Royal Procession (of memes)

for the week of 05.07.2023

KING ME

Well, it’s Sunday. England’s got a new king, so get ready for a royal procession (of memes) some of which celebrate the coronation, and some of which celebrate the corona-nation (cinco de mayo).

This week, in church, we talked about contentment. “Comparison is the thief of joy,” Teddy Roosevelt once said.

The author Mark Twain went a step further, calling comparison the “death” of joy.

Contentment is a *particular* challenge in the modern world. As social researcher Dan Warrender wrote in his article “How use of social media and social comparison affects mental health”

“To be human is to have inferiority feelings, but in the age of social media, this is potentially heightened and amplified. Social comparison in the real world usually involves the self and a few others, while the digital universe of social media presents almost limitless potential for people to compare themselves against others.”

So I thought I’d present some FANTASTIC examples of people trying to live up to the expectations of our Instagram world, and failing spectacularly. This should have the effect of making you feel a little bit better about yourself. Here we go.

And this is the attempt to replicate this shot.

Another attempt at a baby photo…

Instagram models, all.

NOTE: the guy who is the “v” is cracking me up.

Then there’s the whole Pinterest Envy phenomenon, when someone else who is gifted at interior decor posts their lovely things, like these adorable Cookie Monster cupcakes, made for a toddler’s birthday party.

As anyone not gifted in culinary arts knows, replicating such results is often difficult. But this person for sure nailed it.

IF YOU LIKE IT, THEN YOU SHOULDA PUT A KING ON IT

This also saw England get a new king. It’s been 71 years since England has had a king. And now they have a new one, you know that Britain is gonna want one now.

Find yourself someone who looks at you like King Charles looks at…this…uh…sacred gold egg thing. I was unaware Pokemon was incorporated into the coronation ceremony, but, like King George once said, “Gotta catch ‘em all.”

Here’s a Bishop with the jokes.

Then there’s this.

Indeed. So you know, I’m takin this horse by the reins makin’ Redcoats redder with bloodstains.

This week also saw us begin the month of May, which is wild, and home of one of my favorite all-time memes. Anything which fuses late 90s/early 2000s bubble-gum pop with the Gregorian Calendar is a HIT in my book.

May is also home to Star Wars Day (May the Fourth)

And…

And this one, which is terribly upsetting to <checks notes> every nerd out there.

There’s also this one, which is both cheesy and deeply moving at the *exact* same time.

Two more unrelated ones.

And speaking of parenting…all you theater dads out there, you were BORN for this moment. There’s no day like today.