The Joke’s On Us : Compact Tabloid Newspaper

“The Joke’s On Us” is an article by Helen Lewis, published in the Atlantic, that sheds light on how white supremacists and neo nazis have utilized humor and memes as a medium to spread harmful opinions and avoid repercussions in an increasingly progressive climate.

Tabloids are well known to spotlight content that deliberately ignites controversy and sensationalism for attention, written in a way that is short, eye-catching, exaggerated, and easy to read. These are all qualities that also apply to memes, especially those that are insensitive and offensive, which are the main focus of this article. I chose to utilize the compact tabloid newspaper format, which visually appears more like a trustworthy newspaper, as the format was originally developed to avoid the negative association that comes with flamboyant red top tabloids. This is similar to the way some individuals disguise regressive ideals and offensive opinions by sharing them through memes. Body text and emphasized text are in Arial and Impact respectively, two typefaces that are often used in and most closely associated with memes.