You know exactly what type of memes I’m referring to.
Memes like this one.
And like this one.
And this one.
Or this one.
Don't forget this one, either.
These memes are most abundant in the fall and spring when school is in session. Parallelly, youth suicide rates are also higher in the fall and spring.
That does not suggest that those memes are a contributing factor to the increasing suicide rates or some symptom of moral decay. The prevalence and popularity of such memes do, however, signal some distressing characteristics shared among the audience.
Each year from my time in high school, at least one student was tragically lost to suicide. Nationwide, the suicide rate for 15-to-24-year-olds has tripled in the last five years. The desire to die is a subject that should be too grim to parody, yet its memes are often the funniest.
Memes are the absurd embodiment of the overlap between humor and horror. When people laugh at the memes above, the momentary joy is always accompanied by a dulled despair like laughter with hidden tears.
It’s an ironic pairing of emotions that, just like the memes, don’t make sense at first glance.
Aside from the irrationality, a part of what makes memes so attractive is their relatability.
The audience identifies some part of themselves with the subjects who are suffering from stress, anxiety, or depression, and ludicrously derive at an eagerness to die. Like the subjects, the audience also feels like they’re being engulfed in emptiness.
Getting around three hours of sleep a day to study for midterms and feeling dejected when comparing themselves to their peers are common for many students. Inevitably, during those 2 a.m.’s spent staring at a textbook, students wind up at the verge of breakdown, wanting to cry and feeling that everything is meaningless.
And when those dark feelings become routine, they are numb to sadness and no longer repulsed by dark humor.
Memes then become an outlet to cope with that emptiness by bringing laughter and a reminder that others are suffering just the same.
Although, it’s arguably a very ephemeral relief. At the end of the laugh, the person is still struggling.
Albert Camus once said, “The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” Memes are the absurd and happiness is the human need. Students are honed to value education and good grades, driving up competition and the need for systems like grade deflation.
Students are romantically attached to the desire to be distinguished and succeed in academics and the workplace later.
It’s no secret that college students don’t take care of their physical and mental health, but we need to stop normalizing that behavior. Just because the subjects of memes and your friends are experiencing various types of agony and deterioration doesn’t mean that you should too, or that it’s even normal to experience such patterns.
Who got fewer hours of sleep should not be a bragging factor, and who scored higher on the recent exam should not even be conversation, as that will just forge more room for mental collapse.
Memes like these are entertaining, but they shouldn’t be hilarious because “that’s so me ” or because “same" all the time.
Memes contribute to the normalization of unhealthy routines and negative thoughts. Please recognize that it’s not in any way normal to be in a constant state of fatigue and anguish.
Please learn to take breaks, set time aside for sleep, not compare yourself to others, and not criticize yourself harshly. Health should not be at the bottom of your priorities, even though memes may make it seem like it’s okay to neglect it.
