On May 14, Vladislav Grib, Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, stated that banning the number “67” — a popular meme among schoolchildren — is pointless. He argued that such bans would only attract additional attention to it and increase its popularity.
“If we start banning something and specifically focusing on it, we will only contribute to its popularity,” Grib said in an interview with RIA Novosti. “Therefore, I think this should be treated very delicately.”
Grib noted that the fight against youth slang resembles a “fight against windmills” and is unlikely to yield results. He added that such trends are temporary and quickly replaced by new ones. The meme “67,” also written as “6-7” or “six-seven,” is used by schoolchildren as a universal comic response and has caused violent reactions in classrooms.
The phrase “Six-seven times measure: memes kill proverbs and sayings” highlights how digital expressions can overshadow traditional language. Linguists have created an applied dictionary to preserve folk wisdom, explaining situations where stable expressions are used.
Earlier this week, a mathematics teacher at a Perm school posted a joke ad restricting the use of the number “67” during lessons. The city administration explained that the measure was intended to maintain discipline because the mention of this number had led to loud shouts and dancing among students.
