There’s been a lot of talk online about gatekeeping recently and whether it’s good or not. I definitely feel conflicted about telling people about my favorite restaurants and bars in NYC because I know that if they got on TikTok, they would become perpetually crowded. I have a particular restaurant in Midtown I love to go to when people come into New York from out of town because I know they will always have good food, incredible theming, and I won’t need to make a reservation weeks in advance. It’s not that I don’t want these businesses to succeed! I just want to exist in a cool place without rubbing elbows with the entire world. Is that so much to ask? 

Memes, like anything, can be gatekept. You don’t want just anyone sending your favorite memes to the groupchat. The following funny memes are for safe gatekeeping from the outside world.