The image appears to be a vintage black and white photo showing a comical physical altercation between two individuals dressed in early 20th-century attire. The person on the left is wearing a jester's hat, suggestive of a fool or comic character from historical periods. They are depicted with arms outstretched as if to strike the person on the right. The person on the right is dressed in a tight-fitting suit, making an exaggerated theatrical pose with a hand extended forward and a look of mock terror on their face.
Superimposed text adds a layer of modern humor and context to the image. The jester is labeled "community standards", while the character on the right has the caption "Facebook" just above their head, and the lower part of the image includes the caption "me with my bullshit." This text frames the interaction as a farcical representation of a user's content on Facebook running afoul of the platform's community standards.
The comedic element stems from the anachronistic juxtaposition of the vintage image with contemporary social media terms. The exaggerated postures and costuming already give the photo an innate sense of slapstick, which is then amplified by the labels suggesting a narrative that many viewers familiar with social media might relate to personally.
The image might be seen as funny due to the relatability of the scenario it presents. Many users of social media have experienced moments where their posts have been flagged or removed due to community standards. The image pokes fun at this situation by equating the policies governing content on social platforms to a medieval jester aggressively dealing with the nonsense (or "bullshit") that users might attempt to post.
Additionally, the sense of humor can be attributed to the anthropomorphism of abstract concepts. Facebook’s community guidelines are an intangible set of rules, but here they are humorously represented by a physical character. The action of being metaphorically 'slapped' by the guidelines for stepping out of line brings a human element to the often impersonal and automated process of content moderation online.
Finally, the image garners humor from the dramatization of a usually mundane interaction. The submission, review, and potential removal of content are typically not visual or dynamic events. However, in this image, these actions are exaggerated and dramatized, using theatrical motions to create a scene with heightened emotion, which contrasts with people's typical experiences on the platform, lending it a hyperbolic and whimsical air that viewers might find amusing. community standards Facebook me with my bullshit