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[MikeyB]

The newer generation's absurd humour annoys the older ones.

Early 90s was too weird then

Late 90s was too weird then

It is not like absurdity as a source of humour is new.

Memes are often short form low production value crowd sourced absurdity.

Also, I think the perceived destructiveness of memes is just their short form. You cannot build any sort of context in such a short form joke, so it has to rely on "You think this, but what about that!"

 

[NeonBlack]

The main reason millennial humor rubs me the wrong way is that it's anti-intellectual. Most ordinary jokes rely on a certain cleverness of construction, complexity of meaning, or at least a shared lexicon among the audience. The absurdism that is a hallmark of millennial humor abolishes meaning. It neutralizes wit and knowledge with its mockery of the very language and symbols that convey coherent ideas.

I think I actually hate it. The laziest lolrandom strains of it, at least. It's nihilistic. It denies the worth of things that add value to life.

No examples of "intellectual" jokes?

 

[ExVicis]

So are the Flintstones and Jetsons these clever, meaningful cartoons?

The Jetsons wasn't actually that popular and was far eclipsed by the Flinstones back in the day.

 

[NeoZeedeater]

Over half of what is getting called millennial humour is probably written by Generation X'ers.

 

[chiimisu]

Tbh this is so much better than lazy internet "humor" from the 00s like cheezburger cat and ALL YOUR BASE, come at me

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Tbh this is so much better than lazy internet "humor" from the 00s like cheezburger cat and ALL YOUR BASE, come at me

How is "All your base" lazy? It wasn't even created as a joke. It's just a mistranslation someone noticed and people laugh at.

 

[The Hermit]

Hmm

Well, between Adventure Time, Rick & Morty, Eric Andre Show... I agree it's weird.

Rick & Morty sometimes is so repulsive (last episode Ricky killed a cockroach bitting it for what it seemed to me like an eternity), but I can't stop watching it.. why?

 

[Ashby]

I was born in 92 and I don't get half of this shit. It seems like what some people are calling Millennial memes ("dank" memes) are really GenZ memes. Millenials end in 96/97 and all of this shit seems popular mostly with the under 20 crowd.

All the memes on Twitter I see are spread around by people in their late 20s and early 30s, my dude. Gen Z are a bunch of dumb teenagers, ain't nobody paying attention to their memes.

 

[Auctopus]

Fucking hell, those comments are worse than YouTube. Self-righteous Boomer mindset.

 

[astroturfing]

i loved Ren & Stimpy 20 years ago, it was suitably absurdist, not too over-the-top like a lot of the stuff today.

is there any current show similar to that? i'm ready to give a chance or two, as i'm not a completely cynical old fuck (yet). i heard some millenial co-workers talk about Rick & Morty yesterday and how awesome it is.. dare i check it out?

 

[Brandon F]

I'm starting to think GAF enjoys whining about people whining about millennials.

Its peak millennial humor afterall.

 

[Ryaaan14]

 

[benjipwns]

It is not like absurdity as a source of humour is new.

My favorite fake freeze frame ending for Police Squad! is when the chief goes to pour Frank a cup of coffee and he says "say when Frank!" and the music starts and they freeze as he just keeps pouring it and Leslie Neilsen tries ignoring it so hard but flinches.

The title might be a bit of hyperbole but it's pretty decent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRva7z8pvwc

Being a huge fan you realize how much they used this same joke in so many things, it's done in at least two of the six episodes, then they reuse the bit in at least the first film, i'm pretty sure it's used in another Zucker film like Top Secret! or Hot Shots!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCa1w4QeJYI

Same with this, especially the stuff after white O.J. leaves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjb5qHu7D9Q

Spoiler

It's sad that image is labeled "airplane" like it's from that.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

i loved Ren & Stimpy 20 years ago, it was suitably absurdist, not too over-the-top like a lot of the stuff today.

is there any current show similar to that? i'm ready to give a chance or two, as i'm not a completely cynical old fuck (yet). i heard some millenial co-workers talk about Rick & Morty yesterday and how awesome it is.. dare i check it out?

If you like Ren and Stimpy it's pretty safe to say you'll like Rick & Morty and Adventure Time.

 

[Stone Ocean]

Weird humor is fun because it can be completely unpredictable but still make some modicum of sense.

 

[Bounceounce]

How does our Lord and savior Fantano fit into all of this?

 

[Princess Carl]

i loved Ren & Stimpy 20 years ago, it was suitably absurdist, not too over-the-top like a lot of the stuff today.

is there any current show similar to that? i'm ready to give a chance or two, as i'm not a completely cynical old fuck (yet). i heard some millenial co-workers talk about Rick & Morty yesterday and how awesome it is.. dare i check it out?

Lol, what.

 

[cr0w]

Those comments are probably from people who think Dana Carvey and Steve Martin are funny.

