As 2020 kicked off, so did the storm of World War Three draft memes. New year new memes, right? But should we be a little more concerned?

Let’s recap: on January 3 an airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump was carried out in Iran, killing a top Iranian general, Qusem Soleimani.

President Trump attempted to justify these actions by stating, “Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him.” Although he said this, government officials still aren’t sure where the evidence of this attack derived.

The Iranian military responded to this attack with an unsuccessful attack on a U.S military base, resulting in damage to the base and equipment . Iran claims that this attack killed 80 American troops while the U.S. government claims the attack had no casualties.

Later, on January 9, Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 crashed in Iran killing all 176 individuals on board. It was later confirmed this crash was a result of an Iranian missile. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif stated, “Human error at a time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to [this] disaster.”

These events, along with the media’s speculation on possible consequences, launched an online frenzy over the imminent prospect of World War III. 

Many Americans coped with their worries through posting comical yet alarming memes to various social media sites. 

Yes, these memes might be funny, but they are also threatening. Do we need be worried? 

The United States hasn’t drafted anyone since 1973 and still has 1.2 million active duty troops. 

To add to that, the United States would have to pass a law that would reinstate the draft, and, judging from the current events in Washington, this legislation would probably take years. Additionally, tensions have been slowly dying out in Iran over the last few days.

With that being said, we most likely have nothing to worry about. But you can never be sure. If any of us do get drafted, one thing is certain: we won’t be laughing anymore.