this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2025
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What if I told you memes were supposed to be funny rather than excusing ignorance?
ok here’s three examples of exactly what the meme is referring to:
“Awful” originally meant “awe-inspiring” or “full of awe,” but frequent use to mean “very bad” eventually became the standard modern meaning.
“Peruse” traditionally meant “to read carefully,” but common casual use to mean “to skim or browse” has become widespread enough that dictionaries now record both senses.
“Nimrod” started as the name of a skilled biblical hunter, but repeated ironic use as an insult (for example, in cartoons... “Bugs Bunny”) led to its accepted modern sense of “fool” or “idiot.”
Language changes. Words mean what we say they mean since its all made up anyway.
The word that always comes to mind is 'literally' which has come to mean 'figuratively, but with emphasis' and it drives me nuts - because it removes the word we have to say 'this is a thing that you might assume is figurative, but it's not, it actually happened'.
Allow me to introduce you to my favorite portmanteau, "legiterally"
Okay, that's actually kinda great.
I was going to be that one in my list but I literally hate using the word …. 😉
Nimrod in the X-Men was badass. Probably more fitting to the original definition of the word.
These are your examples, not OPs. Your examples have no bearing on what OP may or may not have meant.
The content implies to me that OP have themselves been criticized and since your examples are all relatively antiquated I'm going to assume OP didn't mean them. Because who alive is out there saying "nimrod was actually pretty skilled" on lemmy?
The other alternative which is even worse is that OP literally just means language changes and this isn't in response to anything at all, it's just a pointless generic post restating a truism. But I choose not to believe that one either, although it seems to be the interpretation you've espoused.
Ignorance of what? It seems that if you're using a word the same way your sub culture uses a word, it's correct. Or rather that words can only be used correctly within a context.
That's the beauty of this terrible, terrible post: by not being remotely specific we can all imagine what word OP might be thinking of and imagine for ourselves whether it's justified.
So perhaps a better phrasing would be "memes are supposed to be funny, not generic rage bait"
That's not true, which is exactly why this is a good meme. The word meme was originally coined as a conceptual analogue to the word "gene*. Ideas spread and evolve, just like genes. Only in the last 15 years or so has it come to mean internet joke, and this is the direct result of people using the word in a different way than it was intended to be used. It doesn't matter what word the OP had in mind when they made this meme (though gif is the most likely candidate), it's accurate and relevant.
Right, so memes are supposed to be funny cause they are internet jokes.
Oh, so you just don't even understand the meme, now I get why you're so upset! I recommend starting by reading the words left-to-right, top-to-bottom. If you don't know how to pronounce one, just do your best. You can also ask an adult to help you, if there's one nearby.
Your msg too long so ignore
Monosodium glutamate isn't even that long, what a weenie
facts about natural processes don't need "justification"
that's in the eye of the beholder & Y U MAD, THO?
Right which is what I'm saying makes this a boring rage bait meme. It doesn't contribute anything but triggers memories of conversations. Some people will think of things where they were annoyed at someone clearly misusing a word because they are stupid, then claiming "bro language, like, flows and shit". Some people will think of (apparently, according to some other responder), people getting butthurt that the original 10000 year old meaning of the word nimrod got corrupted over time and think "yeah, language changes, think of all those nimrods". But it doesn't take a real stance or so anything interesting other than trigger feelings of annoyance in one direction or the other. So it's rage bait.
¿ Por Que No Los Dos ?
Dos is fine but I really just want it to be funny