A wholesome post by the lovable Muppet’s character Elmo had everyone pouring their hearts out this week, as he made a turn as an online therapist.
If you’ve been ”doom scrolling” through X (formerly Twitter) a bit too much these days, see this as your social media ”palette cleanser”…
It started with a seemingly innocuous question:
What followed was a deluge of responses, most of which we can all relate to, and it snowballed into a viral outpouring of what it’s like to navigate this world with all the stressors and trauma of modern day life.
The overarching sentiment was a feeling that the fast paced life had become a bit too much to handle.
With all the divisions in the world, it was nice to see people across the world wide web uniting and sharing why they think things are not so great right now.
Many users also took the opportunity to flex their comedic muscle, to hilarious effect.
At last check, Elmo’s post was viewed over 204 million times, over 148 thousand ”likes”, 57 thousand ”retweets” and over 18 thousand replies!
Here are some of the responses that gained the most traction, and started conversations between strangers:
Elmo each day the abyss we stare into grows a unique horror. one that was previously unfathomable in nature. our inevitable doom which once accelerated in years, or months, now accelerates in hours, even minutes.
however I did have a good grapefruit earlier, thank you for asking https://t.co/svATFv7ek8
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) January 29, 2024
While many were pouring their hearts out (whether tongue-in-cheek or with a big dollop of existentialism), others took full advantage of using popular memes:
The world is burning around us, Elmo. pic.twitter.com/c3swrzHWYY
— Steven (@StevenMcinerney) January 29, 2024
https://t.co/rLKn2ciLF6 pic.twitter.com/JdXlK2TWgg
— Criminalsimpsons (@Criminalsimpson) January 30, 2024
where do we beginning elmontre?..pic.twitter.com/4vD8tIB1sC
— 🕹️✩°｡ (@jonnyjukeboxx) January 29, 2024
Elmo checking in: pic.twitter.com/mDwlql0Fqw
— GH HILL (@GHHILL1911) January 30, 2024
I mean…. pic.twitter.com/peepNlDBHp
— Gregorie (@_Gregorie) January 29, 2024
Elmo’s post went so viral, that the hashtag #ElmoTraumaDumping started trending:
The entirety of Twitter collectively trauma dumping on Elmo: https://t.co/0SgrVc7ft5 pic.twitter.com/wXM6tv32rA
— Clover! ☘️🏳️⚧️💞 (@MissTrifolium) January 30, 2024
The Internet Is Trauma-Dumping on Elmo https://t.co/cOqjbC31Pp
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 31, 2024
Elmo checked in and the entire internet replied by trauma dumping all over him. pic.twitter.com/Uq9UaOYRB0
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) February 1, 2024
The post also did not go unnoticed by US President Joe Biden, who jumped on the bandwagon and had this response to Elmo (although many thought it was a parody account):
I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days.
Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it.
Even though it's hard, you're never alone. https://t.co/ffMJekbowo
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 31, 2024
Perhaps Elmo’s innocent question will remind us all to check in with our loved ones and friends on a more regular basis. Thanks Elmo (and sorry for all the trauma dumping)!
