The Washington Post tried to address the issue in 2017 and found that Millennial humor is rooted in a sense of pointless dread.
"... that as the economic climate has delayed milestones such as marriage, kids and home ownership, and external sources of meaning such as religion have faded away, life has started to feel unpleasantly rootless, something that is being reflected in a stranger, more chaotic form of comedy."
One way this is expressed is through memes where Millenials wish for their own death.
Reddit user here_for_the_dog doesn't understand Millennial death memes so they asked the online forum r/OutOftheLoop.
"I rarely understand references in obscure memes," they wrote. "I definitely don't understand where all this about Millennials wanting to die came from. Like is this some stupid attention seeking trend? Is it a real issue that needs to be addressed? Or was it just a poorly constructed joke that is getting out of hand?
The responses provided a thorough explanation of why Millennials joke about awaiting the sweet embrace of death. The big takeaway is that the jokes are rooted in serious problems they deeply care about.
The first poster did a great job of encapsulating the Millennial mindset.
Humor is a great coping mechanism.
Economic uncertainty is a big part of it.
Climate change.
Burn out is a big part of it.
Because the 2010s suck.
It feels like something is missing.
Morrissey nailed it right on the head.
One person thought they'd share a little advice on happiness to cheer Millenials up.
RELATED: Someone asked Twitter, 'What's the most Gen X thing you ever did?' and the responses were awesome
After the post went virral, the original poster responded with a sorry/not sorry.
" ... mostly it sounds like a general frustration at being underprepared and then under appreciated for getting it done despite the odds and thank god for the internet because it is the only place I feel heard and understood that I can still afford to visit and vent."
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