Humans have fought wars since ancient times. Throughout history, we have seen the negative effects of war, but humans have continued to wage war on each other. Memes, on the other hand, are a relatively new concept. People create memes about a wide range of topics, including sports, TV shows/movies, relatable things, and global events such as the pandemic.
When Russia first invaded Ukraine, everyone on my social media feeds was posting about it. However, within two to three days, memes about the war began to circulate. When I looked at the memes’ comment sections, I noticed that people were divided. Some argued that jokes have no place in war, while others argued that memes can be used as a coping mechanism.
Initially, memes portraying WW3 and people being drafted went viral.
Then, citizens of Ukraine started to make sarcastic videos about the war on TikTok after a Ukrainian girl went viral for posting this video with the caption “Living my best life”:
Surprisingly, memes about Russia were even posted on Ukraine’s official Twitter account, and they continue to be posted to this day.
Some people criticized Ukraine for posting memes on twitter.
Someone even made a meme criticizing Ukraine for posting memes.
The truth is that humor has an enormous power
Ukraine Government Organization
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think memes are appropriate in wars?
- Do you think that the government should get involved with the memes?
- How big of an impact can memes have?
It is interesting how memes became an actual part of our lives to the point that we now consider them as a type of copping mechanism and self expression.
While I definitely think memes are a way to cope with grief, I truly don’t think that memes about a war or a violent takeover are okay. There is a difference between making memes about Covid-19, which you can protect yourself from, and the Ukraine and Russia Takeover, which forced innocent civilians to evacuate their homes or die a terrible death.
i disagree in a sense that if it’s the people who are living through the war and creating memes, whose to say that people in other parts of the world can tell them to stop and that its inappropriate. if they deem it necessary to post or just for light-hearted fun to ease the tension of whats happening around them, why not.
I think memes in many cases are okay and fun to play around with but to an extent. If it means people are being harmed in any sort of situation, then I don’t believe memes would be appropriate in that context as it could be insensitive to their situation.
It is interesting how the fine line between coping through memes and laughter and making fine of a dire situation has become very thin. It’s very interesting how people living in Ukraine, particularly young people, are creating a lot meme and light hearted content, even though they are seeing everything first hand
I definitely think that when it comes to a serious/political issue, the people who can “joke” about it or make it more lighthearted are the people affected themselves. Memes definitely help with dealing with otherwise stressful problems, but I also think that it’s important to recognize the matter and give it time before turning to ridicule it and immediately comfort people. This is a really interesting topic!
In my opinion, it’s reasonable to be outraged by these memes, especially the ones tweeted by the country’s admin. I feel for the victims that have fled their lands, homes, and workplaces. At times like this, when people have lost their lives, I expect a more appropriate approach to mourn and advocate for the war to end.