Finding Light in a Dark Situation
by Martholdy Pierre-Canel ‘21
Maybe this generation cannot take anything seriously, or perhaps we just use our humor to knock our depression and anxiety down a notch.
Social media has categories, sub categories, sub-sub categories and so forth with various topics such as fashion, cooking, and especially politics. While many chaotic events are sprawling in the political world, people on sites such as Tiktok and Twitter take every opportunity to make fun out of the situation. Regarding the January riots, for example, Twitter and Tiktok had what people would call “ a field day.” From regular people to celebrities, almost every young user was making fun of the Capitol’s security lapse, certain people who broke inside, and the madness of the situation as a whole.
Of course, there are many, especially in older generations, who did not see this riot as humorous. They would describe the riot as scary, horrendous, and a tragedy that shook the country. From disapproving parents at home to shocked adults on Twitter, many found it deranged that anyone could find humor in a situation like this. But from a Gen Z point of view, teens do not find these situations funny as much as these jokes are a temporary distraction from the horrific events occurring right before our eyes. Humor is an effective coping method for what young people have seen and experienced while growing up.
Due to exposure to the Internet from a young age, Generation Z have witnessed many tragedies. Despite being born in the early 2000s, today’s teens clearly remember catastrophic events such as the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, 2015 Charleston church shooting, ISIS threats, deaths from police brutality victims and more. Every generation has had their fair share of tragedies but one could admit that Generation Z has seen too much at too young an age. It feels impossible to ignore when it’s a new issue, tragedy, or controversy every other day. In order to cope, many make jokes about certain events because good news is rarely seen in the news. These jokes are the only sort of joy many people can count on when these events occur, especially when they’re happening during a pandemic that began nearly a year ago.
So the next time a riot or another chaotic event occurs, which unfortunately may come soon, and someone jokes about it, remember their intentions. In the meantime, here are some of favorite memes from the riot:
https://twitter.com/puff_iya/status/1346996018555056128?s=21
https://twitter.com/landoughcal/status/1346891722547097601?s=21
https://twitter.com/staceyplaskett/status/1346932588280229888?s=21
https://twitter.com/barronjohn1946/status/1347694753786200064?s=21