I just finished my third semester of college (do you hear those angels singing too?). I’ll be honest – this semester was tough for me. The work was a lot harder than freshman year, and finals week was brutal.
My generation has a way to deal with finals stress that no generation before us has possessed: memes. ‘Tis the season when memes about being stressed out and GPAs dropping run abound, and I must say: for the most part, I love them. It’s nice to be able to see your experience reflected online and to be able to share your pain with friends. It reminds me that being imperfect is commonplace and that we’re all in this together. We love these jokes because, well, they’re relatable.
But lately, I’ve been feeling that this relatability has allowed us to start excusing our worst instincts and behaviors because, hey, other people do it too!
“I had a six-page paper to write last night, but I just watched Netflix instead.”
“I might skip class because honestly I just don’t feel like going.”
These are sentiments that most of us have been guilty of at one time or another, and it’s nice to know that we’re not alone in our flaws. But at what point do we stop commiserating with other people about our struggles, and start bragging about our shortcomings?
This is what worries me. There is a point when these jokes – whether online or in person – seem to stop being about supporting one another, and start becoming a Laziness Competition.
Being lazy is not cool. Being irresponsible should not be trendy. And yet we give into these narratives – despite ourselves – because it’s easier. We don’t know how to reckon with our own failure, so we make failure a victory in and of itself.
We don’t need this. We don’t have to validate ourselves by making our flaws desirable. We should be supporting one another in a way that reaffirms our humanity regardless of our GPA but also encourages our friends to do their best. And if you fail, that’s okay. Not because it’s cute, or normal, but because you are valuable no matter what. Even if nobody says “same” after you recount your latest story.
Keep the memes coming – I love them. But let’s makes sure that once we log offline, we can still motivate ourselves and one another to be the best that we can be.
