Some people seem set on destroying the pleasure of experiences.

Take the word “clanker,” a relatively recent insult that has surfaced on social media aimed at AI chatbots. Not long ago, I discussed the trend as it picked up steam on platforms such as X and TikTok, mostly in satirical posts imagining a future where robots are completely woven into society. It was dark humor that originated from exasperation with Big Tech and the growing role of AI in daily life.

Yet, the initially sarcastic undertone of the word quickly faded away.

Like many memes that start as satire, “clanker” swiftly evolved into something more disturbing. What commenced as a lighthearted reference to Star Wars has deteriorated into a pejorative term resonating with genuine racial slurs.

It’s disheartening. Within just a few weeks, the humor transitioned from innocent jokes about not wanting a robot to dish out popcorn at the Tesla diner to full-blown sketches mimicking Jim Crow–era instances of racial injustice.

This trend isn’t unfamiliar when it comes to internet slang. On social media — and in the political arena — language has frequently been reconfigured into coded shorthand, especially aimed at targeting Black communities. Think about how phrases like “Critical Race Theory” or “DEI” serve as substitutes, or how online slang once depended on “ni🅱️🅱️a” and now uses “yn.” The Uganda Knuckles “do you know da wey” meme rapidly took a racist turn.

It seems that the cycle is occurring once again.