At family Christmas dinners it doesn't always happen like it does on Twitter. There are families in which the brother-in-law does not express conflicting political opinions that no one has asked him to do and where the uncle and grandfather have not touched the ham plate because they are vegetarians. But the figure of the distant relative whom we see little of and who after the Christmas gatherings reaffirms our intention to continue seeing him little is as symbolic of the holidays as the tree, the three kings or the nougat.
During this Christmas that is about to end, thousands of jokes have been made about that stereotype of the man born before 1980 with an evident inability to adapt to the moral values of 2024 and who is dedicated to shaming the youngest and most modern members of the family. To the classic meme of brother in law Other family members have been added, whose sexist, racist and homophobic comments generate an ambiguous fascination on social networks.
But to this harmless image of brother in law know-it-all has added a certain conservative inclination. For example, there are dozens of memes about “the grandfather” who gets up and breaks the TV before listening to Jenni Hermoso's words on New Year's Eve grapes, or about “the uncle” who overreacts when seeing his cousin's foreign boyfriend. , frequently of Moroccan or African origin. These memes point out the moral gap of some men in the family environment, at the same time in which they reproduce extremely retrograde opinions and prejudices.
Álvaro L. Pajares, tiktoker and book coordinator Memeceno: The era of the internet meme (Caja Books) explains that in recent times a part of generation Z has emerged that sees the brother in law as a comical or friendly ally for people with right-wing or liberal ideologies. “It is quite common to find messages on networks with a kind of ambivalent praise for this profile, a mixture of joke and reality, with a fascination tinged with nostalgia or affection,” he maintains. This is reflected in publications that deal with topics such as pimping, gambling addiction or even domestic violence in a humorous way. “We don't know what news will emerge from this, but the Internet usually anticipates trends that later manifest themselves in society,” comments the author.
Another possible explanation for the change in tone observed this year in the memes of the brother in law It could be related to a modification in the X (formerly Twitter) algorithm, capable of altering the user experience within the platform. “It could be that Twitter has adjusted its algorithm to increase our exposure to previously inaccessible circles or speech, thus weakening the bubble or echo chamber effect. The intention would be to increase access to diverse opinions, and stimulate debates with the aim of users spending more time on the platform,” he explains. Pajares maintains, however, that it is difficult to understand precisely how these algorithms work. “You usually notice its effects a long time later,” he adds.
The meme of brother in law It is a key element in the history of humor millennial. Unlike boomer, is a purely Spanish figure. Although, as the writer Grace Morales points out, “the archetype of the brother-in-law is as old as time,” its modern use does not exceed 10 years. To date, no lexicographer has managed to locate the precise moment in which the word brother in law –defined by the RAE as the brother of a person's spouse–, began to be used to designate “someone who has an opinion on any topic, pretending to know more than others”, as described by the Fundéu in 2016 (the RAE does not contemplate this use). Among the first indications of this use is the humorous song Christmas carol for my brother-in-law Fernandofrom Love of Lesbian, in 2007, and a sketch from Muchachada Nui, from 16 years ago, in which the villager Marcial, played by Ernesto Sevilla, criticizes the smartasses using his unbearable brother-in-law, played by Joaquín Reyes, as an example.
Without considering these origins, Pajares locates the popularization of the new meaning of the term 'brother-in-law' between 2013 and 2014. “He represents the archetype of the gañan, of the clever guy who knows everything, and that the law of yes means yes solves the same, than the diplomatic conflict with Morocco,” he points out. According to the expert, the development of this concept was driven by several Twitter accounts, such as @CunadoDeTuiter, now inactive, and Facebook pages such as Cuñadología. The latter, which he considers a milestone in Spanish millennial humor, was managed by people linked to the field of philosophy at the Complutense University. “They ontologically examined the figure of the brother-in-law, with colloquial language and philosophical concepts closely linked to the context of Spain in 2014,” says the expert.
The choice of in-lawism as one of the words of the year 2016 by the Fundéu, along with terms such as surprise, bizarre, populism and post-truth, was due in part to its use by Pablo Iglesias in the Congress of Deputies in April of that year. The former leader of Podemos used this word to criticize Albert Rivera, founder of Ciudadanos, pointing out that “not everything is solved with wedgedisms”. Later, addressing the leader of the PSOE, he stated: “For this reason, Mr. Sánchez, we will extend our hand to you to form a progressive government, which is not based even on wedgedisms“, neither in good words, nor in papers, but in facts and guarantees.” In response, Rivera attacked Iglesias, defining in-lawism such as the practice of “placing family members, friends and girlfriends in institutions.”
Iglesias was not the first to associate Albert Rivera with the term brother in lawsince by then many were referring to his political party as brothers-in-law. Pajares defends that the popularization of this term is closely linked to the social context of a decade ago. “In political terms, they were very important moments. Two or three years had passed since 15M. At that time people did nothing but talk about politics. A very common Saturday plan was to tune in to all of La Sexta Noche to watch Pablo Iglesias troll Eduardo Inda. “There was a widespread perception of being experiencing a historic moment of important political change.”
Pajares believes that the right took a while to understand what was happening with the youth and, for a time, did not know how to respond to the “indignant discourse” represented by Podemos and 15M. “But then Albert Rivera and Ciudadanos appeared, which sowed a significant feeling of frustration among many left-wing voters.” In this context, the figure of the “brother-in-law” was invented, which was largely directed towards the followers of this party. According to the author of Memecenewithin the Internet community, Albert Rivera was “the first great brother-in-law.”
Before the brother-in-law stereotype gained popularity, family humor focused mainly on the figure of the mother-in-law. Traditionally, this stereotype represented a dominant, meddling or critical woman, especially in the relationship with her son or daughter's partner. After the Franco regime, “being a mother-in-law” was used as a synonym for rigid moral imposition. Although this image is in decline, partly due to criticism from feminism, it still persists. Even Pope Francis referred to mothers-in-law in 2022, saying: “To you, mothers-in-law, I say: be car
eful with your tongues. It is one of the sins of mothers-in-law, the tongue.”
Nor should we think that it is no longer possible to make good jokes about familiar characters. Hours before Christmas Eve dinner began, comedian Darío Eme Hache managed to soften a few hearts. Through a sketch published in “I know that sometimes I am a bit rude, and that I say things that are not right. I know I'm not modern, or anything like that, but I do everything to make you laugh,” says the brother-in-law character in the video. “If any of the things I said bothered you, I'm sorry. I have done it to be well for everyone.”
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