Florida Man
Abstract
The use of social media has been on the increase as more individuals create accounts to interact with their friends and the rest of the world online. Social media is associated with several benefits, including promoting interaction and entertainment. Social media users much utilize memes in their daily online interactions. The use of memes has a peculiar way of making communication among online community members exciting and entertaining. Florida Man meme became popular in the year 2013 when the Twitter feed @_FloridaMan was mentioning news headlines that had the words “Florida Man” in them. The use of the meme became prevalent because of many factors, including freedom of the press in Florida. It is important to note that the meme became popular on social media sites like Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit. This essay has a rationale for discussing whether it is appropriate to consider the meme as a source of entertainment and fun or not.
Florida Man
Florida Man Meme as a Source of Fun and Entertainment
In some circumstances, it is ok to laugh at the Florida Man meme because it is full of humor. It is common to find humans associating fun with happiness, and it is apparent that people draw a lot of pleasure from the Florida Man meme. Happiness is an integral part of life that every human being attempts to find it. It is, therefore, appropriate to give people to savor the fun and excitement brought about by the Florida Man meme. From the articles of the various news articles, it is apparent that the headlines are bizarre, and they draw attention as they prompt an individual to think beyond the outer meaning of the words. The articles related to the meme makes one excited and curious as he attempts to dig deeper into the information he reads. In the process of getting more insight into an article relating to the meme, the reader draws excitement and fun, thereby making him happy. There are many challenges that humanity struggles to mitigate so that they can get freedom and happiness. It is, therefore, not right to block any individual from accessing the meme and ultimately enjoying its funny contents.
It can be argued that, however, turning the Florida Man meme as a source of fun and entertainment can thwart the efforts of authority agencies in combating crime and establishing order in the society. It is not right to make fun of the cases that are being handled by the police and the entire judiciary system in Florida State. Citizens need to respect the work of law enforcement officers as a way of showing support to the fighting of crime. For instance, there is an article that reported that a Florida man had been charged for stealing a toilet paper that costs a single dollar. From the outward look, the matter seems like a joke and does not seem like a person can steal a mere toilet paper. View of the case from that point of view has the potential of prompting an individual to laugh. On the other hand, the police did their job of arresting an offender who broke the law by stealing from someone. Citizens are not expected to make fun of crimes as that can derail activities of law enforcement agencies (“Florida Man,” 2020).
Freedom in the Use of the Meme
One fundamental question that arises is whether the use of Florida Man should be banned or not. The fast and efficient flow of information from a person to another in this age of information technology advancement is mind-blowing. It is almost an impossible task to prevent individuals from communicating because people freely access communication tools. The internet is the primary tool that facilitates the spread of Florida Man meme. Many people users of various social media sites, and they find it interesting to discuss such memes that make them have fun. The freedom of expression and the press makes it convenient for online users and journalists to write articles that relate to the trending meme. It is alright for the meme to spread because the reports are not about serious crimes. The crimes reported seem like a joke, and this why many people find the posts related to the meme hilarious. The internet is instrumental in the spread of information, and it is, therefore, right to assume that many people access the meme because of the fast dissemination of information (Pateras, 2019).
Is the freedom of the press constructive? That is one of the questions that linger in people’s minds wherever journalists go overboard and write articles that draw serious criticisms. Some journalists are notorious for creating controversial pieces that are likely to go against the moral principles of society. Some irresponsible online users and journalists have taken advantage of the trending Florida Man meme and attacked characters of people, including leaders. Such attacks have led to the victims filing cases against the media houses and individuals. It is, therefore, right to regulate how people use their freedom of expression. Citizens are expected to be responsible as they exercise their rights. Many articles have reported people calling 911 to report bizarre incidences that demonstrate disrespect to law enforcement authorities (Hamacher, 2019).
