Let’s be honest, we all love a good meme. In recent years, memes have exploded into an amazing art form that has helped shape today’s society. Whether it’s a silly joke from your friend or a slew of them on your social media, there is no doubt that they have had an effect on your life. Memes are a great outlet for people to connect with one another and express emotions and feelings that are otherwise hard to describe with words. You might be surprised that some of your beloved memes may even have some disturbing backstories. Prepare to discover the dark truth behind some of your favorite memes!
10 Deflated Garfield
To start this list, let’s look at the Deflated Garfield meme. It uses the final panel of an original Garfield comic, taking it out of context to make a funny meme. Though the image creates joy, the original picture depicts the limp and lifeless corpse of Garfield, with Jon practically begging him to be alive. We often overlook the actual imagery and just see a flat Garfield, but the comic is actually Jon going through a horrific experience. The overexaggerated facial expression of Jon and Garfield’s uncaring manner allow this image to be turned into a meme. Garfield’s complete deadpan state works as a great punchline.
9 “You’re Finally Awake, That Fall Looked Bad”
This meme pokes fun at current issues in society, pretending to take you back to simpler and happier times. It usually takes a specific niche from the past, often from the early 2000s. We all know that the last few years had many downs, and this meme gives a bit of reprieve from it, hitting you with nostalgia that almost physically brings you back to the good old days. While this meme may seem innocent enough, its success is due to the difficult times we are currently in. It’s built off our distress and misfortune but tries to make things better. Although it has good intentions, it is hard to overlook why it is so popular.
8 Going To Brazil
This meme is a perfect example of jokes having some truth behind them. The Going to Brazil meme is a case of scary funny, the same way we laugh during horror movies as a defense mechanism. This meme is a satirical take on a rather awful occurrence in real life. Kidnapping is a real thing, and Brazil is somewhat known for it. This meme often depicts a first-person view of a rather crazy scenario that is supposed to represent the journey to Brazil. So, while this meme is rather funny, it is based on something much more serious. Its dramatic and exaggerated portrayal is key to its success and reminds us of some more recent and popular memes.
7 Demotivational Poster
The “Demotivational Poster” is next, and this meme has a lot of history behind it. The beginning of this format dates back to the late 1990s. Since then, this meme has warped and changed with the times, to a point where it is almost unrecognizable from its first iterations.
This meme was created by a company by the name of “Demotivators,” and its goal was to criticize and make fun of the motivational posters usually hung around an office. Since those posters don’t do their job very well, a group decided to go against the current and poke fun at the depressing nature of the workplace. These demotivational posters bring to light real issues with working a 9-to-5 job and the hopelessness one may feel when stuck in one.
6 Sirenhead
Sirenhead originated back in 2018 as a piece of art by Trevor Henderson. His goal was to design a new monster, and since then, it has gained popularity. Memes featuring Sirenhead usually poke fun at his design, or in some cases, have him dancing to popular music. The stark contrast between what he’s supposed to be (dark and scary) and his presentation in meme culture (fun and lively) make for a great joke and has the potential to continue in many different environments. You may not know that Sirenhead also has a darker past, being involved in some creepypastas, which are scary stories found on the internet. These stories depict him in a much darker light, with him being the main antagonist, causing mayhem and misery.
5 Declined Credit Card
In this meme, if your credit card declines, whatever you purchased is automatically refunded. Now, this meme probably wouldn’t be on this list if what was purchased were items like skittles or soda, but instead, it is something a lot more serious. In most cases of this meme, it shows someone’s credit card declining after they have ordered a rather large hospital procedure. For example, a doctor may remove a bullet from a patient’s body, but when his credit card declines, the doctor simply shoots the patient as a sort of refund.
This meme usually takes images from popular media, such as Star Wars or Looney Tunes, to relay this message and create familiarity between the meme and the observer. While this may seem over the top (which it is), it also highlights the unfair and harsh nature of the U.S.A’s health care system. While many countries have free health care, the States are quite the opposite and charge a premium for basically any procedure. In a lot of instances, these bills cannot be paid by the patient and can lead to debt that is almost worse than the “refunds” in the memes.
4 WW3 Memes
WW3 memes came to light in the first few months of recent years. These memes made fun of the political climate at the time, as tensions were high between countries, and the threat of a third world war had scary potential. Looking back, this meme seemed to be a coping mechanism for us as a whole, a way to vent and cope with our concerns through humor. So, while they are humorous, they are built upon the fear of a very dark and scary reality. Luckily, WW3 did not happen, or else these memes would have a lot darker memory. These memes did not stay around for long either, as they quickly faded as the months passed and became stale as tensions eased.
3 Gender Reveal Party
Gender reveal parties have become a new staple, first seen in the late 2000s. Since then, they have changed and evolved, first starting as a small gesture to reveal a new baby’s gender. Early examples of this may be a cake made of pink or blue dough so you recognize the gender after cutting through the cake. Through the years, this did not remain the norm as young parents went for bigger and louder ways of announcing their child’s gender. As time went on, people started experimenting with popping balloons with guns or using fireworks to celebrate the big reveal. With this, fires started to break out and cause serious damage to the surrounding area.
This meme makes fun of the serious issues and damage that a simple idea such as a gender reveal has caused. Again, this contrast between the intention and result makes for irony, but this meme is steeped in dangerous and potentially life-endangering activities.
2 Dad From Coraline
The Dad from Coraline is another example of taking a dark concept and turning it around so that it’s funny. The beautifully detailed depiction of the Dad lets you fully understand how he feels, and in most cases, people can relate to it on some level. This meme attempts to take that hollow or depressive feeling we all get sometimes and turns it into a joke, reminiscent of using our humor to deter our concerns for a third world war. While this image has been used in numerous ways to make a joke, it is unavoidable to recognize the darker, empty feeling that it was created with and shows. It makes fun of the nature of this generation, with our general confusion and sadness that we internalize, but this meme allows for some relief as we can relate to it rather well.
1 Don’t Turn Me Into Marketable Plushies
This is a niche meme that is not as widespread as the others, but is still interesting. It takes popular characters from across all media and uses them to satirize capitalism and the greed of the corporations that have created these characters. This meme takes the character and has them beg not to be turned into a stuffed animal, stripping them of their personality. These stuffed animals do not capture the spirit of the character they are created after and is a comparison to how a big corporation will abandon their personality for monetary gain. It represents the values of these companies, which is rather disturbing.
Memes are more than just funny pictures and videos; they’re a reflection of our society, fears, and coping mechanisms. Uncovering the backstories behind these viral sensations reveals deeper meanings and unexpected origins. From dark humor to sharp social commentary, these memes offer a glimpse into the complex world we live in.
What are your favorite memes and their hidden meanings? Leave your comment below!
