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“Modern problems require modern solutions.” Those are the words of American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle. Though he said the phrase in a skit during an episode of Chappelle’s Show, jokingly advocating for the use of fake Canadian ID cards for free healthcare, people are using this format to post about real-life problems that need creative solutions. Some of these jokes are hilariously on-point while others tell us all about the sad state of society.

There are a lot of problems in the 21st century. From life on the streets being worse than life in prison to the invasion of privacy via facial recognition technology, and much, much more. Bored Panda has collected some of the saddest and funniest 'modern problem' posts that make you think, so scroll down, have a look, and let us know what modern problems you personally think are the biggest, dear Pandas. Remember to upvote the stories that left the biggest impact on you and read on for Bored Panda's interview with redditor Imthatguy25 who is very proud that they created the joke format in the first place.

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    Redditor Imthatguy25 told us all about what inspired them to create the 'modern problems' meme. "I've watched Chappelle's Show since I was a kid so the 'modern problems’ quote has always been something I'd regularly quote to myself or to some others. I basically treated it like it was a motto,” they said.

    “But even then, I honestly didn't expect the format to pick up much traction. Until I saw a bunch of other redditors hit the homepage from using the format and making their own.”

    Imthatguy25 has some ideas about why the ‘modern problems’ joke format gained so much popularity so quickly. “Other than the obvious ‘Dave Chappelle is a comedic genius and everything he says is meme gold,’ redditors can be pretty clever when they see a meme that they believe has potential,” they explained.

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    #6

    Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions

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    ML
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why 420? is this something special? I'd think 404 would be more stoleable

    margotlevraut
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    " 420, 4:20, or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is cannabis culture slang for marijuana and hashish consumption, especially smoking around the time 4:20 pm, and also refers to cannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20 (which is 4/20 in U.S. form)." (Wikipedia)

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    Grumble O'Pug
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    On highway 195 in WA State they went to the State Representatives to get mile marker 69 changed to 68.9. I s**t you not. I see it now and again.

    Jo Choto
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    420 is a weed reference. While the origins of the number are disputed, kids in the USA associate 420 with weed, and a lot of kids bunk off school on 4/20 (20/4) with the idea of smoking weed. Most of them, it's more of an idea than an actual action!

    Billy The Kid
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What a fkn waste of money! i would walk 420 miles and i will walk .01 miles less. The Proclaimers song

    Shull GaRett
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So is there anything special about this 420 number? Its not a prime or such... its 10x the number of everything but would that be the case?

    Ramona Rhein
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My address is 420. It got stolen twice before I finally had to glue it to the brick in front of my garage. It took the second time to figure out why.

    Anja Schmidt
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    what´s so interesting about 420 - i didn´t get it ... Greets from Germany

    KCN
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I just found out from another poster. It's a reference to weed/marijuana.

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    Quazmodic
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the U.S used kilometers like the rest of the known Universe, this problem would not exist.

    James
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ? Kilometer marker 420 wouldn’t exist? Why? Confused American here... but I agree metric would be much better

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    Tyler Wentzel
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had the same problem with room 420 at the hotel I used to work at. Also, the Stoner Avenue street sign didn't fare too well.

    Shelp
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe not? I don't know about the US, but where I live, road signs with random uneven numbers are pretty common.

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    “The meme alone was a pretty cut and dry, simple to understand. But like I've said, redditors have their own vernacular way with memes. I've seen this dude rage war with Instagram using my format and managed 100k upvotes out of it. I honestly owe it to Reddit and Instagram for making the meme so shareable,” the redditor shared.

    According to Imthatguy25, they don’t have any problem with others using the ‘modern problems’ format for social or political commentary, however—they have to be funny.

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    “I'd at least like to see it with a bit of wit behind it,” they said. “Really, as long as it's funny I could stand behind it.”

    #7

    Modern-Problems-Require-Modern-Solutions-Jokes

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    Vic
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is an innovative solution.. must be applied to TP as well..

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    #8

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    matty-not-matt Report

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    Izzy_
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hahaha I've actually had to do that. I was over 1lb on my checked luggage (yep, 1 measly pound) and I had no room in my carry-on. All I had was a small backpack. So I wore 5 shirts and two sweaters. Luckily I didn't look too puffed up haha Once I passed TSA, I asked for a shopping bag at a store and carried my clothes in there since I was allowed one more item as carry-on XD

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    The ‘modern problems’ meme first popped up in December 2018. Redditor Imthatguy25 posted some dark humor and attached Chappelle’s photo with the catchphrase alongside it. The meme spread.

    Since then, other people have been changing the purpose of the meme to suit their needs. While some are going for pure comedy, others are taking things a bit more seriously, using the format for social commentary and to show how dystopian some parts of our society have become.

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    In both cases, the meme tends to talk about current topics. So when it first showed up, you could see a lot of talks about Thanos, Fortnite, and Article 13. How things have changed since then!

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    You can watch the original ‘modern problems’ video clip starring Chappelle right here. The skit was shown in the first episode of the second season of Chappelle’s Show which first aired on January 21, 2004.

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    The critically acclaimed comedy TV series premiered on January 22, 2003, and ran for 28 episodes until July 23, 2006. Chappelle’s Show found success not just in the United States but elsewhere, too, including in Germany, Brazil, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

    According to the United Nations Foundation’s post in January, some of the main issues to look out for in 2020 included the acceleration of climate change, the continued presence of inequality and exclusion, as well as the humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and elsewhere.

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    What we got this year was pretty much on-point with the UN’s prediction. The bushfires that ravaged Australia were linked to climate change. The Covid-19 pandemic and rising unemployment showed the stark differences between the haves and the have-nots. While the humanitarian problems abroad haven’t gone away. So, yes, modern problems do require modern solutions. Permanent ones—not just temporary band-aids.

    #17

    Modern-Problems-Require-Modern-Solutions-Jokes

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    Modern-Problems-Require-Modern-Solutions-Jokes

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    Shelp
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But that's a fellony. Plus, it does not only harm the teacher, but his whole family aswell.

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    #21

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    Angela
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What? Get a job you say Vanky?? Wow, none of us would ever have thought of that!

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