What's funny about this is Steve Martin has been doing brilliant absurdist, non sequitur comedy since the 70s, but most people are only familiar with his most popular movies.

Seriously, read Pure Drivel.

 

[benjipwns]

Lol, what.

He must have only watched the episodes after they took it away from the creator.

 

[HelloNewman]

Tom Goes to the Mayor was amazing and I've seen every episode of it and Tim and Eric Awesome show. I still tell my cousin rats off to ya every Christmas.

 

[Valhelm]

Over half of what is getting called millennial humour is probably written by Generation X'ers.

nah no way, spontaneous humor on twitter and other social media is a lot more important than any sitcom or comedy festival run by older people

while I guess Rick & Morty has a pretty wide following, very influential comedians like Eric Andre and Bo Burnham are never over 40

 

[eot]

This pretty much sums it up

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Its just going to get even weirder as time goes on,

 

[Bronx-Man]

I think Adult Swim in general is responsible for creating a new generation of comedy. Almost 25 years and they've given us:
Space Ghost
Home Movies
ATHF
Sealab 2021
Harvey Birdman
Venture Bros
Robot Chicken
The Boondocks
The Eric Andre Show
Black Dynamite
Rick & Morty

Any of these on their own could be considered comedy classics. But all on one channel back-to-back-to-back? That's a comedy revolution.

 

[HelloNewman]

Adult Swim is also how Family Guy and Futurama got popular almost no one watched them when they first aired on fox.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

 

[Zeus Molecules]

I think Adult Swim in general is responsible for creating a new generation of comedy. Almost 25 years and they've given us:
Space Ghost
Home Movies
ATHF
Sealab 2021
Harvey Birdman
Venture Bros
Robot Chicken
The Boondocks
The Eric Andre Show
Black Dynamite
Rick & Morty

Any of these on their own could be considered comedy classics. But all on one channel back-to-back-to-back? That's a comedy revolution.

That's actually a good point adult comedy cartoons that was once limited to a just few shows (simpsons, South Park, and family guy) are now a norm. Basically due to the lack of limitations of cartoons comedy humor has become more absurd since as long as you can draw it, it can be done.

 

[PixelatedBookake]

I think Adult Swim in general is responsible for creating a new generation of comedy. Almost 25 years and they've given us:
Space Ghost
Home Movies
ATHF
Sealab 2021
Harvey Birdman
Venture Bros
Robot Chicken
The Boondocks
The Eric Andre Show
Black Dynamite
Rick & Morty

Any of these on their own could be considered comedy classics. But all on one channel back-to-back-to-back? That's a comedy revolution.

Yup. Plus it was on a kids channel that most children would stay up to watch. Kids have grown up with these shows as long as they were on. I know I stayed up past 9 to watch Adult Swim almost every day in middle school. It was a ritual.

 

[GrooveCommand]

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

Is Rick and Morty a "millennial" humor show because that show is fucking hilarious.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Universe * 2 = tube

 

[Catvoca]

Whatever is new will always seem weird and stupid to people who are older.

Also, I'm surprised everyone is shouting out Tim and Eric and not mentioning Mr Show, which is more of what I'd think of as being the weird-ass sketch show progenitor.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Tim and Eric are both Gen Xers....

Adult Swim has been full of weird stuff, but almost none of it created by Millenials!

They know their market: stoner humor.

Fuck I love being alive right now. All the shit that got me called a "goofy ass nigga" by my friends is mainstream.

-Mideval fantasy? Everyone watching Game Of Thrones
-Stoner humor? Rick n Morty and Adult Swim shit
-Star Trek went mainstream with the new movies
-And comic book movies is crushing in the theaters

We winning! I mean I'm not a millennial. But it's nice.

 

[Monocle]

Good lord, its just fun ironic memes, get over yourself

I'm not talking about lighthearted memes. Nice knee-jerk reaction though.

No examples of "intellectual" jokes?

Litterally any bit from any widely acclaimed comic? Start with Eddie Izzard.

 

[televator]

Millennials killed humor.

Somehow people say we're weak softies, but we're also stone cold killers at the same time.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Boomer humor sucks ass. Hannah Barbara cartoons are all terrible.

 

[Bubba_Sparks]

As a millennial it seems completely normal to me. On the other hand, humor from older generations seems foreign and awkward. Hmmm... I wonder?

 

[Bronx-Man]

As a millennial it seems completely normal to me. On the other hand, humor from older generations seems foreign and awkward. Hmmm... I wonder?

Because old people humor fucking blows. Youth culture forever

 

[Lord of Castamere]

As a millennial it seems completely normal to me. On the other hand, humor from older generations seems foreign and awkward. Hmmm... I wonder?

*shrug* There's good humor in the past. Mel Brooks and Leslie Nelson's films have absurdist humor that still gels today.

