit of the doubt that they tried to make a joke and failed, the only thing I can think of is that they just don't understand how comedy works. Perhaps some of this mean spirited "joking" has spawned from the "It's cool to be a dick" attitude. I've personally seen less joking this year. I know one guy was offering free art and then at the end it was a joke.Which ticked me off, not that I was interested but it was a waste of time and I hate that with a passion. Lancer on the other hand read a journal where some one's roommate was posting on the users journal that they were involved in a accident and died. I heard Lancer go "..Oh shit.." then continued reading until finally seeing APRIL FOOLS!
I understand that not every one can be a comedian. But people really do need to think before they act.
I really wanted to post a april fools day picture of Bayson whipping a art slave in his basement since that's how I produce all my work. Sadly said slave escaped. That's what I get for having a heart and letting him keep his legs. Lesson learned.

I think that's part of the real suck of it: So many not-funny people with no concept of what actually makes comedy work have made today such a drag for everyone WITH a functioning sense of humor, that people who'd make actually fun silly giggle-worthy jokes tend to just pass on it and not bother.

Of course the worse part is that sometimes serious shit actually does just so happen to hit someone on today of all days, and all the not-comedy bullshit makes EVERYTHING today seem like bullshit. Plus the geniuses who try "EARLY/LATE APRILS FOOLS HAHAHA" makes the few days before and after today also highly suspect. :/

I've been party to some jokes that were funny (a MIDI game music site being shut down by the US Government with a copy of the shut down page from IsoHunt back in 2003 for instance), but most just... aren't funny.