Reflection on Presentations of Religious Identity in Internet Memes
Jewish memes are funny because they consist of this unique combination of reverence/adherence to tradition and a relatable half-joking, half-complaining sort of tone. Most of the memes I've found are related to one of the many Jewish practices, and use cultural references in order to lovingly complain about them.
In looking at these memes made by Jews, it's interesting that such a theme should be the unifying factor, and makes me wonder what it is about the community that makes it so. While each of these memes is complaining/making fun of the traditions to an extent, it does not seem that the intent is negative- if anything, based on the responses each meme receives on facebook, other Jews find the memes as a funny way to relate to other members of their group.
To me, this says a few things. First, the fact that these memes make fun of the religion of the people they're made by says that this group does not take itself too seriously and enjoys a lighthearted approach to Judaism. Obviously this can only be assumed about the particular group for which these memes are meant, and cannot serve as a blanket statement about all Jews.
Second, the fact that the memes are used as a way to relate to others, whether it be through the use of a cultural reference like
Donald Trump's "fake news", or a relatable experience (see the meme about cleaning the house around pesach), this group seems to use memes to further build an online community. This gives the impression that community and humor are an important part of the Jewish identity as well.
I think this lighthearted approach is highlighted in these memes for the purpose of establishing an online community. Each of these memes contains two elements: first, a pop-cultural reference. This is typically either in the form of a universally recognized figure or a meme stock-character. The second element is a humorous statement about a common experience held in relation to whatever Jewish tradition the meme is about.
In class, we discussed how identity can be developed through digital media through the increased ability to self-express. Memes are no exception, and are being used in order to create an online Jewish narrative. Memes can be funny, multi-dimensional, and somewhat anonymous, and invite people of religions to not only comment on their religious identity, but expand it in relation to popular culture. By using popular phrases and characters to illustrate "the struggle" in these Jewish memes I've found, Jews are presenting their tradition in a current context.