April 1 has come and gone and along with it so has April Fools’ Day. Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, the world isn’t in the state of mind to prank each other, or even do anything for that matter. While the nation is quarantined in our own homes, the only connection to the outside world we have is the news, television and social media. Some people took advantage of the internet to still prank the world like Dylan Barbour, K-Pop star Jaejoong of JYJ and even a county in Oklahoma.
Dylan Barbour, known for his teddy-bear-like energy from Bachelor In Paradise definitely sparked some attention from Bachelor Nation on April Fools’ Day. Posting a photo with Chris Harrison and girlfriend, Hannah Goodwin, isn’t out of the realm for previous Bachelor contestants. The caption is what sparked attention. Saying something along the lines of upon Chris Harrison’s retirement I will take over his position as the host on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise sparked a lot of controversy. Yes, Chris Harrison has been hosting the franchise for almost 20 years but he is nowhere near finishing his run on television. Even other Bachelor alums played along with the prank in the comments. Dean Unglert, who also appeared on season six of Bachelor In Paradise commented “big news. I know you’ve been gunning for this for a while now. You deserve it.” Eventually, fans figured out that it was a prank. This did spark the question of “When will Chris Harrison retire?” Only time will answer this one.
This next prank could be considered insensitive, to say the least. In January, joking about Coronavirus was acceptable, even in February it was fine, but now there are over 1 million cases worldwide. COVID-19 has become a worldwide pandemic, putting everything on an abrupt halt. K-Pop star Kim Jae-joong posted on his Instagram with the caption: “sorry to those who could have been infected because of me. It was because I lived carelessly, disregarding all of the cautions provided by the government and those around me.” His fans supported him with words of encouragement and prayers wishing for a healthy recovery. After best wishes came in, he came out saying that it was all a prank and will “accept all punishments that I would get for this post.” Joking about Coronavirus isn’t a light matter. In some countries, governments are making jokes about the pandemic a punishable manner by fines. Hopefully next year April Fools’ Day will be celebrated, but as for this year, especially jokes about Coronavirus aren’t acceptable.
This time has probably been the hardest for students. Missing out on end-of-year festivities, not hanging out with friends and not receiving an in-person education. Oklahoma took it to a whole other level with news regarding education. The Sapulpa Times reported that the students would have to repeat this current school year. Even the school district came out with a formal apology saying that this was an ill-advised prank that wasn’t approved by the district.
Even though people are trying to brighten up these hard times with April Fools’ jokes, jokes about the Coronavirus aren’t helping. Hopefully, next year at this time the world will be in a better state where everyone can partake in April Fools’ Day.
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