Journalism and Florida Man Meme
Journalists have played a significant role in the popularization of the meme among internet users, and many people are drawing much entertainment from the trending sensation. Many newspaper articles focus on Florida Man. When one goes through the comment section of the articles, he realizes the excitement that the internet meme brings to people. Some social media pages are dedicated to the meme. Twitter and Reddit are some of the social media sites that many online users find a lot of information on the trending meme. Laws regarding freedom of information in the state of Florida enable journalists to get information relating to apprehensions freely. The details of the arrests allow the journalists to write articles to inform the public on the crime situation in the state. The freedom of information in the state is a significant pillar that enhances and promotes journalism. The trending nature of the meme has caught the attention of various media outlets, thereby making them take keen focus on the social media posts about Florida Man meme. The exciting thing is that the arrests were made to individuals who had committed bizarre crimes, and this has caught the attention of social media users across the globe.
The freedom of the press, to some extent, has contributed to the promotion of the meme. Some individuals are attention seekers, thereby making them commit bizarre crimes to gain fame. On the other hand, one can argue that the media is being destructive in the promotion of morality. The idea that journalists like reporting incidents about the Florida Man have made some individuals resort to crime to gain popularity in the state of Florida. There should be a law that regulates the activities of the journalists to make them responsible as they carry out their duties and responsibilities.
Mental Health and Florida Man Meme
Among the factors that contribute to the unusual criminal activities in Florida is the state of mental health of the residents. Some of the crimes are abnormal, and only an insane individual can engage in them. A man, for instance, is alleged to have pulled out a urinal from the bathroom of a restaurant. The individual, after that, did a more strange thing of running naked into the nearby woods (“The best Florida Man memes,” 2020). It is evident that if the state of mental health of individuals is improper, they are bound to engage in strange activities, some of which could be crimes. The poor condition of the mental status of the citizens of Florida explains the prevalence of unusual crimes. It is, therefore, right to state that part of the reasons for the spread of the meme is a result of the unfit mental status.
While it can be argued that the meme has brought fun and entertainment to individuals in different ways, however, the poor state of mental health of the residents of Florida needs attention. One of the reasons facilitating the occurrence of bizarre crimes is that there is no adequate budget to take care of mentally ill individuals. The state government needs to increase funding towards the challenge of reducing cases of unusual crimes. Online users and journalists, therefore, should restrain from making fun of the unfortunate situation and attempt to highlight ways of making the situation better. Even though there is fun in the trending meme, people should realize that individuals are hurting when they see their loved ones and relatives on the media for the wrong reasons (Ruiz, 2020).
Conclusion
It is right to say that the meme of Florida Man has caused an enormous amount of fun and entertainment among online users. It is encouraging to see people exploring their creative nature as humans as they give comments on the trending meme. Journalists have taken the opportunity to alert the public of the bizarre crimes being witnessed in the state of Florida. However, people should be sensitive enough to realize that some of the posts related to the meme are destructive to society. Individuals should find a balance regarding the matter. The fun part of the meme should be embraced while at the same time being sensitive to the feelings of friends and family members of people in the Florida Man meme. It is inevitable to laugh at some of the cases because of their funny and strange nature. It boggles the mind to realize that people can commit some of the offenses, as reported by journalists. One way of mitigating the unfortunate situation is through increased funding in the area of mental health.
References
Florida Man (2020, May 1), Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/topic/florida-man
Hamacher, B. (2019). The Top ‘Florida Man’ Stories of 2019. South Florida. Retrieved from https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/the-top-florida-man-stories-of-2019/2171774/
Pateras, G. (2019, December 9). Yes, these are Real. The best Florida Man headlines of 2019. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/09/florida-man-headlines-2019-meme-florida-man-challenge-birthday/2629205001/
The best Florida Man Memes to Keep you Laughing in 2020 (2020), Film Daily. Retrieved fromhttps://filmdaily.co/news/florida-man-memes/
Ruiz, M. (2020, May 1). Heavily Tattooed Florida Man Allegedly abducted, drugged, beat Woman in Camper. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/heavily-tattooed-florida-man-allegedly-abducted-drugged-beat-woman/