In the quiet before mayhem, a movie theater usher braces for the inevitable. The auditorium rings with the voice of comedian Jack Black: “Chicken Jockey.”
Movie goers jump from their seats, cheering and screaming, popcorn flies through the air. People are lifted to sit on the shoulders of their fellows, and a live chicken is raised into the air, as a mascot of the Chicken Jockey meme.
It’s a scene playing across the nation. It doesn’t always involve a live chicken, and not every theater calls the police or kicks out the rowdy movie goers, but in instances those are the dramatic conclusions.
Why is Chicken Jockey taking the nation’s theaters by storm? And why is there such a backlash to the excitement of a “meme in real life”?
THE BACKSTORY
Chicken Jockey’s origins are based inside the Minecraft game where a baby monster zombie appears riding a chicken, a power boosting combo.
The meme began exclusively with Jack Black’s delivery of the Chicken Jockey, as well as several other self aware in-game based jokes.
The excitement surrounding participating with the movie has led to the social media notion that “A Minecraft Movie” has become Gen Z’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a cult classic from the 1980s famous for being interactive for audiences, where dialogue in the movie is met with rehearsed jeers from viewers.
Why is “A Minecraft Movie” inspiring so much interaction and what does that say about the social needs of Gen Z?
IS CHICKEN JOCKEY A THIRD SPACE?
The subject of “the third space” is a staple of conversation these days. In previous years, third spaces like movie theaters and malls were places where young people could meet and engage in peer communities. As the internet has taken over, and the economy has gotten worse, these places have begun to disappear. There aren’t as many places for youth to go and have youthful antics.
A community raised on interactive media, yet given little interactive media to engage with in public spaces, it’s almost a no brainer that a reaction like this is inevitable.
Some members of the older generations are rejecting Chicken Jockey as hysteria, and Gen Z’s reported lack of public conduct and manners, as if youthful community conduct is not a part of every generation’s growth.
The hippy movement faced backlash just as much as millennials were mocked for hipster beards and man buns. What Chicken Jockey really reveals is that older generations historically don’t understand or appreciate the new ways in which youth engages with their peers.
The takeaway? Let people be people.
Chicken Jockey might look ridiculous in action, but young people are participating in the community in the ways that are available for them.
If there are no third spaces, third spaces will be created often in destructive ways. In a world where community is more and more difficult to find and keep, let the Boomers have their Facebook text posts, let the millennials have their avocado toast, and let Gen Z have Chicken Jockey, as long as they agree to keep the popcorn off the floor.
