When a joke goes too far
Internet humor has taken an ugly turn, and it’s time for some accountability
Catherine Silvey / Feature Editor / The USD Vista
For years we have wondered what makes a mass shooter. One long-standing theme has been a pattern of loneliness and isolation in the shooter. Additionally, many shootings have been motivated by revenge, involving attacks launched on the shooter’s school or place of work to avenge perceived wrongdoings committed against them.
Recently, however, another unnerving factor has been added to the pattern. The flash of an upside down “OK” hand signal when photographed in a post-shooting court appearance. The declaration of “Subscribe to Pewdiepie” moments before murdering dozens of innocents in their place of worship. A long-winded manifesto released on 8chan littered with references to online humor and memes. These actions indicate an attempt at communication, a cry for attention, and approval from the home base of these incessant references – the internet.
The most disturbing aspect of the recent shootings is that they have not been motivated by a personal connection, by experiences directly felt with the victims. Instead of acts committed due to a personal history of experienced disapproval, these shootings take place as a result of a desire for approval, a desire to be accepted and veer more into the realm of hate crimes as they tend to target historically oppressed groups.
The online communities who explicitly align themselves with hate groups such as white supremacists or Neo-Nazis are undeniably problematic and dangerous. The lines are blurred, though when it comes to the types of humor referenced by both the Christchurch and Poway shooters – widely-shared edgy memes and jokes.
Pewdiepie himself, who has been referred to in two major mass shootings at this point, has been a leader in the realm of edgy humor and trolling on the internet for some time now. With a massive social media following and nearly 100 million subscribers on Youtube, Pewdiepie has historically come under fire for including subliminal messages of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism in his videos. Many of his jokes rely on sought shock value, including a video in which he pays two strangers online to hold a sign reading, “Death to all Jews.”
Despite how troubling his content can be, Pewdiepie has always been insistent that these startling recurrences in his videos are only jokes and are not meant to cause harm. In the wake of the recent tragedies in which his name has been repeatedly invoked, Pewdiepie has released statements denouncing the acts, and even published a video encouraging the end of the “Subscribe to Pewdiepie” movement referenced in the attacks.
Such is the crux of the conflict – if someone who makes jokes such as endorsing “Death to all Jews” to an audience of nearly 100 million subscribers is referenced in a terrorist attack on a synagogue, how responsible is that individual for the attack? How responsible are the internet communities that claim that their “edgy” humor is all in jest when someone takes it too far and opens fire on innocent civilians?
Pewdiepie made the right decision in condemning these vile acts. Pewdiepie cannot be held responsible for the murder of innocent people committed in his name. He can, however, be held responsible for his position as a leader in a community that considers finding the most devastating facets of our humanity hilarious an esteemed character trait – the more off-limits and shock-inducing, the better.
The more we find the agony of other humans, especially those who have been and still are systematically oppressed, something to be laughed at, the more susceptible we are to desensitization to human suffering altogether.
Edgy humor is not a sign of high intelligence. It is not a sophisticated vein of humor that if you find uncomfortable or wrong, you just don’t understand. Edgy humor is a gateway drug.
There are more than enough openly hateful individuals and groups in the world that require the focus of this conversation. But it should be worrisome that a man with a platform of nearly 100 million people worldwide has been referenced in two separate terrorist attacks, especially given that his audience is notoriously young, extremely devoted to him, and willing to do anything to capture their idol’s attention.
The internet is an incredible facilitator for connection, where people who may be struggling with their home, work, or school environments come to find solidarity, support, belonging. The internet thrives because it is free and largely unregulated, but its defining qualities have created a downward spiral, one that could start with watching the most popular influencer on Youtube and end in online forums espousing white supremacist values.
A joke is a joke until it is not. We need to rethink if it is worth a cheap laugh to keep engaging in behaviors that numb our pain receptors and have the potential to cause such enormous suffering.