Memes That Are as Sure as Change

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 16, 2023 10:00 PM EDT

I recently had a mundane experience that shook me to my very core. I had to fill out a form with all my previous addresses, so I was Googling the places I lived during college to jog my memory of the details. I was astounded to find property listings that revealed each and every one of them had been renovated, and the rent almost doubled to boot. It was always inevitable — these places were dumps, practically begging some eagle-eyed developer to squeeze some extra profit out of them — but I still couldn't quite get over it. Where was the crappily painted textured wallpaper, and the flea ridden carpet? The mice that lived behind the bathtub and the live wires in the hallway that the landlord had ever-so-safely taped over?

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that change is a difficult thing to stomach, even when it's about something that doesn't really affect us. Memes are one of those things that are great at helping us deal with this. This is primarily because they change so much themselves. If these things are going to happen, we might as well enjoy some arbitrary units of cultural communication about it.