There are not that many ways to make jokes on Twitter. Most jokes follow some kind of viral template — which is (one of) the reasons the platform often feels like a cursed echo chamber.
And, of course, some formats are better than others. Even the good ones — which should have finite shelf lives — tend to overstay their welcome. (Remember the biggest crossover event in history?)
That is why, despite our trepidation, we gotta call it on the following joke formats. It's not that they were never good; it's that they aren't good anymore. So please stop using them, and we will try to do the same.
Please.
1. "Don't talk to me or my son ever again."
It brings us no joy to put this on this list, as pictures of a big thing alongside a smaller version of the thing are generally very funny. Unfortunately, too many people have made the "me or my son" joke and it has lost its whimsical power. Rest in peace.
This slight variation on the format is still good, though.
2. "Forever mood"
It is true that some things are a forever mood. But it is not true that everything is a forever mood. And thus, the forever mood must go.
3. "This is the future liberals want."
Honestly, the idea of a global "future" is sort of up in the air right now! And this joke format, while truly hilarious in its day, has simply been used too many times to pack a punch any longer. Push it back to the annals of 2017 where it belongs.
4. "It me"
Nebulous in its origins, impossible to Google, and far too broad in its application, "it me" has become one of those internet phrases that pretty much means nothing. It time... to say goodbye.
5. Trump yelling at the lawn kid
These used to be so good! But this cursed image has been riffed on so many times, and in the wake of so many traumatizing developments in the news, that we simply cannot bear to see it any longer. Leave Frank the lawn kid alone.
6. "...said no one ever."
How are we still seeing this eighth-grade level burn in 2018?
7. "Yeah, sex is cool, but..."
Sadly, society has never been able to surpass one of the original iterations of this joke: "yeah sex is cool but have you ever had garlic bread." You're not going to do better than that, so it's time to gently coax this one into retirement.
8. "Hold my beer."
The basic premise of the "hold my beer" meme is that when someone does something horrible, it's guaranteed that another person will do something worse — and soon. This is true, obviously, but it's also deeply sad. That's why this meme has become so exhausting.
Pepsi: That was the biggest PR blunder of the week, year maybe.
United: Hold my beer.
Sean Spicer: LEEEEEEEEEERROOOOOOOY JEEEENNNNNNKINS!— Lance Bradley (@Lance_Bradley) April 11, 2017
9. "Just gonna leave this here."
To be clear, we're not against leaving things here. Sometimes, there's not much commentary to make about something — it's funnier if your followers just see for themselves.
But you don't have to announce yourself, like, every time.