New Yorkers cope with air pollution and orange skies by making memes

Lord of the Rings, Breaking Bad and Drag Race were all referenced in funny tweets
Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.
New York residents have seen the funny side as the city was covered in an orange haze
Getty Images
William Mata8 June 2023

What is the internet for if not for making light of a serious situation by sharing out-of-context references to old films?

Millions of people in the US have been given air quality alerts on Wednesday, with the smog illuminating New York and its surrounding areas with an orange haze.

The effect has been caused by wildfires in Canada, with winds pushing smoke south and east.

New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut states have all issued air quality alerts.

Residents in New York City itself are suffering as much as any; outdoor activities have been cancelled and everyone is urged to stay inside as much as possible. Actress Jodie Comer has halted her Broadway show due to fears around air quality.

Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.
Getty Images

While the effect appears cinematic, it can be potentially damaging to lungs, and residents have been encouraged to wear face masks.

But Twitter users have at least seen the funny side of an unusual situation.

Here are some of the best memes:

Lord of the Rings-esque

Zach Silderberg compares the New York skyscape to the climactic scene in Peter Jackson’s fantasy film.

Like something from a film?

‘Maddie from local news’ tweeted with a comparison to the brown backdrop of Hollywood studios that is used the Warner Bros. title card.

Or from Breaking Bad?

This time a fan of the small screen compared the views to a scene from Breaking Bad.

‘On one’

Ruben Ripalda tweeted: “Dang, New York is on one today”. It sure is.

Follow the murky brown brick road

Another cinematic comparison was to the black-and-white scenes in Kansas before the colour transformation in The Wizard of Oz.

“New York looks insane right now,” Aram tweeted. “Like look at this picture of my little sister that I took in Central Park this afternoon.”

Smoking? Oh, vaping - that’s ok

Vaping is at least preferable to smoking.

New York, New York

“Just took this photo from my window in New York City right now. Unreal,” tweeted Joey Nolfi - in a suggested reference to a Drag Race classic episode.

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