There’s a time and a place for everything; that saying has been around for a long time and is an absolute fact. There’s a time to work, a time to have fun, a time to cry and a time to laugh. There’s a saying that “laughter is the best medicine.” According to Helpful Guide.org, “It’s true: laughter is strong, strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body.” This article gives examples of how laughter can help at a physical and mental level, such as strengthening your immune system, diminishing pain, lightening your burdens, keeping you grounded and more. It is well known that laughter is one of the strongest medicines at the physical and mental levels, but what about at the social level?
Social media is a place of entertainment and information. Some people make jokes from their videos and memes, which can make people laugh, and normally, that’s okay. But over time, some people laugh at the wrong things.
Gen Z is considered the “unserious generation.” This is because they make jokes about almost everything, no matter if it’s good or bad. As a Gen Z, I can say this is mostly true. I’ve seen people both on social media and in real life make jokes about something serious. Take Chuck Norris passing as an example. Norris was a generational celebrity legend; from Gen X to some parts of Gen Alpha have known about him either from his acting roles, his martial arts or the impact he had on people. On social media, people have made videos about his passing, and their responses (at least to me) aren’t much of a surprise.
Some Millennials and Gen Zs make jokes about it, but not in a disrespectful way, in a comic relief type of way. These funny videos have made people laugh with their creative skits and memes. The ones that I’ve seen are skits about Death, didn’t want to take Norris because he knew he was going to die trying (get it). Another was when it showed how tough Norris was by “interviewing” people who had faced him and getting highly respectable remarks about him, while also saying he’s not someone who should be messed with.
Norris’ passing was a shock, because from what I’ve heard, he was doing well a few days before his passing. Comic relief is used to create humor to reduce tension, stress or heavy drama. This was one way some people coped with his passing, and they’re being respectful. Sometimes a little laughter can help ease the situation, but when does this go too far? Take the passing of Queen Elizabeth II as an example.
For about two weeks, that became a whole thing. The meme I remember most was when Death played a claw machine, and the claw was Elizabeth II, while Death said “finally”. This symbolized that after many attempts of playing on the machine, it finally caught her. Making these types of jokes about her death could be rude because it sounds like they’re glad that she died. This is why it’s important to share the context. She was 96 years old when she passed, and she ruled for 70 years and 7 months. She holds, by far, the longest reign in British history. So the context is basically this: “She’s been ruling for a long time, is she ever going to pass?” Which, when you think about it, still sounds rude.
There are more examples like this, such as comedians. Comedians make jokes about everyone, even about themselves. But sometimes they face controversy for who or what they joke about. Sometimes the controversy is valid, and other times it isn’t; it all depends on how the person sees the joke. Everyone has different perspectives, and that’s why some people don’t see the jokes Gen Z finds funny, but think about it from a Gen Z perspective.
Gen Z is either teens or already adults. They’re living in a time now when political problems are driving inflation, which is affecting everyone, especially Gen Z, who are trying to get by on what they have. Anxiety and concern about problems going on outside and in their personal lives add to the stress. There are many problems in the world, that’s nothing new, but sometimes it’s all that not just Gen Z sees, but everyone else. It’s good to take a break from the problems and enjoy yourself, and humor is one way to help. I mentioned before that Gen Z is considered the “unserious generation,” and I stated that it was mostly true. Gen Z might have their moments in humor, but they can be serious.
They still have mortals and compassion. I see this every day in school and on social media. I hear teens my age wanting to make a difference and to have mature, realistic conversations. They’re using their voice, talent and knowledge to speak out, and not every Gen Z person acts this way. Some just see the ones that act miniature and assume they all act this way. I don’t blame them because sometimes I see and wonder, “Is this generation cooked?” But what generation hasn’t thought of this? No generation was perfect; they had their ups and downs, but they pushed through their struggles and persevered. Gen Z teaches all of us that sometimes a little laughter can go a long way.
