Much of what we see on the internet is bizarre or even unhinged. But let’s be honest, it’s often funny, too. And it’s no surprise that many people browse the internet looking for a good giggle.
Though, people look for humor not only in the parallel online universe, but in the real world, as well. The New York Times reports that a study commissioned by Comedy Central found that for many people—young males, in particular—comedy has become essential to how they view themselves and others. For many, comedy was even more important than music, sports, or “personal style.”
Showing just how important comedy is to some men, the aforementioned research found that if they were to be stuck in an elevator, they would rather be stuck in there with a beloved comedian, rather than a beloved sports player; 65% vs. 15% choosing the former and the latter, respectively.
The data also revealed that the vast majority of respondents—as much as 88% of them—think that their sense of humor is crucial to their self-definition, and more than 70% believe that “funny people are more popular.”
Comedy Central’s research also found that millennials, the generation that came into this world sometime between the early 1980s and the late 1990s, stand out from the rest because they are comfortable with uncomfortable truths, The New York Times reports. Moreover, unlike other generations, they prefer humor even over music, and want comedy to be fast-paced, just like most things in life nowadays are.
The aforementioned research also found that when it comes to millennial humor, irony has been replaced by absurdity. That, unsurprisingly, might not be everyone’s cup of tea – according to Business Insider, Gen Z has already taken to TikTok to mock their perception of "millennial humor."
Delving deeper into how millennial comedy got so absurd, the Guardian’s Rachel Aroesti noted that one possible explanation for that is it being a “response to a world that has stopped making sense.”
Talking about absurd millennial comedy, Aroesti wrote that, “Philosophical absurdism argues that the universe is inherently irrational – a perspective rendered particularly apt by the unpredictable political developments of the past few years. But there’s something unique about millennials’ lot that contributes to this sense of meaninglessness.
“In 2017, the Washington Post asked: ‘Why is millennial humor so weird?’, positing the theory that as the economic climate has delayed milestones such as marriage, kids and home ownership, and external sources of meaning such as religion have faded away, life has started to feel unpleasantly rootless, something that is being reflected in a stranger, more chaotic form of comedy.”
Some sources suggest that millennials prefer not only absurd comedy, but dark humor, too. Analyzing how generational differences in comedic sensibilities can help connect the right ads with the right people, an Ipsos report noted that people’s preferred comedic attributes vary by generation, with millennials and Gen Z preferring dark humor more than others and baby boomers preferring political comedy.
No matter the kind of humor you enjoy, we hope that bizarre funny pictures, like the ones on this list, are something you can get a kick out of, too. And if you’re looking for more, feel free to give our meme category a go, where you ought to find more content to giggle at!