 

[Monocle]

Nonintellectual =/= anti-intellectual

But I'd disagree that millennial humor is nonintellectual for the most part or certainly no more nonintellectual than other generations' humor. Pretty much all of the big Adult Swim shows heavily draw upon big ideas that may appear hidden at first glance. Eric Andre may look crazy, but his show is a reaction against and satire of the stale format of late night television. Rick and Morty constantly references existentialist philosophy and finds surprising humanity in absurd realities. Shorts like Too Many Cooks, which is hard not to view in light of postmodern hyperrealism, and This House Has People In It, whose unsettling tone is heavily influenced by pioneering video artists such as Bill Viola's early work, are other examples that could only be produced by minds familiar with such high concepts. I could discuss more, but I don't have the time right now

Perhaps the final products don't clearly reflect their background, but it is there behind the shocking or random elements. Millennial humor is nihilistic because it comes from the minds of people who are well read enough to recognize the validity of said absurdity in the face of an uncertain or insignificant world in which their actions might prove meaningless anyway.

I can appreciate existentialist satire, because it takes a position and has a point. It comes from a place of literacy. I don't appreciate random combinations of nonsense that don't even create an amusing effect.

"Meaning is a lie, blargh" is a childish and defeatist position. Like, read a fucking book and exercise your privilege to decide what it means for you. (I'm not addressing you specifically with that last bit, if that wasn't clear.)

The whole point of absurdism is to point out that nothing actually has any meaning and the idea that is does is a joke in itself. Or at the very least, the idea that we will never be able to know, that it's pointless to try to figure it out, and to ascribe any rule set is pointless as well.

If you really think it's anti intellectual, you're kind of missing the point.

No, that's exactly my point. Denying the validity of meaning, even subjective meaning, is a doorway into the abyss. If you truly believe nothing means anything, life is pointless. And that's bullshit.

P.S. Don't assume I believe the universe has any built-in meaning. I think that we as conscious being create meaning by ascribing value and interpreting the world we live in. To claim everything is meaningless is to reject one of the most valuable features of living as a conscious being. Your existence doesn't last long. Best use it wisely.

 

[Wvrs]

But really. We Millenials saw thousands of people die on television. All of us under 20. Its not much different from the Dadaism, surrealism, the Lost Generation, etc. that came after World War 1.

It can only be the height of delusion caused by American exceptionalism that you'd even think to suggest that 9/11 compares with the 18 million deaths and absolute ruin done to Europe over the course of WW1. Fuck me. 9/11's not even the most tragic world event since 2001, not even close.

 

[sonto340]

I'm not talking about lighthearted memes. Nice knee-jerk reaction though.


Litterally any bit from any widely acclaimed comic? Start with Eddie Izzard.

Stand up comedy fucking blows.

 

[toadsworth]

It's probably Spongebob's fault

Seriously, we all grew up with spongebob and that show was absurd. No wonder we grew up to be a bunch of weirdos.

The parallels to WWI is interesting though, I didn't know about those early 20th century movements.

 

[QuantumSquid]

 

[Bronx-Man]

I think it gets written off because it's a kids cartoon, but the first 3 seasons of Spongebob are a masterclass in how to write surrealist/absurdist comedy. I can watch that show at 20 and still laugh just as hard as I did at 10.

 

[Ashby]

I think it gets written off because it's a kids cartoon, but the first 3 seasons of Spongebob are a masterclass in how to write surrealist/absurdist comedy. I can watch that show at 20 and still laugh just as hard as I did at 10.

Once they shore up the year range you gonna be that Gen Zer that says "Nah, I'm actually a Millenial" lmao

 

[Pesmerga00]

It's the feeling of inclusiveness you get when you share an in joke with a friend.

Spoiler

here comes dat boi

 

[ATF487]

I think Adult Swim in general is responsible for creating a new generation of comedy. Almost 25 years and they've given us:
Space Ghost
Home Movies
ATHF
Sealab 2021
Harvey Birdman
Venture Bros
Robot Chicken
The Boondocks
The Eric Andre Show
Black Dynamite
Rick & Morty

Any of these on their own could be considered comedy classics. But all on one channel back-to-back-to-back? That's a comedy revolution.

I have a slight preference for early AS (Space Ghost and Home Movies are my favs) but it has been pretty good for over 15 years now, always changing slightly.

I do think that my sense of humor was more influenced by the Simpsons/Home Movies and British shows like the Office, but I can get down with absurd stuff like Tim and Eric.

 

[PSqueak]

why do old people think this shit is new, absurdist and dadaist humor have existed for several decades, maybe even centuries.

 

[ColonialHawk]

I me we millennials grew up on shit that the older generation created.

Early Cartoon Network was reruns of just old cartoons like Looney Tunes, Wacky Races, Scooby Doo, and whole bunch of other Hanna-Barbera classics. Then Adult Swin came with even more bizarre comedy. I grew up on with watching Mel Brooks' classics or a Zucker/Abrams production.

Sounds like it's the fault of the older generation 🤔