100% humiliation-free April Fools’ humor

🍺 Two Medium publication editors walk into a bar…
Also today: Is everyone else really better off than you? And how your spouse can help make you rich. Written by Jon Gluck

The origins of April Fools’ Day are unclear. Some believe the tradition began in 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian Calendar, the new year began around April 1; people who were slow to recognize the change were called “April fools.” Others tie the event to the ancient holiday Hilaria, in which Roman citizens mocked one another and their leaders. Still others connect it to a medieval celebration called the Feast of Fools, where a faux pope was elected and church traditions were satirized.

Whatever the beginnings of the April 1 holiday, I’m not, to be honest, the biggest fan. I’ve seen too many pranksters’ efforts backfire, leaving the prankees feeling bad. The humorist Erma Bombeck once said, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt,” and she wasn’t wrong.

That said, I’m not a killjoy! I like jokes! I enjoy laughing!

To celebrate the spirit of April Fools’ Day, without all the ritual humiliation, we asked the editors of two Medium humor publications, Alex Baia of Slackjaw and Susan Brearley of MuddyUm, to share some of their favorite funny stories. I hope you enjoy their selections. And I mean that sincerely.

Baia’s choices:

I’m The Guy In The Photos Wearing A Bee Beard by Bev Potter

This first-person character monologue from Bev Potter is not only a sharp and tightly written piece, it’s a reminder that humor writing ultimately succeeds on the strength of the jokes.

Crosswords Are Super Hard To Make by Mike O'Brien

Here’s a Slackjaw deep cut from former Saturday Night Live writer, and creator of the show A.P. Bio, Mike O’Brien. It’s a crossword puzzle where every clue-answer combo is a joke.

The Sound Of Music But It Becomes Increasingly Obvious Rolf Is High On Speed by Julien Perez

How can you not love the premise? Classic films are ripe for parody, and formatting a humor piece like a screenplay puts the focus on the dialogue and the action.

Brearley’s choices:

Prank-Ability by T. Kent Jones

This spoof of April Fools’ jokes takes its inspiration from an article on the Pioneer Woman website called “21 Funny April Fools’ Day Pranks for a Good-Natured Laugh.”

Uber Eats Needs To Understand — We’re Just Friends by Jadyn

Jadyn, a self-described “sarcastic college student” and MuddyUm’s OG intern, imagines Uber Eats as a needy boyfriend.

Your Login Attempt Failed by Kate Brennan

A send-up of the ubiquitous and infamous error message.

What Else We’re Reading

Everyone else is better off than you, right? Or having more fun? Even a short scroll through your Instagram feed can certainly make you feel that way. In “Those Perfect Lives Are Never As they Seem,” Catherine Sanderson, Author & Psychology Professor, explodes that myth. “We never know the true story about other people’s lives,” she writes, and goes on to cite research indicating that college students tend to overestimate how often they experience negative events compared to their peers, and underestimate how often they experience positive events compared to others. Sanderson’s advice? Be aware that everyone, not just you, experiences difficulties, and share your failures, not just your triumphs, with others.

🤝Your daily dose of practical wisdom (about building wealth)

“The most essential economic decision you make will be who you decide to partner with. The net worth of married people grows 77% larger than that of single people.”
— Professor and best-selling author Scott Galloway, in The Algebra of Wealth

Edited and produced by Scott Lamb, Harris Sockel, & Carly Rose Gillis

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