I find April Fools day distressing

[Username947531]

Does anyone else hate it? I've got CPTSD and find it very hard to trust people. It's caused ASD type behaviours where i like things to be clear and often take things at face value. April Fools is hideous for me as I hate pranks at the best of times. Laughing at someone's distress and confusion is a horrible thing to do.

I do an activity that I love. It was a gorgeous day today so I went to said activity and the people running it had pranked everyone by displaying some information that would make the activity much harder. When I asked if it was a prank they promised me it wasn't. Of course it turned out to be one. It ruined the experience for me and now I can't trust the organisers. I feel irrationally upset about it and don't know how to get over that.

Why do people think this stuff is funny?

I’m not neurodivergent but that ‘prank’ would make me seethe. You paid for an activity and are entitled to expect the organisers to be truthful. What next? I buy a box of cornflakes and it turns out to have dried fish inside instead, how hilarious that I’ve been ripped off?

I’d complain and say that while this was funny to the organisers it wasn’t amusing to some of the attendees, and was particularly discriminatory against disabled and special needs customers.

I’m in my forties and the only April Fools pranks I’ve seen in my lifetime have all been false news stories / joke emails from employers. I don’t think the organisers behaviour was at all usual.

Sounds like the organisers of your activity are seriously immature and selfish.

I would be angry and write to point out how unfair it was to especially ND people at your activity.
I also think it should be a rule that if anyone asks if it is a prank then the prank is admitted. But my DD was nearly expelled from primary school by a prank run by her teachers.

On the other hand ones about all pot holes being filled over night or a local ferry service being replaced by banana boats ... those were funny.

Tell you what’s stressing me out. I need to know what the activity is, I need to know what the prank was… I can’t cope with the vagueness.

yes, the vagueness is very triggering

I hate pranks too op
It is childish
I don't mind the ones on line , but anyone playing jokes on people annoy me so much

OP, ignore those who just don't get it. I think it was an ill thought out prank and understand your thinking on this. If I arrive somewhere to do a specific thing, then told it's completely different, it makes me panicky and anxious.

Just to add after a comment earlier - CPTSD certainly is classed as neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is where a brain isn't typical in its make up. This can be genetic, from birth or acquired.

You have my every sympathy, OP. It is my birthday today. All my classmates loved it when their birthdays fell during term-time, as they were made a fuss of at school. Not me. Not, at least, in the way they were. I would even get told off for not being a good sport if I complained.

I enjoy the pranks if you are told are actually pranks before they affect you.

I'm waiting for the Big Reveal....

.... that the OP is playing an April Fool on us all with this post..

Just remember, it's Legging Up Day after lunchtime ... what time did you create this thread????

Well said.

Sorry this happened to you.

What on earth is legging up day?

@LlynTegid You don't even know what the prank was!

@QueenOfTheEntireFuckingUniverse 😀

It's when someone plays an April Fools day prank after midday - anyone "falling" for the prank can physically trip the prankster up (so they go legs up/arse over tit) making them metaphorically 'fall' for their own joke.

No, I absolutely hate it too. When kids were little I'd play a small joke on them but now that it's my DH and I we don't even mention it thankfully or Easter. I also have cptsd and hate surprises, people jokingly jumping out on me, I'm very literal and like to know I'm not going to be feeling anxious anticipating things. Not ASD but I get your point completely and I don't care if others judge. I am totally past apologising for my need to be mentally well and I'm happy to handle the upshot of it.

These kinds of threads are like whack a mole for disablism.

this.

I still can't figure out what the one that looked a bit like bacon was!

Has it ever been funny? Maybe back in the 50s when laughs were fewer and humour was vastly unsophisticated. It has no place in modern society.

I find pranks that might hurt or embarrass people very uncomfortable. And unfunny ones such as pretending to be pregnant, such a cliche.

and denying it’s an April Fool’s joke when someone guesses is very poor form in my opinion

Not a fan.

I don't really like pranking or any form of 'circus of cruelty' comedy: I prefer people to laugh together, rather than at a particular individual.

I like that.

I had a "leak" in the toilet. You can imagine what vegetable was in there.

Yep. I dislike pranks on individuals, and practical jokes are really not my thing. But on April 1st I expect this sort of thing at group situations and in the media.

The organisers were not unreasonable, unless they knew that you're ND and struggle with trust, in which case when you asked if it was a joke, they should have been honest.

There are people like you @Username947531 whose response to 'normal' societal traditions or physical situations will not be typical. But if all the things that you and they find difficult in your different ways, are ceased, there'll be little left.

I don't like AFD either but this is lovely. Funny, clever, no harm done. 🐝

I'm also autistic and it's often difficult for me to identify and articulate why I'm not happy about something, or even the name of the emotion it's caused me to feel. As a consequence, it can take me a while to identify the root cause for my unhappiness. This doesn't mean that I'm lying if I add another reason for being unhappy some time after my initial complaint.

This phenomenon is called "alexithymia" and most autistic people experience it. It's therefore more likely than not that the OP experiences it too, giving a reason why she can add ableism to her reasons later in the thread and be sincere about doing so.

So that was an April Fool joke? I didn’t realise. I was completely stumped by it and cancelled my subscription fees because I disliked it so much.

Oh well.