The release of the Epstein files and ongoing conflicts between Israel and Palestine have resulted in a surge of ignorant mockeries in poor taste disguised as political commentary.
In an age where you can open any social media platform or turn on any news channel and immediately come across at least five depressing headlines, a majority of young people find themselves coping through humor.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “Finding some humor in a situation allows you to step back and see things more clearly. Laughing is like taking a deep breath and bringing everything back down to earth.”
Within a few scrolls on Instagram Reels, TikTok or YouTube Shorts, you’ll find some mindless individual referring to something or someone they dislike as ‘spiritually Israeli.’
While calling a bothersome homework assignment or annoying celebrity this term may seem innocent and harmless, words have impact. The trauma faced by those in direct contact with the conflicts goes far beyond simple irritations.
According to WSVN 7News Miami, on April 17, 23-year-old Gabriela Saldana was arrested for a Whatsapp message that said, “[Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in Ocean Bank Convocation Center.”
Statements similar to Saldana’s can be seen all over social media, without any known repercussions. According to a statistic reported on Feb. 19 by the Guardian, “More than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza.” What makes so many comfortable finding humor in the horrific acts that have cost thousands of lives?
Amid the war efforts between Iran and the US, social media users from all sides took to their platforms to post memes discussing a potential draft, pleading cases of innocence to Iran leaders and proposing various comedic takes on hypothetical combat situations.
A large majority of the comedians behind these jokes view the violence of war as a spectacle of the media. They use green screen backgrounds of Getty Images of war or screen grabs from war films and television shows from the comfort of their bedrooms.
“If you live far away from the threat, you’re capable of producing content that ridicules it with an element of safety,” said scholar and media analyst Adel Iskandar. “Whereas if you happen to be within close proximity, it is more of a fatalism.”
The insensitivity is not limited to members of the public. The internet sinkhole of political memes has opened up space for politicians and officials to post AI-generated deepfakes under President Donald Trump’s personal platforms as well as the official White House pages.
These images range from a depiction of Trump as a king in an AI-generated cover of TIME magazine posted to the White House’s official X page on Feb. 19, 2025, to another AI-generated photo depicting Trump as a Jesus-like figure, posted to his Truth Social page on April 12.
“ICE Out” protests throughout the nation featured signs with the phrase “Save the Latina Baddies” and other various attempts to find humor in the trauma of immigrant families. These jokes trivialize the incredibly important matters at hand and diminish the meaning of the protests overall.
People tend to believe that jokes and comments regarding the political atmosphere of the nation are a net positive, as they raise awareness for these issues in a way that grabs the attention of unlikely audiences.
While I can understand that perspective, I’m unsure if the surface-level awareness that comes from this content beats out or even rivals complete unawareness.
If your understanding of the national matters at hand fails to extend beyond ‘Israel bad!’ and ‘war happening maybe?’, is there any understanding at all?
The world of politics presupposes an educated public. There’s an expectation that once you reach voting age, and hopefully a little before then, you’ll start paying attention and researching candidates and policies to fulfill your civic duty.
It’s concerning to imagine that the “educated” public of today is one enlightened solely off of short-form social media content and witty one-liners.
Social media has become more powerful than most young people seem to understand, and we’re growing up fast. There is agency in language. Choose your words wisely and stay educated.
