By: Sergio Diaz
Hello, dear readers!
¿Have you ever noticed that when you are in small talk, you tend to quote and reference memes to socialize with your friends?
Nowadays, it is common to see ‘Bogotanos’ using memes, such as “sí soy, no te me acerques, buenas buenas” (which are direct texts taken from viral videos on social media that became a meme), generally to make jokes, but also to make fun of others. A not-so-good side of memes is that deliberately or not, people use them to disrespect other people’s age, gender, social class, and physical appearance.
The following project aims to raise awareness of how memes may work as both a means of prejudice and discrimination as well as a means of linguistic peace within the classroom
To warm up, we are going to see some funny memes that I know you are familiar with. The memes are in these slides if you want to check them out, either way here are some examples:
Now, we will take a look at some memes that are not funny at all, and that are linguistically violent:
After watching the memes, please answer these questions:
What do you understand by the context that the memes represent?
Do you think the memes are discriminatory against a certain group of people? Why?
Introduction of the topic: Now that we know the context, it is time to introduce the topic, which is Memes as a means of prejudice and Linguistic Discrimination.
Objectives: Let’s take a look at the objectives of the class:
1. To understand the concepts of prejudice and linguistic violence
2. To raise awareness that some memes may work as a means of prejudice and linguistic violence
3. To create some memes to spread the topic of linguistic discrimination and create memes that show the opposite (Peace Linguistics).
Theory: With our context set, it is time to check some concepts that are vital to understanding the topic
After you check upon the theory, it is time to check other memes that may affirm the theory, for example (you can find other memes in this link):
Meme Creation Activity: Now, it is your turn to show awareness of the issue! Follow the instructions:
In pairs
Choose one of these memes templates. Click on the link to check the templates
And according to the template, create a text and a meme that promotes peace, the opposite of what you have seen so far in this mini-workshop (Prejudice and linguistic discrimination)
Look at my example to guide yourself:
Reflect upon the creations: After you finished, show your creations to the class and reflect upon them.
A question to create discussion:
1. ¿How do you think the use of memes can work as a tool for promoting awareness of linguistic discrimination and prejudice in social media?
2. ¿How do you think memes can be used in the classroom, as teachers, to promote linguistic peace among students?
Please, you can answer any of the questions in the padlet:
The Conclusion: On a general basis, the participants enjoyed the idea of using memes as tools for the workshop presented on ÚNICA's Language Day on April 27th, 2023. The biggest conclusion came up from an interaction between the participants:
In the middle of the activity of meme creation, a couple of students claimed out loud something similar to “Dios! No sé de qué hacer este meme porque es difícil hablar de paz”.
We concluded that it is easier to create violent and discriminating memes than to create memes for making peace.
Thank you for reading! ♥
Created by: Sergio Diaz
