A Meme About Nothing: Professor Featured in Washington Post Article on Viral ‘6–7’ Meme

East Texas A&M University Professor Salvatore Attardo, Ph.D, was recently featured in a Washington Post article discussing the linguistics and origin of the trending “6-7” meme. Currently, children and teens are throwing the phrase “six-seven” into almost any situation.

Attardo, who has taught at East Texas A&M since 2007, said that those seeking a deeper meaning behind the viral phrase shouldn't look too hard.

“It is essentially good fun that Gen Alpha is using to create an in-group/out-group division between old fuddy-duddies that are not in on the joke and themselves,” Attardo said in the article.

He also acknowledged the irony of giving commentary on a meme in a mainstream news format.

“Usually, by the time newspapers or academics talk about these things they're already long past their prime,” Attardo said.

Attardo's research into the science of humor spans many years. His recent works include “Humor 2.0: How the Internet Changed Humor” and “The Linguistics of Humor, an Introduction,” published in 2023 and 2020, respectively. In addition to his teaching roles, he also served as the head of East Texas A&M's Department of Literature and Languages from 2007 to 2010 and dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts from 2011 to 2018.

Read the full Washington Post article.