Are you serious or just kidding? That is not a rhetorical question by the way, please post an answer. I mean I saw the incest jokes on Rick and Morty, and while they were gross and completely disregarded the harm done to children born from incest, they can be attributed to Dan Harmon and anyone who previously worked on Community with him. This step ladder joke doesn't even come close to that.

I don't wont to alarm you, but the United States doesn't have a unified, overarching culture. We have a bunch of subcultures, some more popular than others. So any plan to degrade our culture is as dead on arrival as anyone born from too many generations of incest. If it makes you feel better, I agree with your general sentiment, incest can go drown with the polar bears or penguins, I don't care which.

[–] Rekliner@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Everybody is taking a guess but the meme really came from a legal situation (i forget which state) where incest could not be portrayed in porn but was precisely defined as a blood relative. By mentioning the male was a "step brother" somewhere it ensured the video could not be classified as incest in legal terms (while still appealing to....that crowd). It was used enough combined with awkward acting that it became a meme in general... And the Internet ran with it like it does. So it just sorta implies a porn situation now

[–] ToastedPlanet@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Is this the meme you are referring to?

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-are-you-doing-step-bro

[–] Rehwyn@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Eh, I think porn studios just were looking for something new that's "taboo" since some sexual acts that 20+ years ago were super taboo are much less so nowadays.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

First off: porn is not real life and it's definitely not a psy-op. It only affects you negatively if there's already something wrong with your brain mode of thinking/emotional life and even then, there's therapy for that.*

Second: only racists, idiots, and racist idiots think that the biggest melting pot in the world has one single national culture. Which are you?

*there's also therapy and meds for thinking everything is a psy-op conspiracy

[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Look at the parts of the country where it's most popular and hmm...

[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Jokes on them, can't degrade something that doesn't exist.

[–] PeachyMcPeachface@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

It makes no sense to me how common it is tbh. I'm inclined to believe you but show your work

[–] lowleveldata@programming.dev 7 points 1 year ago

...waiting to be stepped on?

[–] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 4 points 1 year ago

It's my step tracker I'm worried about. Every move I make, every step I take, it is watching me.

[–] poplargrove@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why are memes being made about straight up incest 🤢

[–] gpw@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is step sibling sex incest?

[–] Rooty@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While step-siblings are not genetically related, boinking family members still counts as incest, and I don't fucking believe I have to explain this shit to coomerbrains.

[–] Huschke@programming.dev 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

incest - sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden by law to marry

So according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it would not be incest, since step-siblings are allowed to marry each other.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Wdym? Is this meme not about (genetically non-related) ladder sex?