What are you laughing at?

Global warming, body image, sexual orientation, feminism, divorce, anti-Semitism, intellectual disability, domestic terrorism. What do you think this list represents? Major issues in the upcoming election? Or maybe the most covered news topics of 2019?
Did you guess Google image results for “cringy memes?” If so, maybe you should take a break from Reddit for a day or two. But seriously, I’m sure most of us have seen one or more of these topics “memeified,” whether or not we went looking. We all know what’s out there on the internet, and we all know it can be dark and mean and kind of grim. The topics listed above are just the tip of the iceberg.
My question is, why do we laugh at issues that aren’t funny? There is real evil in the world — real tragedy and shame and heartbreak. Maybe we make jokes about it because it’s easy. Maybe laughing at something sad makes us feel like it isn’t our problem, or like it isn’t really a problem at all. I know I’ve caught myself laughing when I should be asking, “What can I do to help?” or “Do I need to make a change?”
Of course, not all memes are bad. Even some cringy memes fall into the category of satire, calling us to ask hard questions and seek societal change. On the other hand, sometimes there isn’t anything we can do about an issue but laugh, and that’s okay. I’m not some radical anti-meme petitioner. I’m a sucker for a good Arthur meme like anyone else, and I’ll admit the groovy Kermit filter got me. What worries me is when we start laughing at things we should be mourning.
It’s hard to take injustice seriously when you’ve spent 10 minutes scrolling through posts that make fun of it. It’s even harder to take action on a problem your friend turned into a “distracted boyfriend” meme. Is it worth the cry-laugh emojis we get from a group chat when we share an image that makes our gut clench a little?
We can do better than this. We don’t have to laugh at things that aren’t funny, and we don’t have to use cheap jokes to distract ourselves from true pain in the world. It’s worth the effort to recognize what’s wrong and try to fix it. I really believe that; I have to.
So, next time you see a meme that makes your hair stand on end, ask yourself, “Is this really funny?” and “Is there something I can do here that’s better than laughing?” Just be thoughtful. If we all do that, it will be a step in the right direction.