What is a Practical Joke? With some advice.

     


     Although playing a practical joke on someone can be fun, care must be taken not to seriously harm the victim. For example, playing a practical joke on someone who has heart problems or is very advanced in age can prove fatal.  The person might trip and seriously injure himself, or have a heart attack.  So their potential harm has to be taken into serious consideration. After all, is a laugh worth the death of a loved one or some innocent person? Some people are extremely upset after being fooled in certain ways. They don't view it as funny at all but as a cruel aggressive gesture at their expense instead.  So it is with this in mind that the practical jokes are presented and not to encourage an irresponsible use them. 

   

      A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort. A person who performs a practical joke is called a "practical joker" or "prankster". Other terms for practical jokes include gag, jape, or shenanigan.

     Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks or hoaxes in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being talked into handing over money or other valuables. Practical jokes are generally lighthearted and without lasting impact; they aim to make the victim feel humbled or foolish, but not victimized or humiliated. Thus most practical jokes are affectionate gestures of humour and designed to encourage laughter. However, practical jokes performed with cruelty can constitute bullying, whose intent is to harass or exclude rather than reinforce social bonds through ritual humbling.

    Some countries in Western culture traditionally emphasize the carrying out of practical jokes on April Fools' Day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practical_joke