Thread by @aanupraise

#RantivityThursday

Seriously writing,

There is a huge difference between satire/sarcasm and senseless, messageless and unnecessary jokes!

Sadly, many Nigerians don't understand this.

#JosiahsThreads

There are so many issues of national, religious and sociocultural importance that have been sacrificed on the altar of memes and jokes.

This is bcos out of a desire to be funny, many of us have taken to making jokes out of the serious issues, thereby watering down their gravity

If you go online, especially on this app, you'll see memes & jokes making light of infidelity in relationships & marriages. The other day, someone wrote that if having one boyfriend could bring happiness, she couldn't but imagine how much happiness ten boyfriends would bring.

While this might pass off as an innocuous joke, it goes a long way to show how we now treat issues.

I have also seen memes and jokes on how girls should be more money conscious in relationships, how the men should be sexually conscious and all sorts.

While you might laugh at these pieces, some of the messages stick to some part of your head. One day, you'll find yourself ruminating & contemplating that thing you laughed about, wondering if it'd hurt if you tried it out.

Look at the way many people handle issues bordering on rape, kidnap, internet fraud, drug abuse and other vices. We just make fun of everything, blinding ourselves to the dangerous realities.

Even socioeconomic and sociopolitical issues are not left out.

When our leaders mess up, we fail to tackle the issue directly. Rather, we print shirts, make skits and make a meal of it during comedy shows. By the time we remember to come back to the real issue, it would have been swept under the carpet.

Just to be clear again, I am in no way talking about satirical pieces. I am referring to the messy handiwork of wannabe online and offline comedians who make fun of serious issues.

The saddest part of this is that many of these jokes reflect some of deepest thought patterns of their makers. After all, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth and hands joketh.

Just to be clear, don't joke about or make light of the following issues:

Rape (Both false and true allegations)
Internet fraud
Kidnapping
Vandalism
Infidelity/promiscuity
Corruption
Domestic violence!

If you try am near me, I go slap you.

Shalom.

By Emmanuel .U.