SpongeBob and Post-Irony
Post-irony (from Latin post 'after' and Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία eirōneía 'dissimulation, feigned ignorance'[1]) is a term used to denote a state in which earnest and ironic intents become muddled.
Internet memes tend to be naturally ephemeral, a sort of mass inside joke based on pop culture or recent phenomena. Something funny happens in the world, memes rise to spread the humor, and then they rapidly disappear, to be replaced by memes based on the next amusing spectacle. It's therefore quite odd that such a large bulk of the internet's memes are based on a children's show from 20 years ago, SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob is technically still airing, being milked for every last cent in a way that would make Mr. Krabs proud, but the vast majority of these memes are coming from the first three seasons, which aired from 1999-2003, and continued to dominate reruns until roughly 2006. It's probably not a coincidence that SpongeBob's run coincided with the beginning of Generation Z in 1997, and the show tends to mark a dividing line between the sarcastic irony of the Millennials and the post-irony of the Zoomers. To understand the culture and outlook of the Zoomers, it is essential to understand the show that they loved the most, and why it continues to resonate with them well into adulthood.
Generational Struggle
With the impact of the Great Recession, the economy returned to its historical norm. There has been much argument about whether younger generations today have a lower standard of material living than those of the Baby Boomer generation, with disagreements over comparing house prices and prices of other goods. However, the simplest way to measure that there has been an actual decline is through examining the percentage of young adults living with their parents, compared to the percent married or cohabitating. This is a good metric since almost every young adult has the basic goal of moving out of their parents house and finding a long-term romantic partner. The number capable of doing this skyrocketed during the post-war boom of 1945-1973, but then gradually declined, and finally sank back to the historical norm by 2014. Recent statistics show it has only gotten worse since then. On top of that, Millennials and members of Generation Z lack the extended family support and moral values that buffered pre-war generations, with single-parenthood having tripled since 1960. This hard landing created a cynicism in Millenials, that ended up being expressed in the bitter sarcasm that came to define their humor. Left-wing comedians such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rose to immense popularity among Millenials, and they spent most of their shows mocking the Republicans that Millenials blamed for their ills.
For Generation Z, social dysfunction was not something surprisingly foisted on them by an economic calamity, but something they simply took for granted. Given that the point of humor is to relax someone in a tense situation, the bitter Millenial humor was clearly unhealthy and just pushed them into a further spiral of despair. Gen Z developed a better coping mechanism: Not seeing their lives as a tragedy, but as a comedy. For this coping mechanism to be effective, a genuine enjoyment of life’s absurdity became necessary. As such, the bitter irony of the Millenials transitioned into the post-irony of the Zoomers, and it became unclear what was being mocked and what was earnestly embraced. While Millenials bemoaned and mocked the clownish appearance and behavior of Donald Trump, segments of Zoomers embraced him as an amusing avatar of societal despair. Spongebob happened to be perfectly suited to this style of humor, as it was defined by absurdity, and its memes became the language of the generation.
Most shows are criticized when their characters come to be defined by one trait, and they devolve into making fun of stupidity, greed, pride or envy. SpongeBob, on the other hand, embraced this from the very beginning, so much so that theories have arisen about how the characters represent the seven deadly sins (Patrick is Sloth, Plankton is Envy, Mr. Krabs is Greed, Squidward is Wrath, Sandy is Pride, Gary is Gluttony, SpongeBob is Lust). It seems quite unlikely that Hillenburg intended these cartoon characters to represent the seven deadly sins, but this theory does touch on the underlying post-ironic humor of the show. Many of the characters actions in the show would be downright disturbing in any other context, and many parents were nonplussed when attempting to watch it. Mr. Krabs is not simply greedy, he would literally sell SpongeBob for 62 cents and then regret it because he could have gotten more. Sandy isn't just prideful, she would rip SpongeBob in half for insulting her home state of Texas. Patrick isn't only dumb, he is incapable of recognizing his own parents. Taking a normal human flaw and then entwining it with a character’s personality so deeply that it becomes macabre, and then having that be the source of the humor in a children’s show, made many in older generations quite uncomfortable. They were used to shows where it was clear that a character had some minor foibles and the amusement came from them interacting with normal people, whereas the world of SpongeBob revolved around these flaws to such an extent that Bikini Bottom itself seemed like a grand, cosmic joke. For Zoomers though, this simply reflected the way they had learned to deal with the world around them, a world where the parents of their friends had developed such degenerate and dysfunctional lives that it bordered on the comedic itself. As Zoomers grew up, the moral framework of society further unraveled, leaving people more a slave to their vices than ever. These vices were no longer a petty thing that viewers could casually laugh at some dumb TV dad engaging in, they had become a disturbing part of our own reality, and could only be laughed at through finding a genuine amusement in the ridiculousness of humanity. In one episode, Plankton switches lives with Mr. Krabs. He expects this new life to be wonderful, but it's actually filled with misery and struggle. When asked if something is funny, Plankton misinterprets the question as asking about his entire new life and replies "In a cosmic sort of way, yes." In a cosmic way, there is something funny about how individuals have become so consumed by their favorite vices, that they have created a world that resembles Bikini Bottom, and what better way to cope with that than with the memories of Bikini Bottom?
Hollow Institutions
SpongeBob further unsettled the Boomers as it revealed the absurdity in their sacred cows of school and work. The Krusty Krab is not a respectable, hard-working, small business; it serves low quality fast food, even off the floor, and has a fanatically money-grubbing owner who mistreats his employees. One of its workers, Squidward, is a bitter cynic who believes he's failed at life because he works there. The other, Spongebob, further emphasizes the low nature of the Krusty Krab by contrast, as we laugh at his naive exuberance for his job. A similar situation exists at Spongebob's "boating school", where his jaded teacher attempts to pass him by any means necessary, even allowing him to cheat, just so she can finally get rid of him. In the post-war era that emphasized individual success, many boomers based their identities on their career or education. The show brings these institutions back down to Earth, and creates humor out of the contrast between their reputations and their actual functioning. Millennials reflect Squidward, filled with resentment over their inability to make these institutions fulfilling, whereas SpongeBob loves his job to such an extent that it would seem ironic if any normal person were doing it, but with SpongeBob it has now become earnest. More than just a usual criticism of the work-first mindset, SpongeBob's disordered attitude holds a hyperbolic mirror up to what Boomers themselves have lived like. In one episode, Spongebob tells his imprisoned teacher that she's forgotten what it's like to not be in prison. It then cuts to a fish sitting in traffic, a cubicle, and at home in a loveless marriage. This isn't framed as social commentary, it's intended to be innocent humor. However, behind this jovial attitude, a cry for help from entire generations is revealed.
Lasting Comedy
Comedy is frequently a product of its time, reflecting the unique methods of destressing taken by each generation. Will the absurdist humor of SpongeBob survive into the future? Time will tell, but the stamp that it's made on its generation will continue to impact their actions and worldview. The post-ironic mindset meshes well with the mind of one who only fears God, as the struggles of the world can simply be laughed off, because they are inconsequential in the divine scheme of things. In a cosmic sense, we're all living in a pineapple under the sea.