Memes--they're not always funny

Memes--They're not always funny

They're usually not funny** I am well aware this is a very unpopular opinion.  I will also admit to have laughed historically to some, but the majority I see as clutter clogging my feed.  Although a good amount of memes are harmless, another good majority of memes are making fun of someone or something.  Although the creator of the meme has the positive intent of creating humor ( I would like to assume), it does not dismiss the fact, that in some cases they are plastering a picture of someone next to words that make fun of them.  This, to me, creates a hostile environment, and to add on to Kayla's previous blog post, Your Rape Jokes are Far From Funny, that desensitizes inappropriate humor.  

We are told from a young age, ever sense we've been playing on the play ground, "don't make fun of them" "it's not nice to laugh at others, imagine if someone was doing that to you." So what happened to this mentality? Now teenagers and some adults have made themselves more immature than a 5 year old?  I simply do not understand.

To me, the culture behind laughing at the violence of animals, face deformities, people of disabilities, elderlies, fight videos (unfortunately the list goes on and on) is a cry for help.  In order to think this is funny you have, somewhere throughout your life, lost the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand what is happening to the emotions behind the picture and behind your smirking smile.  With every giggle and smirk at these videos and memes, one displays their ignorance to the world (which, although a separate discussion, this ignorance is not at all a product of their own actions or thoughts, but of the environment they have been surrounded by).

I do not like to use bring my brother up in these kinds of discussions very often.  I feel his disabilities are not representative of everyone with disabilities, and this blog post is my opinion that has no direct correlation to him.  However, to help you understand part of where I am coming from, I will.  My brother has a genetic mutation given the name of CAT6A.  His speech is very limited and fine motor skills like tying shoes and writing are extremely challenging for him.  My mom and I have been at public pools where people have asked there kids to get out and go into another pool where Davis, my brother, was not swimming.  People have asked my mom if "what he had" was contagious and asked if their children could be in a different area.  Although Davis continues with a bright smile, I am always shocked by the ignorance of the world.  I am also usually taken a back by the openness of this ignorance.  If I had this little knowledge of the world, I would be ashamed and would probably keep my voice down, I would feel inclined to whisper and definitely would not want to be so harshly forward.  But like I said earlier, this is not the individuals fault, because they are a product of their environment.  And memes are a part of their environment that work to desensitize people to the emotion and feeling behind the social media platform. 

By any means, memes definitely have their place, I just think people should be aware of the impact of their ignorance if they choose to laugh at a meme that can be hurtful to anyone involved.

I would prefer not to attach an example of inappropriate memes, because that would make me a part of the issue in circulating it and making it more well known.