self-deprecating memes

Clowns have been having quite the moment over the past few years. "Jokerfied" has become a verb. Thousands of women have been Harley Quinn for Halloween. It had a new opportunity to become a household name. Despite all these prominent media moments, we (as a society) are overlooking the biggest clowns of all: ourselves. 

That's right. Somehow, the human race has managed to make jesters of themselves on a day-to-day basis. Whether it's convincing yourself that you matter to your corporate overlords, or if you've convinced yourself that you can change your toxic partner, we're constantly subconsciously donning giant shoes and making a mockery of ourselves by playing dumb. But we're not alone. Pretty much every living, breathing human with an ounce of empathy, heart, or soul has themselves up for clownish disappointment. And boy, are there a ton of memes out there that reflect just that. 

As brutal as the lockdowns and quarantine have felt, we like to look for silver linings. For many of us, this means more excuses to escape reality via television and movies. Action films are high up on our list of escapist genres. There's something weirdly therapeutic about watching a character kick major ass. Instagram meme creators such as @snackytuna and @bread_loafington take the heroes (think Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T) of testosterone-filled movies and make them the subjects of some seriously relatable and self-deprecating memes. While the image macros don't pass the Bechdel test, they're still extremely entertaining. If you like what you see, give these accounts a follow on Instagram. We think they deserve it.

If you're miserable and you know it, look at memes. If you're miserable and you know it, look at memes. If you're miserable and you know it, and you really can't be bothered to show it, if you're miserable and you know it, look at memes. The more depressing and self-deprecating the better.

As we approach the final day of the weekend, it's important to remember that this is the only time we never have to feel bad about screwing around. Whether you're eating a whole pizza and vegging to some crappy tv, or scrolling through memes, you are allowed to tell responsibilities to eff off. And if you're in the latter of the two camps, this gallery might help you in your quest for low-effort entertainment. 

It's the freakin' weekend and you know what that means—time to kill precious free time by compulsively scouring the internet for hilarious memes. You're in luck though, because we've done half the work for you by curating this spicy batch of relatable memes and tweets full of mildly self-deprecating humor. So if you're feeling extra lazy, this collection is right up your alley. 

2021 ain't shaping up to be much better than 2020. If you're feeling glum, withdrawn, or straight up depressed, there's only so many things that can help you. Fortunately for anyone with an internet service, there's plenty of funny crap to enjoy as a distraction. We've put together some relatable and stupid memes to make browsing for humor a little more convenient. They may not be the best memes of all time, but they're definitely worthy of your perusal. 

If you're looking to shirk responsibility or waste some of your precious time on this planet, you've come to the right place. We're huge proponents of avoiding problems and reality with internet humor. And we've got a whole lot of that right here, in the form of dumb and dank memes.

If you're in the "Life's a bitch and then you die" camp, you're probably going to enjoy this gallery of memes. They're for the people who lean into their pessimism, and perhaps have a habit of calling it "realism." For the people who don't have the energy to pretend that everything's okay. For the people who accept the pain and use dark humor to cope. And most of all, these nuggets of moroseness are for the people who can't handle another wholesome or cutesy memes. 

Ever take a step back from your life and wonder if you're just doing it wrong? It's easy to feel that way when you compare yourself to your parents. Many of us deal with these feelings, especially if we've surpassed the age at which our creators decided they were ready to bring life into this godforsaken world. A new Wojak comic meme completely excels at utilizing this theme, and the results are our favorite kind of self-deprecating humor. The meme basically compares what our parents were doing (making commitments, investing in the future) with what we're doing at that age. The punchline is that in 2020, we're doing shit that's way less mature. You know, making mistakes like eating pills of the ground or infantilizing ourselves with phrases like "I'm baby." While some of these memes hit home pretty hard, a couple of them are great reminders that progress is possible. It's also important to remembe that the world was a different place when our parents were our age. It's always better to focus on one's self and the possibilities we do have. 

Some people turn to wholesome memes or cute pictures of animals when they're depressed. Others try to unplug altogether. We here at Memebase sometimes prefer the "lean in" approach, instead choosing to scroll through memes that depict the shitty feelings we have perfectly. Sometimes you have to wallow a little to feel better.

These memes are for everyone who is miserable and not afraid to show it. For the downtrodden and depressed, the people who are somehow keeping it together for people other than themselves. The people who suffer through the trying routines and constant agony of existence. We see you. And you're not alone. These memes serve as proof.

Usually we're here to shill memes when things are feeling boring, or bad. Right now? Things are definitely not boring. But they're still kind of bad. So we're back with more memes to give you that dopamine you crave. From self-deprecating memes to sassy tweets, this gallery's got a little bit of everything. So sit back, relax, and flex those scrolling muscles. We've got you covered

2001's Donnie Darko, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, has been making a bit of a comeback on the internet this year. We're not sure if it's due to millennial nostalgia/escapism or because the psychological thriller kind of reflects the puzzling insanity of 2020. In the last couple months, one format in particular has been popping up all over Instagram and Reddit. It's from a scene in which Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) tells his psychiatrist, Dr. Thurman, about a new friend he's made. Thurman asks if the friend is real or imaginary, and Donnie confirms that the friend does not actually exist. 

It's a sad moment, and it's no wonder that the memes it's inspired are pretty self-deprecating and depressing. They mostly riff on how difficult it is to make a real connection in this world - but some of them focus on how futile it is to try to make it as a musician. Others are just straight up shitposts about poopoo or peepee. This gallery boasts all of the above, and more. At the end of the day, these memes just make us yearn to go out into the real world and make friends like we used to. Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

We come bearing gifts, and we come with a message. The message? Don't let boredom take hold of your poor, poor brain. The gifts? A crap ton of memes, tweets, and Tumblr posts that will aid you in the long-running battle against tedium. Use these tools, and use them well. 

It seems like a decade ago that we were lamenting the Sonic movie's terrible animation. Even the movie's February 14 release seems like it happened in another lifetime. But the film (which actually got solid reviews) has more to offer than 100 minutes of boredom-busting. It's inspired more than a few excellent dank memes, and the latest format features Jim Carrey as Sonic's nemesis, Robotnik. The meme remixes the classic Daily Struggle format by adding a panel of Robotnik eagerly selecting the negative red button. It's being used to mock everyone from gullible fake-news spreading aunts to gamers, and it's quickly becoming one of the more popular formats on Reddit. We've put together a healthy handful of our favorite examples, but you can read more about the evil goodness on Know Your Meme. Happy scrolling!

While some people may be touting the benefits of positivity during this global crisis, we're more inclined to suggest you lean into the darkness. Going through it means actually having to feel -  that means you should be feeling the bad stuff just as much as the good stuff. And after all this is over, hopefully we'll laugh about the misery. Just like we chuckled at these dark yet relatable memes.