Is there a fundamental internet meme that has had such a major impact that it would have notable repercussions if it had somehow disappeared?
Pepe frog memes. It was originally a “sad” frog meme used by cut-me-own wrist R9k users but Hillary’s hillariously inept interns claimed that it was a dogwhistle for Nazis becase Le 4chan bad. That made 4channers mad and you don’t want underwater basketweaving forum enthusiasts to get mad at you. They then used meme magic to get Trump to win.
this is a very trumper take on that. firstly, 4chan’s full of nazis, was then, is now. secondly, nazis absolutely had appropriated and spammed pepe widely before that statement. thirdly the underwater basket weaving meme is an old right wing joke making fun of art degrees. fourth, i’ve never seen the meme magic shit said by anyone who wasn’t a trumper.
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I sometimes think back to when Loss was first posted. I was a teenager hanging out on Shacknews and Somethingawful. The memes started pouring out, people couldn’t stop mocking it. Seemed kinda cruel to me, obviously the author was trying to share something personal and painful with his audience. But the internet was a cruel place. People just didn’t give a fuck.
I remember thinking it’ll blow over before too long. Boy howdy did I underestimate the internet.
To be honest i discovered this meme no so long ago, but i feel like the message and resilience of it is kind of universal. Everyone understand whats’s its essence, everyone can relate. I never though i would be the one to bring it up anywhere, but here i am, posting it, years after the original. And its still relevant!
I agree the internet is a cruel place but it’s also an extremely human response to react to tragedy with comedy. If the comic didn’t strike a chord with people in a very real way, I’m not sure people would still be finding ways to laugh at it. I mean, look at how many people cope with/joke about depression through memes. I don’t think it’s meant to be cruel, it’s just a natural human reaction to hardship and the reason it’s still around is because people do, in fact, give a very sad fuck.
Lightsaber kid? Mostly just because iirc he got bullied for it quite a bit.
Goatse or two girls one cup. Or lemon party.
He-Man Fabulous Secret Powers
Does it have to be an internet meme? Also does God count as a meme?
Meme was coined by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene in 1976, and defined as the equivalent of a gene but for more abstract ideas (because the gene is ultimately just a unit of information as well). I don’t remember for sure if religion is specifically an example he personally used, but if it’s not it’s very comfortably in the same vein.
