Memes

I follow detailed lesson plans; a habit I learned in the Army. I post my lesson plans on a web-based platform for my students and their parents. Eventually, all my students figure out that I pretty much follow my lesson plans, at least in the details; though I rarely keep up with my planned pace. I regularly utilize memes in my classroom. Most days, I start with a joke and find memes an excellent source of humor, at least the clean ones. But other than as introductory material, I find memes inadequate for educational purposes. You cannot well capture a complex idea or truth in a sentence fragment. The meme construct works well to deliver a joke but fails when utilized as a communication tool of the deeper, more complex, issues we face as people and as a nation. As I scan facebook, and other social media platforms, I find the pervasive use of memes disheartening.

Often, unscrupulous people find a photograph, manipulate it to make their own point, and then publish it. They choose venues designed to generate the most “likes,” stoking the fires of their own ego. Those who participate by sharing, also share in the culpability. Those who aid in the proliferation of such blatantly misleading and propagandistic memes participate in the perpetuation of a lie and the deluding of everyone that falls prey to such iniquitous activities. In a time such as this, when the stakes are so high and misinformation so pollutes every information platform, we must not become part of the problem through either carelessness or partisan fervor. Just because something carries a message that I agree with does not make it acceptable. A lie remains a lie. We must remain watchful against such intellectually deficient attempts to coerce or manipulate.

Additionally, memes, by their nature, fail to fully explain or represent an idea. All serious issues we face, as a nation and as people, require more than a snippet of information. Frequently memes give a partial truth, either ignoring a significant concept or crucial complexity of the truth they purport to proclaim. Memes rely on our desire to reduce things into easily digestible chunks; however, complex issues require more attention. If we are going to address the thorny, seemingly intractable, problems our nation faces we must take the time to fully explore and consider. Memes delude us by presenting the complex as simple. They appeal to our desire to see things in stark black and white, when the reality is much more complex, offering variations in shade, intensity, and color. If we envision a community or nation in which all may fully participate in public discourse and seek the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity, we must be willing to engage in serious mental work. Memes beguile. They drape themselves in the trappings of intellectualism without any rigor. They are a crass substitute for serious thought.

Finally, many memes traffic in sarcastic insults, designed to denigrate and separate. They gain traction through a simplistic worldview. No matter the side, they tempt the reader to view themselves as part of the “in” group and anyone that thinks differently as an outsider. Those who occupy positions of influence and power regularly seek to paint the other side as somehow unpatriotic, ignorant, befuddled, or villainous. Memes often encourage such broad-brush thinking and aid in the debasement of our society. We face serious enemies outside the gate. We need not encourage our unhappy tendency to bite and devour one another. We need to evaluate memes prior to spreading them.

Before we share or post, we ought to consider their veracity. Does the meme tell the complete truth or does it merely promulgate a few facts designed to obfuscate? Does the meme serve to unite or divide? Is it merely a joke? Laughter is good, so humorous memes serve a useful purpose; but, we must consider how the meme generates the laugh. Are we chuckling at the expense of others? After all, we assume responsibility for all the things we post or share. When we engage in reckless behavior we demean public discourse and for those of us that wear the name Christian, we besmirch the good name of the Christ. Perhaps if we spent more time contemplating the impact of an ugly or dishonest meme we might enjoy a better reputation among non-believers. Memes serve a use. They make us laugh at times and who could not use a good laugh today. We need to act responsibly and think before we post.