Funny post #1: Making fun of the past

I've been collecting any funny cartoons, jokes, or memes I've found online that pertain to the message of the Secret Peace, that is, progress. I'm going to present them over the next few blog posts.

I could just present them by themselves, since they are meant to be interpreted on their own, and some of them are pretty funny. But as you read them, I think there's a larger point to keep in mind, one that makes me happy. I think that popular humor reflects our culture, and since online humor often reflects younger people than the culture at large (and many of these memes are from 9gag, which is populated by a lot of younger users), it is a good signifier of where the culture is going. I've been seeing more of these types of jokes recently, and I'll take that as a good sign that not only are the few people creating them in line with Secret Peace themes, but so is the larger audience, since the ones I've found are the ones getting passed around social media or voted up on the humor sites.

The theme of today's jokes is making fun of the past. Let's start with an opposite joke, to prove a point. This is the only joke I've come across that I've seen as directly in opposition to The Secret Peace - and thus, from my point of view, terribly incorrect.

Ugh, this is awful. Are people really envious of these folks shooting arrows in the woods? And while I guess it's true that they have "no bombs", saying that there is "no poverty" in pre-industrial hunter-gatherer cultures is a gross inaccuracy. They don't even have clothes. They are 100% the embodiment of poverty; this is what economists define as "extreme poverty" (actually, it's probably even beyond that). And I'm sure there's "no stress" in having to hunt for your food every day. I'd like to see the person who posted this try it. I'm sure it's much less stressful than your day creating memes on 9gag.

Here's a better cartoon, by New Yorker artist Alex Gregory, that kicks holes in the logic of that previous item.

And here are some more. Some are quick gags, or interesting factoids, and others are more thought-provoking. They all make the basic point of: "Hey, don't romanticize the past. Compared to back then, today's not that bad."

And here's one final one to help you feel better on this "Blue Monday" (which allegedly is the most depressing day of the year, but in reality is made up). Stay tuned to the next few posts for more funny, progressive stuff.