Memes Aren't Funny, but You Can Be.

That's right. I said it. Memes aren't funny. What are you going to do about it?

I've seen a lot of TikTok videos on Twitter, which remind me of how I used to binge-watch Vine videos in high school. Now, thinking back, I'm like, "Grace, you fool! Vine was made for children with no concept of humor! Why did you waste your precious time when you could have been watching Hannibal Buress' stand-up?"

However, your childhood is the most important time of your life for learning what humor is because the first time you learn something is the way you'll remember it. So, in the words of Billy Joel, "I've gotta get it right the first time. That's the main thing. Oohh, oohh."

I went to a panel last night about how to be a mother and run a TV show. They also:

• discussed how parents can teach their kids to become a great storyteller and

• how to show them what true comedy is, which made me think of two things:

1. Gross! Children!

But also,

2. Grace, you're probably going to have kids someday. How will you teach them what true comedy is in the age of TikTok videos and memes?

Jamie Denbo, on the panel, had some great advice. She only lets her kids watch one screen at a time. So, if they are watching TV, they aren't playing games on the iPad too. Because to teach anyone anything, and in order to be good at anything, you have to be focused. I thought this was a great lesson, not only for kids but also for adults. So, I'm going to be putting the "one screen at a time rule" into practice too.

She also said she lets her kids watch quality comedy shows because anything inappropriate will go over their heads. By watching comedy shows with well-constructed stories, she believes her kids will learn what makes comedy work.

The key to comedy is context.

I think this is a lost concept for the comedic culture of today. I don't watch meme centered comedy anymore because I'm a woman now, and I know better than to laugh at a fool's gold. Memes and viral videos have an expiration date because they aren't attached to anything of value. A meme is created to coincide with a popular trend that everyone will forget about in a month. For example, "Damn, Daniel!" or "WATER THOSEEEE!"

If you don't know what those references are, don't bother looking them up. You'll only lose brain cells.

Real comedy has structure and context. For example, John Mulaney's story in The Comeback Kid about how he met Bill Clinton was funny in 2015, it's funny now, and it will still be funny in 2050. The same goes for one-liner comics who have to craft their jokes in a way that gives you everything you need in one sentence.

True comedy does not consist of viral videos and pictures of dead people with weird captions. They may be funny, but just like you're good back and abled joints, they won't last.

When Denbo said she let her kids watch real television comedies like, This is Us and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, that's when I realized why my insane love for comedy started at a young age. It was because I grew up watching Seinfeld. I wasn't allowed to watch The Berenstain Bears, Dragon Tails, or Wizards of Waverly Place, etc. No. No, kid's shows for childhood Grace. But I was allowed to watch Seinfeld, King of Queens, Reba, The A-Team, etc. If the show started running before 1995 or starred Jerry Stiller, I could watch it.

I grew up watching quality comedies, but more importantly, I grew up watching quality storytelling (except for The A-Team, which we all know wasn't a hit because of its flawless storytelling. We wanted to see how they were going get B.A. on a plane that week.)

We loved The A-Team because we wanted to see the characters succeed, which brings me to my next point:

Context is born out of character, not plot.

Your plot alone is not enough context to get your jokes a laugh. What makes a joke funny is because of who says it and why they're saying it.

The last "key to" comedy, storytelling, or the key to everything is:

Make it Meaningful.

The most important part about writing is to give it meaning. If you're going to put your heart and soul into something, you should want it to last, and comedy that matters, lasts. Without passion, what's the point?

Whether you're new to writing, a kid who thinks TikTok is the greatest invention since the Sham Wow, never considered comedy writing, or a dusty, old hag, jaded by life's woes, maybe this is for you. You're capable of being a great comedy writer, and you're never too young or too old to start. Also, if you think your seven-year-old is too young to watch Seinfeld, think again.