The destructive results of meme culture
We should not reduce discourse in the public square to elementary school playground mockery.
Most of us love a good meme. Like the political cartoons of decades past, memes provide a short commentary that can make a point with just a few words and an image. Memes were essential in getting President Trump elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2024, in part because of his campaign's brilliant use of them and because of the grassroots use of the medium. The pro-Trump memes resonated with the despised people of our country, although I think the memes of a shirtless muscle-bound Trump have a weird and creepy homosexual vibe.
The problem is that memes have far too often short-circuit conversations or critical thinking. Far too many people are incapable of making an argument from principle, facts and reason because they are absorbed in memes. It is much easier to post a meme to mock and ridicule someone without actually engaging in an argument about why they are wrong. We've reduced discourse in the public square to elementary school playground mockery.
One of the worst memes is "OK Boomer." God repeatedly commands us to honor our fathers in His Word, and this includes older men and their wisdom. Dismissing Boomers outright approaches dismissing the fatherhood of God, something we should never do. Furthermore, the cult of youth is always foolish and impulsive, and many people start to understand the wisdom of older generations as they get older and gain more life experience.
Memes cross over into outright blasphemy when Leftists (especially supporters of the "transgender" cult) respond to any kind of scientific argument with the meme that "you believe in a sky daddy, so why should I listen to you about Teh Science?" Of course, many of the scientific advancements of history (which are not the same as Teh Science) were from Believers: Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle were all devout Christians. You can boast about not believing in a "sky daddy" all you want, but the fantasy that faith and science are incompatible is just that: A fantasy.
Meanwhile, secular atheist worship of Teh Science gives us "medical advice" such as wearing a mask during sex in order to prevent the spread of a highly contagious respiratory virus. This is truly a massive advancement of medical science and understanding of virology and pandemic mitigation!
There is nothing inherently wrong with memes. The problem is that over-reliance on memes has lessened our adherence to the written word. So make arguments and use words. Be willing to read and develop a longer attention span. Serious matters of policy, culture and theology deserve more attention than a meme you scroll past after a few seconds. Memes have their place, but they should not replace the written word.
See previous articles about memes here and here and here and here and here.