The internet is a wild place. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, a new TikTok trend or Twitter thread comes along to prove me wrong. And one of the best corners of the internet to come across the perfect blend of inexplicable, no-context pics and hilarious, painfully relatable memes is the “I Would Prefer Not To” Instagram account.
Below, you'll find some of our favorite pics from the page that might perplex and mesmerize you. (And hopefully get a few chuckles out of you!) Don’t ask us to explain these photos, because we’d really prefer not to, but I think you’ll find that they speak for themselves.
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I Would Prefer Not To is a relatively simple place. It falls into the genre of odd, no-context pic Instagram accounts, with some great memes sprinkled in along the way too. And it’s certainly great at what it does, as the page has amassed an impressive 175k followers through sharing over 4,800 photos. From bizarre screenshots from social media to memes that you might prefer not to admit that you relate to, this chaotic Instagram account has it all. And while you might be wondering what on Earth it is about accounts like this that we love so much, have no fear. We’ll try to get to the bottom of why you are confused and perhaps unsettled by these photos, yet you still can’t stop scrolling.
Let’s start with why we love memes so much. If you’re anything like me, you remember the very first memes you ever encountered. I was in middle school, and back then, memes were incredibly simple, with Bad Luck Brian and Philosoraptor taking the internet by storm. While the punchlines were usually straight to the point and didn’t require much background knowledge, we bonded over this “cultural information exchange”. According to Ali Arslan at Make Use Of, part of the reason we love memes is because they’re an opportunity to quickly and easily share jokes with one another.
Memes can also be a godsend for us when we’re in need of a source of collective coping. Remember all of the COVID-19 memes that came about during 2020? The pandemic was an absolutely terrible thing that caused heartache for millions of people around the world, but at the same time, we needed some sort of relief. After months on end cooped up in our homes, we we desperate for some humor to lighten the mood, and the fact that the entire world was experiencing the same thing helped the jokes become even funnier.
“It's common for certain events, happenings, or behaviors to hit the global community or a cultural group as a whole,” Arslan writes for Make Use Of. “We all feel the same emotions, tensions, and stress in such situations, making our feelings mutual… The reason why memes have become so popular is that they help people cope collectively. When a stressor is converted into a funny meme, most people can relate to it, talk about it, and feel that they are not alone in that situation. This makes the stressor less painful and easy to cope with.”
Human's wearing a kitty costume and kitty is wearing a human costume! XD (armor)
Memes can also be great to provide a new perspective on an event, sometimes allowing viewers to approach anything from the global pandemic to their mental health issues with a sunnier outlook. “This change of perspective makes people change how they see a stressful situation,” Arslan explains. “They are a source of humorous enlightenment for people. Another interesting thing to note about this type of media is that it brings all this positivity through the efforts of the ordinary people, or memers as they are called. The main intention of these memers is to create a viral meme. And in that process, they explore different perspectives, unintentionally bringing forth positivity.”
I watched a documentary about prison and corrections in Denmark. As an American, I was stunned and really, really saddened. In Denmark, prisoners were treated as human beings with potential, and who had the promise of rehabilitation. I'm sure I don't need to say that our prison system here is vastly different.
yes the land of the free(sic) more American citizens in jail per capita than any other country in the world
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The idea is that, as we don't have the death penalty, all prisoners are released sooner or later. Do you want to release wild animals to your neighbourhooods or do you want people who have actually learnt to behave in normal society? Who has not only learnt that their crime was wrong but learnt to function in a world where you need a job and a place to live? (I'm Norwegian, the prinsiple is the same)
Your comment got me thinking. I've never thought about what happens to the perpetrators once they've served their sentences. Thanks for that (seriously)
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Does invading count as a crime, because for a while if you searched `are as*xuals` on google one of the predictive answers would be `invading denmark`
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for the people down in the comments saying this is dumb..Someone once said I dont see those people as monsters i see them as people who have made a terrible mistake.I absolutely belive that people should get a second chace life imprisonment is basically death no point in living if thats where you are going to be for the rest of your life something needs to change with the time people serve and how they are treated. familys suffer as do freinds in both ways. not one
Many don't understand how hard it is not to be free. And that prisons should rehabilitate, losing one's freedom is punishment enough.
