23 National Nightmares We’ve Already Overcome

SHANGHAI, CHINA – JULY 30: South Korean singer Psy performs onstage during the SNH48 election of the year on July 30, 2016 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

#23: Viral Music Videos

There’s not a whole lot in this country that can’t and won’t be made into a divisive talking point. We find ways to argue over literally everything. But for some reason (hint: cuz we’re all kinda just big silly fools) we proudly rally around ridiculous viral music videos. And the strange thing is, we don’t rally around our love for them OR our contempt toward them; we seemingly come together in our utter confusion. Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, Psy’s “Gangnum Style,” and even “The Hampsterdance” forced their way into our lives before we ever had the chance to prepare. And so, there’s a cycle we face when aiming to overcome a particularly pervasive song. We hear them and like them ironically. It’s real fun to show them to other people and gauge their reactions. We then kind of actually start to like them. They’re catchy. They make us laugh. They become memes, instantly recognizable and therefore a super simple way to connect and share a joke with friends and strangers alike. But then, amidst the sharing, they start to take over. It’s not funny anymore; it’s distracting. Grating. It’s tearing our country apart. We’re better than this. We have REAL artists, creating REAL music, and we focus on THIS?!!!!? A song about HAMSTERS DANCING?!? Wherein “hamster” is even SPELLED WRONG!??!?!?!?! NOT MY AMERICA!!!!!!!

So I know it seems unfair to be subjected to your Facebook friends’ incessant reposting, but just know that the injustice is felt far and wide. An attack on one is an attack on all, and if we survived “The Harlem Shake,” dammit, we can survive anything.