A Matter of Principle: A Fool for the Truth

By QAROL PRICE

It is the first of April as I begin to write about May’s character trait of the month. I find it deliciously serendipitous that I should be pondering the virtues of honesty on April Fool’s Day, a day that is by custom, a time when we are invited to lie!

Even though this date and its occasion will have passed by the time you read this, I feel compelled to explore its relevance to this month’s topic of honesty. I have already slipped hopelessly down the rabbit hole, beckoned by the whiff of a certain wisdom there. Yes, we must dutifully pause to examine this curious holiday which induces so much hilarity by way of premeditated deception.

For a tradition that has been observed for some 500 years now, how could it not earn our serious attention? Wouldn’t we be fools to overlook it? Curiosity hangs thick over this one. The voices in my head say, “Follow the signs, woman! History is calling with an important message. Answer the phone!”

So, I must.

There does seem to be a message waiting to be discovered. As with any investigation, we must start with good questions. My first question would be, “Just why does this day of lies and pranks deserve a place of honor on our calendars?”

The mission of that day is to set out to fool someone into believing something that is not true. Unlike many other calendar holidays which elicit a solemn observance, April Fools does a “180” and commands the practice of ridiculous performance humor. Not just any humor, but the sort designed specially to expose gullibility.

A famous example of such a stunt was the prank performed by the fast-food chain, Burger King. On April 1, 1998, the restaurant giant announced that they were launching a new product called “the lefthanded Whopper.” The product was said to be especially tailored for southpaws who apparently require a special arrangement of condiments to achieve feeding satisfaction.

Time magazine reported that several customers lined up to “swallow that whopper.” (If you are as old as I am, you will also detect another layer to the joke. The ad campaigns in the 70s used a jingle that crooned, “It takes two hands to handle a Whopper, the two-fisted burger at Burger King!”)

So, my second question would be, “Why is exposing someone’s gullibility so important or necessary?

If you are embarrassed by “flunking” the prank, that is, falling for a lie, perhaps there is something you need to do to adjust your truth detector. Don’t feel bad, the prank was actually a gift. Detecting what is true is as important as telling what is true. After all, being self-deceived is a kind of dishonesty.

⋆ Next Month: Loyalty

Qarol Price is a writer and educator. She has taught philosophy to children in Johnston County Public Schools and in Harlem in New York City. She is a resident of Selma.