Denmark is the same geographic size as South Carolina, with roughly 5 million citizens. It makes sense with such a drastic difference in population size, their lawbreakers can get actual rehab help, and it truly does drastically reduce recidivism rate. The same for Norway and Sweden. What people have to remember is, with a well funded and HIGHLY successful educational system in place, after gymnasium (equivalent to US high school) most students choose to go to University. They can concentrate on their studies because they really do want to be successful. How? Because their education system is well funded. When I went to school in Sweden I literally, literally never met 1 student that ever thought or said anything remotely like, "college? Nah... I can't get financial aide because my single mother makes 30k a year and they said she makes too much money for me to qualify.". (**That was me. That's exactly what I was told. My mom made too much money. 30 f*****g thousand dollars a year.) Whe
When Going to college is an option for everyone, no matter what your mother, father, or both combined make, you don't have to steal or cheat or rob or even kill. I mean, can y'all imagine how unstoppable we would be if 90% of us went to college because we wanted to, not just if we could afford it?! Poof, street crime slashed. Poof, drug related theft, robberies, and homicides slashed. Poof, more people that graduate and join the workforce make more money so they spend more money. Poof, the more successful people you have, the more that gets invested into infrastructure, building, which create more jobs! And then POOF! whatdya know? Before long, you've got a self sustained economy. JUST ADD EDUCATION.
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I'm in the USA, and this is legitimately nicer than most of my apartments, and nicer than any apartment I could afford if I didn't have a second income in my household.
Well, I think it’s time to go commit crimes in Denmark. Anyone coming with me?
I asked my parents if they want to go to prison in Denmark and they are worried now
American, and English prisons are business...most have penalties in their contracts with the State, or County that state that the business will receive above rate recompense if the State, or County fails to keep the prison at maximum, or near maximum capacity. Uneducated, un-rehabiltated inmates will be back.
This gives a bit more information on private v state prisons in England and Wales https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/private-prisons/
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Just wait, world. The US has always had more foreigners, which creates culture clash. Sweden is just beginning to see the problems we've been plagued with. And it's spreading like wildfire.
Just to put things in perspektive. We have a population of 5.8 million. On average 39 people are killed each year. Some criminals never get out of prison as they are sentenced to prison without a time limit (usually due to mental illness). And just to rub it in - what you are looking at is very typical scandinavian design, nothing fancy. Many schools, hospitals and institutions look like that. Lots of light, clean lines and quality materials (cheaper in the long run).
Damn! That's nicer than my flat...so what type of crimes are we talking here...just out of interest
Yes it is to be specific salah which is the Muslim way of praying glad I could help ☺️
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There are only certain kinds of criminals that CAN be rehabbed, though. Only if the crime was non-violent & nobody was physically hurt do those criminals deserve another chance. As opposed to, you know, letting murderers, rapists, child molesters out for "good behavior" and then are surprised Pikachu when the criminal does it AGAIN!
Yes, let's rehabilitate Jeffrey Dahmer. Maybe he will love to eat broccoli instead.
The US industrialized prison system developed after slavery ended to continue the dehumanization and criminalization of black folks. Essentially, to continue the practice of slavery without it officially being considered slavery. Denmark does not have the same racial history as the US. Based on what I found online about 90% of their population is white. I wonder what their prisons would be like if they had a similar racial history as the US.
If you begin to feel the walls closing in on you, run for the hills
The "real-estate, camera-trickery" aside, this is nicer than my last flat.
Capital punishment is recognised as cruel and inhumane. One in 25 prisoners executed in the USA in the last few decades has been conclusively proven to be innocent.
