Here’s a transcript from the excellent Citations Needed podcast about why the “Florida Man” meme is not actually funny. An excerpt:
Adam: On today’s episode we’re going to be tedious liberal scolds and buzzkills and if your eyes haven’t already rolled and you’ve turned the dial, we want you to hear us out. We want to talk about what we believe is the anti-poor, mental health-shaming subtext that animates much of the viral Florida man meme and how that and our broader culture of quote “weird crime” stories and mugshot shaming serve as little more than a socially acceptable way of mocking the marginalized and indigent.
Nima: Today we’ll discuss the two primary drivers of this “Florida man” phenomenon: First that Florida has very liberal “sunshine laws” that, while ostensibly designed to make the government more transparent, have instead created a conveyor belt of searchable “crimes” that lazy journalists can cherry pick for salacious clicks. Second and maybe more importantly, Florida is in the midst of a major mental health crisis while having virtually no social safety net. Florida ranks 49th out of 50 among states for mental-health programs, 41st in support for those affected by drug addiction, and number three for percent of the population who are homeless.
Adam: This toxic combination of contempt for the poor, plus a laundry list of anti-black laws and anti-poor laws from barring thousands from voting due to felony convictions to its push for drug testing the poor for welfare benefits, Florida is notorious for having some of the country’s harshest systems in place for those on the margins of society. It’s really ground zero for neoliberal rot. The Florida man meme — if not in intent in effect — using a cutesy faux generalized framing device to provide cover for what is little more than just mindless poverty shaming.
Audio: https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/episode-75-the-trouble-with-florida-man (Also available on most podcast apps)
They’ve also made a Florida Man Replacer extension, for maximum fun ruining.
