It probably wouldn’t be hard to argue that memes are the lowest form of humor. Even the term’s origin, a Greek word meaning something imitated, suggests a certain redundancy. (For the slowpokes among us, a meme, as I will define it for the purpose of this piece, is a silly picture that allows one to change the captions in order to convey a common theme, such as success or awkwardness.) One need not spend long searching the Internet to find countless crude permutations of an originally funny concept. The University of Maryland Memes page on Facebook is no exception, but despite all the anemic throwaway jokes, I think it’s a force for good in this world.
Memes couldn’t be any easier to make. You just type words corresponding to a stock photo that, through repeated use, has already come to symbolize a humorous theme. The simple, formulaic structure of meme creation can make anyone a comedian. However, as this university’s memes are intended for a specific community, you don’t even need to think of words. They’re already there. Whereas a meme meant for the whole Internet might require some independent thought, anything for the university’s page requires only a basic knowledge of what it’s like to be a student here. Zero thinking and zero creativity are required — just plug in something you know about the university, i.e. “One does not simply … log on to umd-secure.”
It’s hard to get a real sense of community on the Internet, but these memes are starting to accomplish it. Students now have a forum to discuss that which we all agree on. Why are you taking the bus from Stamp Student Union to the math building? Why is the university notifying you that your password will expire in months? Who needs creativity when we can all talk about the infinite friendliness of that guy who works at Moby Dick’s?
Now, this type of community-based page allows for a surplus of esoteric jokes, but who cares? The attention-deficit nature of the web makes ignoring stupid posts just as easy as leaving snide remarks and then promptly forgetting about them. And honestly, I don’t care about all the terrible memes. The best ones do exactly what they’re intended to do: make us laugh, about some ubiquitous element of this university.
But what I said earlier — that memes allow even the least creative among us to make something comical — proves these innocent little jokes do something else, too. They confirm a suspicion I’ve long held about the world: There’s no need to be funny — everything hilarious is already out there. It just takes a certain type of person to realize it. The best stand-up comedy, the funniest sketches, the most memorable characters — they’re always great because of their relationship to reality. Whether satirizing the worst behavior humans are capable of, or commiserating over the unattainable cool we attribute to celebrities, I have found, in some way, I always agree with the best comedy. (This explains the genius of Louis C.K. and Bill Cosby.)
Look around. The world is an absurd place. Don’t stress too hard about being funny, just point out some of the madness that’s not going away. This is what memes enable everyone to do— hence why I love them.
The world we live in may be bizarre, but it’s the shared experience of life’s idiosyncrasies that connects us, making this absurdity feel like reality.
Jake DeVirgiliis is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at devirgiliis@umdbk.com.