John Oliver has faced many enemies from behind his desk, armed only with the ability to rant poetically... and he always wins. His latest adversary is April Fools' Day, which has become more and more dangerous as society becomes more and more reliant on the internet. He begins:
"April Fools' Day is to comedy as St. Patrick's Day is to Irish Culture. That is to say it is a mockery of the very concept that usually ends in a fist fight. But you may not know that April Fools' Day was invented by FDR in 1934 as a way to raise national morale during the Great Depression. April Fool! That's not true at all, I made it up. You trusted me and I betrayed that trust. I betrayed you. Isn't betrayal fun?! You may be laughing on the outside, but on the inside, admit it, you were sad.
Anyone who claims to be excited for April Fools' Day is probably a sociopath. Because what they're really saying is, 'I cannot wait to hurt the people close to me.'
We don't need a special holiday to disappoint our loved ones. We do that enough on every other holiday."
He then has the audience take the No Prank Pledge, first instructing them to: "Close your eyes... visualize the greatest practical joke you could possibly imagine, and now: never do that thing you thought of, ever. Don't even tell anyone you thought of it."
Maybe it's a good idea for all of us to take this pledge—we're specifically looking at you, publicists and people running social media for brands.
