Intro
I must be late to the game because the ants in a jar meme that circulated again recently was new to me. The version I encountered attributed Sir David Attenborough with the quote, but TruthOrFiction.com has done a good job chasing down some history on this meme. They had a few insights that I think are worth considering.
the issues to which the meme alluded, it hinted, would disappear or be resolved if only unseen forces hadn’t “shook the jar.” In that sense and outside determining attribution, the viral parable was dismissive of legitimate grievances and downplayed credible concern over issues of race, gender, religion (or lack of religion), “etc.”
- It bypasses legitimate concerns, providing a dismissive voice with a displacement of responsibility
- It was almost definitely NOT Sir Attenborough who said this, despite the fact that his documentary episode about ants will be at the top of search results for “Attenborough ants”
- Is this really what will happen if we shake up an actual jar of ants? Probably not genocide.
Moral of the story?
When I first read it I detected some wisdom, but I’m glad for the insight that there is something toxic buried within. If readers come away wary of external influences that could be affecting things, that is wise. However, if the take-away is that anyone should exhibit less personal responsibility for their own harm or less sensitivity to the harm inflicted around them, then the meme is worse than worthless.
Also, if you see a version attributed to a presumed figure of wisdom, you are witnessing an ironically self-defeating example of dishonest attempts to “shake the jar.”