Meme culture can normalize bad habits
That’s right, I said it. Meme culture has always bothered me. Not because I don’t appreciate its hilarity and endless hours of entertainment, but because it’s normalizing a lot of unhealthy habits. Poor coping mechanisms, mental illnesses, and substance use are often prime subjects of memes. There’s a reason for this — many people struggle with these things and making them into jokes helps us cope. Fair enough.
But during the COVID crisis, the rise in alcohol memes has only fuelled our already saturated alcohol culture. Yes, it’s easy enough to say laugh it off, ignore these memes, fall back on your healthy coping mechanisms as best you can, and try not let it affect you.
I’ll admit, I did pretty well during the first month of isolation, but the jokes about White Claw, margaritas during Zoom meetings, and day drinking eventually got to me. Why not day drink? Well, let me tell you, a day or two of day drunkenness soon turned into an entire month of “every-other-day-why-the-heck-not?” drunkenness. I didn’t even know what White Claw was before physical distancing became a thing, but you better believe that vodka sodas are my new favourite drink. I began to realize that these memes about getting drunk at 9 a.m. were influencing my thought processes by taking the guilt off of the decision to get drunk in the middle of the day on a weekday and if anything, actually triggering a craving to get drunk.
According to a CBC Investigates report, statistics collected from the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) from the month of March reported that cask wine sales are up 144 per cent, 24 cases of beer up 120 per cent, while spirits are up 153 per cent all in a matter of a few weeks — and that’s just from the B.C. liquor stores.
While there’s no concrete evidence linking alcohol sales and alcohol memes, it’s worth considering the relationship. Joking about something tends to normalize it. Joking about getting day drunk and stockpiling liquor is bound to have some societal impact. The impact of meme culture may be stronger than we realize. In fact, the traditional definition of a meme is “an idea, behaviour, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” While this definition isn’t directly about internet memes, it isn’t far-fetched to say that the word’s roots reflect its place in culture. Memes carry with them ideas, and when you’re repeatedly exposed to these ideas, they may start to stick with you.
This isn’t lost on those in power either — it was recently revealed that former U.S. presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg had been paying to create sponsored meme content, showing us that where the memes are, so lies the power.
It’s true that many of us are struggling and being mentally tested while physical distancing measures are in place, and there’s nothing wrong with having a drink once in a while to help ease the stress of these unprecedented times. But we should be aware of when and if drinking becomes a problem. This is the perfect breeding ground for the development of addictions or for recovered addicts to relapse. Shopping, eating, and drinking can all form into unhealthy addictive behaviours.
Catherine Paradis, senior research and policy analyst at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), noted in the CBC report that there’s a risk that people will be drinking more and more often: “Right now, in this crisis, all those boundaries are blurred,” she said. “So what will that mean when possibly every day feels like a Friday or a Saturday, or there’s always an excuse to have a drink, and then you have alcohol in the house?”
While we shouldn’t shame each other for falling into addictive behaviours for the first or 100th time, we should be wary of what we’re posting, and the culture that we are fostering for our friends and family. So while you’re not expected to be posting positive stuff every day, or even happy stuff every day, be careful of what you’re consuming and posting because you have no idea how it will impact others. The COVID crisis could either be a time of growth or regression, so let’s try to uplift our friends, and not joke about something that could be a tender spot for others.
For those struggling with substance abuse issues in isolation, there are a number of resources listed on the Government of Canada’s website. Those between the ages of 12-24 can also contact the Impact program through Foundry for over-the-phone counselling sessions.
Illustration: Kayt Hine/The Cascade
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after.
She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
