Obvious Memes

When professors say "it's in the book," they actually mean "it's hidden in a maze of 'obviously' statements that require a PhD to decipher." Nothing says academic gaslighting quite like an author who thinks deriving complex equations is as simple as making toast. Next time your textbook says "obviously," just know that the author probably spent three days figuring it out before deciding everyone else should find it intuitive. That's not math—that's psychological warfare with equations.

The classic professorial cop-out in its natural habitat! Nothing says "I don't want to explain this again" like directing students to a textbook that uses the word "obviously" more times than a teenager uses their phone in a day. What's truly magical about math and physics textbooks is how they skip the most crucial steps with a casual "it is trivial to show" or "obviously" — as if the proof that took the author three whiteboards and a nervous breakdown is somehow instantly clear to a sleep-deprived undergrad surviving on ramen and desperation. Pro tip: When a textbook says "obviously," prepare for at least two hours of confused scribbling and possibly an existential crisis about your career choices.

The eternal academic gaslighting in its natural habitat! Nothing says "I don't want to explain this properly" like a textbook riddled with the word "obviously" before every incomprehensible equation. That magical moment when the professor smugly tells you "it's in the book" and the book essentially says "duh, figure it out yourself, dummy." Meanwhile, you're left wondering if you're the only one who doesn't see why "Σᵢ kᵢ = k" is somehow more obvious than the fact that we're all slowly being crushed by student debt. Next time someone says "it's obvious," just remember—if it were actually obvious, they wouldn't need to say it 47 times per page.