Talking to the Man Behind ‘Loss,’ the Internet’s Longest-Running Miscarriage ‘Joke’
No.77285642 ViewReplyOriginalReport
Quoted By: >>77285694 >>77286105 >>77286285 >>77286835 >>77287121 >>77287173 >>77287547 >>77287867 >>77287900 >>77288027 >>77288444 >>77288509 >>77288524 >>77289646 >>77289657 >>77290012 >>77290899 >>77292596 >>77293790 >>77295840 >>77295963 >>77296791 >>77297657 >>77299193 >>77299302 >>77306626 >>77307186 >>77308556 >>77316357 >>77318364 >>77318515 >>77323271
http://nymag.com/following/2015/11/longest-running-miscarriage-meme-on-the-web.html
https://archive.is/WaLoa
>Why “Loss” has stuck around all these years is not entirely clear. Even the greatest scholars of memes struggle to understand why one particular image or idea circulates and another doesn’t. "Loss" is particularly interesting because it’s difficult to imagine a meme about miscarriage, created from gamer-centric media, becoming popular in 2015. Buckley thinks the meme has taken on a life of its own, divorced from its original context: “Most likely they're just doing it to have fun, and I certainly wouldn't suggest that it should stop if they still find amusement in it.”
>It’s possible that most “Loss” edits are all in good fun, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is something very odd — probably even wrong — about finding amusement in intimate tragedy. But the gap between intention and effect is an eternal wellspring for humor online, and Buckley's attempts to reach the heights of pathos with the limited tool set at his disposal revealed a very wide gulf. It wasn't just that a joke about a miscarriage was an easy way for 4chan's gleeful meme artists to shock people — it was that the strip was so stilted and unaffecting that no one seemed to be able to take it seriously enough to be shocked.
TL;DR: Somebody got paid to explain "Loss" to normies. in b4 REEEEEEEE; it's literally an essay explaining the joke and an attempt to shame people for thinking it's funny (despite having explained the context as to why it's even funny at all).
https://archive.is/WaLoa
>Why “Loss” has stuck around all these years is not entirely clear. Even the greatest scholars of memes struggle to understand why one particular image or idea circulates and another doesn’t. "Loss" is particularly interesting because it’s difficult to imagine a meme about miscarriage, created from gamer-centric media, becoming popular in 2015. Buckley thinks the meme has taken on a life of its own, divorced from its original context: “Most likely they're just doing it to have fun, and I certainly wouldn't suggest that it should stop if they still find amusement in it.”
>It’s possible that most “Loss” edits are all in good fun, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is something very odd — probably even wrong — about finding amusement in intimate tragedy. But the gap between intention and effect is an eternal wellspring for humor online, and Buckley's attempts to reach the heights of pathos with the limited tool set at his disposal revealed a very wide gulf. It wasn't just that a joke about a miscarriage was an easy way for 4chan's gleeful meme artists to shock people — it was that the strip was so stilted and unaffecting that no one seemed to be able to take it seriously enough to be shocked.
TL;DR: Somebody got paid to explain "Loss" to normies. in b4 REEEEEEEE; it's literally an essay explaining the joke and an attempt to shame people for thinking it's funny (despite having explained the context as to why it's even funny at all).
