Why is Gen Z humor so weird?

Let’s get straight to the point, Generation z humor is nonsensical in it of itself, but that’s why it’s funny to us. Understandably many older people don’t find deep fried memes, self-depreciation, or existentialist humor all that funny. It’s not a jab at the older generations though, because from the outside looking in, gen z jokes make little to no sense. It doesn’t make sense to us either for the most part, and that’s exactly why its so uproarious for us. We have our inside jokes, obscure memes, and our niche Dadaism humor because we were born into a world that is just as nonsensical. War, climate change, pundits on TV screaming their agendas, crippling national debts, inflation, and more have been cast on us from the moment we were born. While all of this wasn’t explained to us from the beginning it’s surrounded us our entire life and affected us deeply. Our generation has the highest rates of depression and anxiety closely followed by Millennials (May 10, 2018) Retrieved from https://www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/reports/major-depression-the-impact-overall-health

To cope with the world, we found solace in non-sequitur humor. Environmental factors affect people so deeply and we can see that in all generations not just ours. A perfect example of the struggles faced by other generations would be the lost generation also known as generation G.I. They came of age just in time for World War 1; one of, if not the worst wars in history. Over 16 million people died during this war and for the people who just came of age, it seemed like the world was meaningless. This sense of meaninglessness sparked a new art movement called Dadaism. Dadaism was a form of contemporary art that was used to ridicule the meaninglessness of the world and all within it, sound familiar? In no way am I implying the wars that were going on during our time were as bad as WW1 that’d be asinine and beyond presumptuous, but the situations themselves are similar and beget similar results. Generations that find comfort in absolutely ridiculous forms of humor and art. We cling to things that make us feel good enough to forget, if only for a second, the hopelessness that surrounds us. In the attempt to not end on a negative note, I’m vying for a resurgence of the roaring twenties, because they seemed great, here’s to hoping.

"Baby It's Cold Outside" and songs like it

Many older songs are considered classics to those who either grew up with them or those who appreciate older music. As things age and generations begin anew, we begin to see things from new perspectives. Recently the classic Christmas song “Baby it’s cold outside” has been the source of debate since several radio stations have taken it off the air due to its questionable lyrics. In the well-known duet it is implied that the couple had a nice date and the night is done. The woman attempts to leave and is stopped by the man with several excuses and pretty words. The song goes on with a back and forth of the woman trying to leave and the man trying to get her to stay with him. Without mincing words, the song comes off date-rapey. Now I understand that this song is rooted in nostalgia for many people, but if we look past that nostalgia and see the song objectively, we see that it’s in no way an okay situation for someone to be in. The man is pressuring the woman to stay and almost certainly to have sex with him and she does her best to defuse the situation and attempt to leave, but to no avail. Many would argue that it was just the time it was written in and it was meant to be malicious or sinister, and I agree with you, but that’s exactly the problem. The problem being that it was okay for situations like this to occur and no one would see much fault with them. Times have changed and while it’s important to preserve the past, it’s just as important to recognize the flaws. This is far from the first time that this specific song has been called out like this, but it is the first time that there’s something being done about it. I say that radio stations should take it off the air to not promote the idea that if men are persuasive enough, they can get what they want (sex). It’s an unhealthy viewpoint that we should try to diminish as much as possible. I do understand the people who are mad/hurt by the fact that this song is slowly being phased out. It’s scary when parts of your childhood are demonized or put under a harsh light, but it’s really okay, as time goes on things change, what becomes acceptable changes. It’s not easy to look past the rose tinted lenses and see things for what they are, but I would argue that it’s somewhat necessary, it’s how we grow as people.