It was another day with Eleanor and her family’s WhatsApp group, and her 64-year-old dad just forwarded something that he would not have appreciated before: a meme, which Eleanor guesses came from another dad.
It’s not that the global pandemic has caused my 64-year-old father to discover memes; it’s more that he’s now come to truly appreciate them. He tells me he has “20 coming in a day, from various sources”. Like a meme sommelier, he’s become very selective about which ones he forwards to the family thread. And his taste isn’t bad.
Curious about this sudden development from her father and his generation, Eleanor asks him why their generation is so into memes. “We’ve got time,” her father replies.
My dad isn’t retired, and he’s one of the busiest people I know. So I’m not sure how this applies to him. I wonder if you become more present as you get older – and maybe seem to have more time. Is he living out these “strange times” in a zen state, contemplating each new meme like a teaching of the Dalai Lama?
“By the way,” he says, “I’ve joined Houseparty.”
What a time to be alive.
See more of Eleanor’s story over at The Guardian.
(Image Credit: Imgflip)
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memes are a young mans game, always will be
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