Opinion: Memes are offensive

Due to their new-found popularity, memes have become a big part of today’s entertainment. Many of us enjoy the entertainment memes provide, but some of us become very offended by certain memes.

The reason why many are offended by memes is because they include very sensitive topics such as 9/11, PTSD, race, sex, depression, suicide, WWII, autism, and so on. I understand that people are used to making or hearing racial, religious or sexist jokes but making jokes about something so serious like PTSD or mental disorders is inappropriate and very disrespectful.

We all say that we shouldn’t bully or that we should appreciate the soldiers that have risked their lives for our country, but we reward them by ridiculing and making fun of them. It isn’t right to make fun of something so serious as PTSD that disrespects a multitude of people who have risked their lives for their friends, family, and us.

As for memes that involve autism or depression, that’s also disrespectful. Many people with depression or autism consistently get bullied and memes involving these kinds of topics can exacerbate the issue.

I understand that sometimes we need to laugh at serious topics because they can become depressing, so laughing is a way to let go of all the negative but sometimes we do go too far. That’s why we need to make sure that we know what kind of comments are appropriate when making memes containing such sensitive and serious topics.