Read the responses to this week’s Write to Win prompt, and choose the answer you like most using this form.
Aries: The meme of three Spider-Men pointing at each other is popular on the internet. To explain the meaning of this meme to my grandparents, I would say, “While you are pointing a finger at others, three of your fingers point back at you.” Next, I would give them an example from our lives to show what this meme means. My grandparents are experts at finding others’ mistakes. For instance, they always remind me, “Hey, my little kid, don’t scroll through your social media all the time; leave some time for studying!” They say this even if I pick up my phone to quickly reply to a message. But once I taught them how to use Instagram, the roles completely reversed. They cannot stop scrolling and laughing all the time while on their phones, even at midnight! Therefore, I would say, “Hey, Grandma, isn’t it time for you to reflect on your teaching? Before you start criticising others, consider your own actions! While you point a finger at others, there are always three fingers pointing back at you.” Plus, when you are complaining about someone else, you may find that you actually made the same mistakes in the past. This is how my grandparents could understand why there are three Spider-Men pointing at each other.
Taurus: Although the “chill guy” meme is now a bit old in social media terms, it was all the rage in Hong Kong last year. Given the rather simple and self-explanatory nature of this meme, I would choose to explain it to my grandparents by directly showing them “chill guy” memes, after explaining to them the definition of a “meme”. I would also explain how the “chill guy” meme went viral because of its universality and openness to interpretation, from its emotions to its clothing. This allowed it to be used in various contexts, either as an explanation for the way people act or as a reaction to what others say. I would equate “chill guy” to an emoji and tell them that they can use it as a sticker on WhatsApp to show off their new-found knowledge to friends. In the endless wave of trends and content online, teenagers tend to forget to keep their grandparents updated with things happening on the internet. Despite the generation gap, I’m certain that they would also be interested in the current affairs of the online world. After all, aren’t we all, in one way or another, just “chill guys”?
Cancer: “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday, and right now, you can save £50 per person!” My grandma would probably jump with excitement after hearing this ad. As a Hakka woman, saving money isn’t just a habit for her – every penny saved is a small victory, a quiet proof that her hard work pays off. Thus, I‘ve never seen her going on a holiday. When I was little, I’d always promise her, “When I grow up, I’ll take you on a trip – one where we don’t have to think about money, only joy.” She would chuckle and say, “Darling, hold my hand,” – just like the meme’s first line, which is taken from “Hold My Hand” by singer-songwriter Jess Glynne. Online, the audio clip of the Jet2 holiday advertisement is often used when friends support each other or in funny clips when someone helps another person in a ridiculous situation. But to me, this audio clip is a reminder of my grandmother’s belief that love doesn’t need to be grand to feel like a holiday. So when I tell her, “I want you to hold my hand” – this is the next line in the song, which the meme doesn’t include – she always smiles knowingly. She understands exactly what I mean: let’s go on a holiday!
Libra: Rick Astley’s iconic “Never Gonna Give You Up” is part of one of the most popular memes ever, but my grandparents don’t know about it. I cannot simply explain this meme to them using words. I would begin by sending them the link to the music video of Astley’s song. When they click on it, I would say, “Ha! You just got ‘rickrolled’!” They would probably be confused and ask, “What’s going on?” I would then tell them this is a famous meme. And when they ask what a meme is, I would let them know it is something on the internet that makes people laugh, and this meme is about tricking people into watching the music video. I hope they can understand the meme, but my grandparents couldn’t care less, even if they did. Therefore, I do not think it is a good idea to introduce a meme to them, but this is how I would do it if I had to.
Capricorn: “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down” – are you familiar with this meme? That’s right – you just got “rickrolled”! But my grandparents aren’t going to know what all the fuss is about. They’re just going to stare at the screen, confused. As their grandchild who is going to explain everything, I would first pull up a video of the whole song for them to watch. Then, I would tell them, “Grandma, Grandpa, this cheesy video went extremely viral on social media for being catchy back in the day. And after it blew up, people started to send links to it that were hidden behind intriguing names that were all fake. When you click on these links, they lead you to the music video, and you’ll be so surprised. Now, whenever someone stumbles across the meme or song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, people call it getting ‘rickrolled’ because the singer’s name is Rick Astley. So yes, you did get rickrolled just now. It was necessary. It’s a simple and funny prank, and because of that, it’s timeless.” They will laugh, still befuddled as to why the internet became so obsessed with this meme, but they will understand.
