The holiday season is upon us, which often means getting asked about your career and your relationship status by family members you rarely see. And, in the spirit of the holidays, Twitter users are bonding over the jobs their parents don’t understand.
The “flight attendant” meme is here to let users share digs their parents may or may not have made about their careers. According to Mashable, the meme started with Twitter user Laura Gao (@heylauragao). Gao, a project manager, tweeted a hypothetical conversation between her and her dad on an airplane.
In the scenario, a flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on board, and Gao’s father took the opportunity to say, “that should have been you,” and then proceeded to roast her job.
“Not asking for a Product Manager to help, are they?” Goa “recalled” her dad as saying. Gao responded with a “Dad, there’s a medical emergency happening right now.”
“Go and see if ‘let’s have a follow-up meeting’ helps,” she then wrote her dad as saying.
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor onboard?
— Laura Gao ☕️ (@heylauragao) November 26, 2019
Dad: *nudging me* that should’ve been you
Me: Not now Dad
Dad: Not asking for a Product Manager to help, are they?
Me: Dad, there’s a medical emergency happening right now
Dad: Go and see if “let’s have a follow-up meeting” helps
The meme quickly circulated, as people were eager to share their own hypothetical scenarios–probably based on real conversations–roasting their respective career choices. The meme now follows a similar format as the one Gao used.
Many who worked with social media were quick to tweet about their jobs. Twitter user @connorlounsbury wrote their dad as saying, “Go and see if a clever tweet helps.”
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor on this flight?
— Connor Lounsbury (@ConnorLounsbury) November 26, 2019
Dad: *nudging me* that should’ve been you
Me: Not now Dad
Dad: Not asking for a communications director to help, are they?
Me: Dad, there’s a medical emergency happening right now
Dad: Go and see if a clever tweet helps
Journalists made quips about their skill sets, and artists poked fun at their penchant for aesthetics.
Twitter user and journalist @lostblackboy wrote, “Go and see if finding a second source helps.”
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor on this flight?
— Lil Uzi Hurt 🥺 (@lostblackboy) November 26, 2019
Dad: *nudging me* that should’ve been you
Me: Not now Dad
Dad: Not asking for a journalist to help, are they?
Me: Dad, there’s a medical emergency happening right now
Dad: Go and see if “finding a second source” helps
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor on this flight?
— jackson hayes (@jacksonhvisuals) November 26, 2019
Dad: *nudging me* that should’ve been you
Me: Not now Dad
Dad: Not asking for a cinematographer to help, are they?
Me: Dad, there’s a medical emergency happening right now
Dad: Go and see if “moody lighting” helps
https://twitter.com/DewaynePerkins/status/1199589121427005440
Some responded to the flight attendant meme with other meme formats, like the “emotional labor” meme. Twitter user @ihatejoelkim wrote, “I’m actually at capacity/helping someone who’s in crisis/dealing with some personal stuff right now, and I don’t think I can hold appropriate space for you,” in response to the flight attendant asking, “Is there a doctor on board?”
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor on board?
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) November 27, 2019
Me: Hey! Im so glad you reached out. I’m actually at capacity/helping someone who’s in crisis/dealing with some personal stuff right now, and i don’t think i can hold appropriate space for you—
Some users just shared funny misconceptions about their jobs. Twitter user @house_feminist wrote, “Go see if throwing a box into a garage door helps” about her job as a UPS driver.
https://twitter.com/House_Feminist/status/1199468943158591488
The Daily Show writer Jaboukie Young-White relatably tweeted about simply not talking to your dad.
https://twitter.com/jaboukie/status/1199707923246657537
And some Twitter users made the meme format about another popular topic of conversation during the holidays: relationships.
“Ohhhhh he’s cute!” one user’s mom “said” about the hypothetical doctor on board who rushed to help in a medical emergency.
“Just give him your number! you’re never going to meet anyone with that attitude,” she continued.
flight attendant: is there a doctor on board?
— Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) November 27, 2019
[doctor rushes to help]
mom: ohhhhh he’s cute!
me: mom, no…
mom: just give him your number! you’re never going to meet anyone with that attitude.
One thing is for sure: Memes roasting our own career choices will never die.
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