Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.
Shaka, when the walls fell
Picard, hands on face
Tembah, his arms open
how to not pass the vibe check
On one had, responding like that is definitely a sign that it’s not going to work. On the other hand, that’s a perfectly normal feeling for a person who doesn’t live their life on the internet.
I mean, how is it any different than referencing movies, music, TV shows, stand-up comedy, or any other piece of pop culture?
Would referencing a movie somebody hasn’t seen before make you terminally in-theater or something? Though, having said that, I am now going to take every opportunity I can to work the phrase “terminally in-theater” into my daily life anytime somebody mentions a Marvel movie or something.
Twenty plus years we could have shared pop culture. If it was on the radio or popular cable TV, maybe many people saw it. But now there’s too much information, period. Everyone specializes. If you expect people to know their memes, you’re pressuring them to consume the same media they do. Not cool.
So, float the meme, why not. But expect it to flop. Be happily surprised when it doesn’t.
Sure, and it’s fine when a meme flops. But this person was apparently being an asshole about the entire concept of memes.
My wife is into things I’m not into. Sometimes she even drops references to those things into conversations that I don’t get. You know what I don’t do? I don’t say, “So, I’m supposed to memorize all these TV shows in order to have a conversation with you?” That’s being a jerk, and completely unnecessary. I just kinda politely smile and nod, and move on.
When you have to explain 10 years of Internet history to explain a level 5 meme to your normie friends…
And what these youth do not understand is that we revolutionaries were there on the ground when Level I began ✊😔