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So, if the Danish system is so bad, how come that the rehabilitation rate is much higher?
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It’s easier to go viral today than ever before, but we don’t all want our names and faces to be public online. TikTok fame isn’t for the faint of heart, but pages like I Would Prefer Not To allow people to anonymously participate in meme culture and the hilarity of sharing strange pics online without any of the risks that social media stars often face. Followers can share and repost these pics, so that even wider audiences can enjoy them and bond over the jokes to provide a safer social experience online. When we bond over memes that comment on social moments and experiences we’re all having, we’re reminded that we’re not alone. And we should never go a day in this bleak world without laughing!
While pages like I Would Prefer Not To don’t seem to have any political or social agenda behind them, it is possible for accounts like this to have a huge impact on the real world. According to Helen Brown at the BBC, memes are “a language in themselves, with a capacity to transcend cultures and construct collective identities between people. These sharable visual jokes can also be powerful tools for self-expression, connection, social influence and even political subversion.” She goes on to explain how memes have helped progress the Me Too movement and allowed marginalized groups to bond online and form a collective identity.
Why does everyone all of a sudden need stuff when I'm in the middle of cooking dinner?
Memes can also be beneficial for individuals struggling with depression, as one study found they tend to rate memes mocking their mental health issues as “more humorous, relatable and shareable”. Though it’s debatable whether or not heavy topics should be joked about, many find these memes to be comforting, as they demonstrate how common these experiences are. So even if you would prefer not to admit that you relate to some of the memes featured on this list, you can rest assured knowing that you’re not alone in having those feelings.
Memes also have a fascinating talent for influencing our points of view on anything from food preferences to politics. Joshua Nieubuurt, who studies misinformation and disinformation at the University of Maryland in the US and the University of Okinawa in Japan, claims that memes can be regarded as a “modern digital equivalent of the propaganda leaflet". He details how they have been used to support or undermine arguments for Covid-19 restrictions and vaccinations, using humor and sarcasm to delegitimize the opinions of people on either side of the debate. And when it comes to politics, apparently 30 video or gif political memes that were created during the 2017 UK General Election amassed a whopping 45 million or more views.
I Would Prefer Not To is not the deepest corner of the internet, so perhaps we should just focus on enjoying the pics for what they are. But I can’t help but think that even silly photos like these are a reminder of how fascinating our world is. Bizarre moments, in real life and online, seem to be unavoidable, but we can always encapsulate those experiences within hilarious memes that are sure to go viral. You don’t have to understand everything that’s happening on this list, but we’re happy you’re along for the ride.
We pandas do not crush roaches. We respect our Headless Roach's family members.
There are probably plenty of things you would prefer not to do today: laundry, wash your dishes, go to work, and pay your bills are just a few examples that immediately come to mind. But we hope that, at least for a few minutes, you have enjoyed scrolling through these funny and strange pics from I Would Prefer Not To. Keep upvoting all of your favorites, and let us know in the comments if any of them were particularly relatable for you. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more bizarre, inexplicable pics, we recommend visiting this Bored Panda article next!
Every time I see a guy wearing a cool t-shirt I tell him "hey, love your shirt!" They always look so happy. :)
that's not gaslighting. Tell yourself it's not reallly tough and that you're just exagerating. that would be gaslighting.
i feel like i could have gone my entire life without ever knowing this
Note: this post originally had 87 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
AITA because it aggravating that these lists get shortened and you have to click for more... but the AITA's go on and on and on and on
For all of the introvert or lonely folks out there, here are two songs for you: 1. No friends - mazie 2.i think i wanna be alone - mazie
AITA because it aggravating that these lists get shortened and you have to click for more... but the AITA's go on and on and on and on
For all of the introvert or lonely folks out there, here are two songs for you: 1. No friends - mazie 2.i think i wanna be alone - mazie
