Quarantine was made into a meme and it makes me so upset

[diakyu]

Disclaimer: I am from the US so this is a very American-centric thread due to my own observations but anyone living in other countries can chime in, I'm sure the feeling is not exclusive.

I remember I was on spring break when I first turned to my friend and said how uncomfortable it made me that we were so willing to joke about quarantine to the point where it became something that we frequently saw in joke posts or people trying to capitalize on it like it was a hot new trend. I remember him just saying "yeah" and we just went about our business. Today I realized why it made me uncomfortable. Memes are such fleeting things. Give it a month and it's all over. And that's exactly how we treated this situation (I live in Georgia if anyone needs to know my exact perspective). Quarantine was the hot fad to be capitalized on and after a while we just all got tired of it. It became an internet meme.

Now, obviously, there are plenty of issues with how this was handled beyond how the general populous handled it. Obviously the issue hasn't reared it's ugly head again because of how this was handled on the internet of all things (looking at you GOP). It just makes me so disillusioned. I get that an easy way to cope with things is to make jokes about them, to laugh at the terrible situation at hand. But I can't shake the feeling that we have joked about it so much that we have over-normalized it, if such a thing is even possible. idk, I guess I'm just so used to tragedy+time=comedy but this is all happening now, it never stopped. I haven't seen my 80+ grandmother since Christmas and this year will be the first time she's missed my birthday in 23 years because I work at a grocery store and can't confidently see her without knowing I won't infect her.

All I know is that I hate the way this was treated, by almost all angles. I didn't even talk about brands using this like some sort of sick advertising stunt. What a world we live in. Well, whatever Era. I hope you all are doing well.

 

[Mivey]

The trivialisation of things is definitely an element of internet culture. It irks me a bit too when I see people comment "F" on news articles of someone's passing. Like you really need to reference a Call of Duty meme, which itself was funny since the simple input ("Pres the 'F' button to pay respects") didn't match any kind of gravitas, you really need to reference that on the occasion that someone famous and beloved has died? Yeah, "RIP" isn't that different superficially, but at least it references an actual saying, the wish that someone is resting in peace. It doesn't turn the thing into a joke.

 

[butzopower]

Just wait til Halloween.

 

[Deleted member 42055]

Just wait til Halloween.

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I hope things calm down by then.. but if not dear lord a mammoth disaster waiting to happen as Halloween falls on a Saturday . An entire weekend of people giving zero fucks

 

[Freakzilla]

The trivialisation of things is definitely an element of internet culture. It irks me a bit too when I see people comment "F" on news articles of someone's passing. Like you really need to reference a Call of Duty meme, which itself was funny since the simple input ("Pres the 'F' button to pay respects") didn't match any kind of gravitas, you really need to reference that on the occasion that someone famous and beloved has died? Yeah, "RIP" isn't that different superficially, but at least it references an actual saying, the wish that someone is resting in peace. It doesn't turn the thing into a joke.

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Sometimes I love what the internet has become. My whole existence is to trivialize important things, like things that hurt me or emotions so this is perfect.

 

[nsilvias]

i feel like the internet falls back on memes for everything because no one actually wants to read a paragraph of text. its like the only way anyone knows how to express themselves and possibly get noticed online. memes are like the shitty youtube thumbnails that get people to click on a video

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

Just wait til Halloween.

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Wow, thanks for adding another layer of immense dread to the federal and local pushes to reopen schools across the USA in August and September.

 

[toad02]

People react differently to this type of situation.
I am Brazilian and definitely joking about stuff like this is something already embed in our culture because for a lot of people it's a way to cope.

 

[catboy]

if you don't laugh, you'll cry or sumin idk i'm not a therapist.

 

[jchap]

Everything doesn't have to be serious all the time.

 

[callamp]

It is functionally a coping measure. In a high stress environment, such as a pandemic or war, humour can be very important mechanism for managing stress or anxiety or depression.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I know how you feel OP. You're going to get a lot of "humour is just a way to cope," dismissal even though you've directly acknowledged that already—problem is is that the situation is being handled like a joke and not enough people are holding your country's leaders' feet to the fire.

a lot people doing it are also at lesser risk because they're well-off, younger, and so forth. I've felt similarly about how some minority issues are turned into a game by people who don't feel as directly threatened by them.

gallows humour only works when it's your head in the noose, and if you're joking about
this situation that affects so many, someone who can't treat it lightly is going to head about it.

