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Man Bean Dad is indicative of a broader trend regarding Gen X humor as performed by white cis het dudes and its reliance on tired tropes and "shock value" and it makes me mad because that type of humor dominated the cultural scene when we Millennials were growing up
South Park, Family Guy--the whole "we make fun of EVERYBODY!" as if power dynamics don't exist--god that toxic bullshit was everywhere while my generation was young and suggestible
And every time I make this point, my mentions fill with Gen X-ers self-righteously telling me to shut up because they're the sad ignored older sibling of Millennials but like, nah. I claim my generation's trash (hashtag girlboss for example)...you claim your own
The whole point of those cultural staples Gen Xers spit out into the world was: getting offended is A Bad Thing and only losers Get Offended & the galaxy-brain comedy-makers reminded us how it's funny to make fun of people who care about stuff because caring about stuff sucks
And the fact that people can still make a living vomiting "I'm racist against everyone!" bullshit is why we have people like Bean Dad thinking his story is funny and worth sharing & its critics are Losers who Get Offended and Care Too Much
I always forget to do this until later but hey I rescue cats here in Spain so please help!! There are so many cats who need help! https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20
Ok so look I know the historical roots of Gen-X nihilism. The constant reminder of global catastrophe defined a lot of their childhoods and thus shaped their comedic values. Why not insult everyone since we're all just waiting for the bomb to drop
Nihilism is a coping tactic in the face of forces beyond your control capable of launching a nuclear Armageddon.
But it creates a stagnant status quo--hence media like Family Guy. MacFarlane can make a career out of cruel and/or cringey non-sequiturs b/c nothing matters
But it creates a stagnant status quo--hence media like Family Guy. MacFarlane can make a career out of cruel and/or cringey non-sequiturs b/c nothing matters
And nihilism by nature finds earnestness unpalatable. To be earnest is to be childish, worthy of mocking
The Al Gore Man Bear Pig episode of South Park is a case study in this btw
The Al Gore Man Bear Pig episode of South Park is a case study in this btw
Al Gore was telling us about climate change and begging us to do something.
That earnestness encouraged nihilistic satire, making Gore into a joke rather than someone worth listening to
That earnestness encouraged nihilistic satire, making Gore into a joke rather than someone worth listening to
ALSO: since this seems to be a TREND.
This thread isn't an anti-comedy thread or some prudish screed against dark humor. Millennials devised absurdism as comedy & Gen Z is refining it.
This thread isn't an anti-comedy thread or some prudish screed against dark humor. Millennials devised absurdism as comedy & Gen Z is refining it.
And absurdism worked for us--our formative political experience was the Bush II administration; nothing made sense. Then the economy collapsed while so many of us were in college or graduating and instead of nihilistic "nothing matters comedy" we embraced surrealism
Millennial comedy is a sort of universal shorthand: referential, requiring layered knowledge of various internet in-jokes. Gen Z is elevating this referential humor in a way Millennials never could b/c our fatal flaw has always been thinking we can change the system from within
We thought girlboss and leaning in and taking pride in working ourselves to death and Barack Obama would be enough to "fix" systemic power structures. It took us a while to learn those systems weren't broken--they were doing what they were meant to
And b/c I don't want more cursed mentions, I will only BRIEFLY state that Millennial's cult-ish dedication to Harry Potter as both a series & a way of describing one's personality illustrates how we so desperately wanted to trust people in power
So yeah--understanding the historical context of comedy trends does matter but it also doesn't mean we can't step back and say "wow that humor was really bad and dangerous & is responsible for some of what's happening today"
Ok that's enough. Help me help cats https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20
