Opinion: The lion does not concern itself with direct communication

A heart-to-heart for young people. Art by Addie Martin.

Over the last few months, a new meme format has arisen that further accentuates a hallmark of online Gen Z culture: an avoidance of direct language. “The lion does not concern himself with …” and an even broader version, “The lion …,” are two phrases that have been recently popularized into a meme online, often followed by a statement describing something that the person who created the meme does. 

This phrasing and usage may seem out of nowhere, but it follows a trend within Gen Z spaces. The trend of utilizing memes in place of written text to convey a message to another person is most clearly exemplified by the lion meme, which ends up diluting the true meaning of the message.

The phrase originates from George R. R. Martin’s novel “A Game of Thrones”: “A lion does not concern itself with the opinion of sheep.” Its initial usage online was within the typical “sigma grindset” community, which, for the uninitiated, is a space where men tell other men how to live their lives as “true leaders,” constant self-improvers and overall successful men. These ideas are not perpetuated in healthy manners; they are intertwined with deep feelings of misogyny and self-hatred. Lions, which have been associated with the sigma realm for a while due to the connotations of strength and status, were not out of the norm as an inclusion within the meme.

Since its beginnings as a visual method to perpetuate harmful rhetoric and pull young men further into these circles, the meme has become mainstream. The more common usage now involves minor gripes and silly statements, such as “The lion rewards himself with a two hour scroll after opening the list of assignments.” Versions have spread that no longer use the typical format of the black-and-white lion image with print text, instead mixing the original phrasing with older memes, such as the example above. 

Other memes, like the “twin” meme, which states something in relation to the poster or sender’s “twin” (i.e., close friend), follow the trend of avoiding direct conversation. By creating these memes and then sending them to others, you can communicate with people without having to express the words yourself. Some of these memes are unserious, but others can be heartfelt, conveying emotions like missing someone or loving them. 

By easing this burden of being direct, communication is improved within interpersonal relationships amongst Gen Z. Going through the pandemic at crucial developmental ages, as the younger part of this generation did, greatly harmed communication both within the workplace and outside of it. Talking around a sensitive and often necessary conversation through memes, however, is not entirely effective in communicating an intended message. 

By combining these heartfelt ideas with satirical images, the meaning is diluted, rendering it as inconsequential. Hiding in layers of irony is not the ideal if one is trying to be serious without being direct. 

Another method that is used online to communicate something that has little to no irony involved is the use of cat images merged with earnest captions. Though it is not as ironic, images in this way can never speak as loudly as words. In the hierarchy of meaning, actions are more meaningful than words, which are more meaningful than images, particularly images that remove the self from what is being said. By removing the self from the message, either by speaking in third person, adding an animal image, or both, most significance is weakened, which is crucial when it comes to conveying important emotions that are meant to be felt deeply and should be related in the clearest way possible.

Now, to be fair, sending memes that get across a feeling that one is experiencing to a friend is perfectly fine if that’s a secondary mode of communication. The use of these memes doesn’t need to be entirely eradicated. In fact, memes can help Gen Z communicate their thoughts and feelings better, which is certainly a net positive. It is the use of these memes entirely in place of verbal or even written communication that is negative. When a person can’t discuss something with their partner or a dear friend without opening a meme generator, there is a problem. 

As less clear communication occurs, relationships begin to deteriorate with those you hold closest. Humans inherently desire connection and deep relationships. With these communication difficulties that Gen Z uniquely experiences, relationships become harder to maintain healthily, eventually leading to negative emotions for those involved and a decrease in quality of life. 

If Gen Z wants to communicate something important, they’ll have to do it through words. At least until we can strike a balance between roundaboutness and sincerity.