 

[Quade]

As long as you know the severity of the situation and are taking the correct precautions then whatever helps. As people have already said, humour is a great coping mechanism.

 

[Snake Eater]

Just wait til Halloween.

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Zoom Halloween

 

[Stinkinmushroom]

Heard a new stupid ass theory today (Belgium) : "They are obligating masks to boost the economy, so that people buy them cause the country has too much masks in stock".

People are fucking stupid everywhere and it pisses me off

 

[Truly Gargantuan]

The trivialisation of things is definitely an element of internet culture. It irks me a bit too when I see people comment "F" on news articles of someone's passing. Like you really need to reference a Call of Duty meme, which itself was funny since the simple input ("Pres the 'F' button to pay respects") didn't match any kind of gravitas, you really need to reference that on the occasion that someone famous and beloved has died? Yeah, "RIP" isn't that different superficially, but at least it references an actual saying, the wish that someone is resting in peace. It doesn't turn the thing into a joke.

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This current generation hides sincerity behind irony. When people type F on an article about the passing of a celebrity they genuinely mean to express condolences. Similar to how memes about depression are jokingly posted but meant to convey genuine hurt. It's just the way the internet has warped the way we express ourselves.

 

[Deadman]

We've been living in a meme timeline since 2016

 

[teruterubozu]

People didn't just trivialize it, people are outright against it. This goes way beyond just meme fads.

 

[AnansiThePersona]

Look if the assassination of a serial pedophile being dressed up as a suicide to hide the fact that the most powerful people in the world are child rapists could become a meme, then anything can.

 

[Mivey]

This current generation hides sincerity behind irony. When people type F on an article about the passing of a celebrity they genuinely mean to express condolences. Similar to how memes about depression are jokingly posted but meant to convey genuine hurt. It's just the way the internet has warped the way we express ourselves.

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It makes it impossible to tell what is sincere then. If that's how people genuinely express themselves (and I'm not really convinced that this is so), then it's a severe lack in being able to directly express empathy.

 

[Seirith]

I wouldn't use the internet as a judge of how all people feel. Yes, people make jokes out of it, online and in real life just as they do about anything but there are lots of people who are taking Covid 19 very seriously.

Almost everyone I know has been making only required outings, socially distancing, wearing masks and taking it seriously. Those I know that have been doing non required activities are still trying to be safe when doing them.

 

[Benzychenz]

Other countries have been able to take it seriously while still memeing about it.

This is a problem with US politics and anti-intellectualism.

 

[Truly Gargantuan]

It makes it impossible to tell what is sincere then. If that's how people genuinely express themselves (and I'm not really convinced that this is so), then it's a severe lack in being able to directly express empathy.

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You're acting as if people hiding their true intentions and feelings behind language is something new. The only thing that's new about this is the medium and the diction.

 

[BDS]

People (especially younger people) often use humor to cope with things that they don't understand or are causing them significant stress. This virus and the continued quarantine procedures is possibly the most life-altering and mass-disruptive event in modern human history; people are going to cope in different ways.

 

[Mivey]

You're acting as if people hiding their true intentions and feelings behind language is something new. The only thing that's new about this is the medium and the diction.

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I don't see a good example of pre-internet communication where people use weird ironic references to express sadness.
And furthermore, it's not like the example with "RIP" and using "F" is about hiding feelings. People expect you to be sad, if you cared for the person, and it's OK to express that. I could see an argument that some people are not feeling comfortable with expressing emotion at all, but then it seems easier to just not engage with things that cause you sadness, instead of posting a meme.

I am also not convinced with your idea that there is real emotion behind the usage of memes in that context, it really just seems to me personally like people actually not giving a shit and wanting to make jokes. Ultimately, if people really are sincere, and it's really their way of using memes to express themselves, then I guess it's ok, and I'm just being a grumpy old Millenial.

 

[Fiction]

Memes are a big part of modern culture. Anything that is even slightly culturally relevant will be memed now. Quarantine is a huge part of 2020 culture, so of course it will work it's way into memes. It worked it's way into non American memes too, but America is the only country that really just dropped it when we shouldn't have. That's down to political incompetence, not memes.
Basically I'm saying that memes aren't to blame here. Hell, there's a ton of memes now about about America got bored of quarantine.

Edit: As per usual, BDS said it better than I did.