Kermit the Frog has exploded with in popular culture through the use of memes. While Kermit the Frog is not a direct product of the 1990’s, he still portrays many of the same qualities of nostalgia. Furthermore, Kermit’s lightheartedness and innocence allows to for the humor to be more palatable to any reader. This can be useful when memes cast judgement on common social issues. Below I will attempt to describe some of these common qualities using Kermit memes.
The meme posted above criticizes instant gratification. With the rise of the digital age, instant gratification is a common expectation. In this meme, Kermit the Frog is looking at himself in the mirror with a sense of disappointment. His belly is pronounced while his hand touches the mirror in shame. The text compares Kermit’s discouraged image with the feeling of not having accomplished diet goals.
The humor of this meme lies with the time frame of this expectation and the emphasized “STILL” in this image. After only practiced a diet for 15 minutes, no sensible person would presume to have lost any weight. This meme exposes the expectations of instant gratification that many of us are guilty of.
The image above is a well shared meme often used to expose nonsense. This particular meme reveals the problem of digital privacy. A popular topic throughout today’s news.
In this meme, Kermit is calmly sipping his tea. He is facing away from the camera and appears to not be giving any attention to the viewer. Kermit’s unconcerned face appears to be mocking the viewer. The text ridicules the Facebook users who post intimate daily life information, yet complain about lack of privacy.
This meme points out a common flaw in society. One well known saying can explain this situation well – “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” In today’s digital age, anything posted online can easily be taken, saved, and shared. This meme uses Kermit to create awareness of the common problem of digital privacy.
The post above is possibly the most popular rendition of the Kermit the Frog memes. It is often called Evil Kermit memes. This specific one points out the problem with distractions that many of us have. As a student, I know this is particularly relatable to myself.
In this meme, Kermit is talking to his evil self. The text describes normal Kermit attempting to make a normal, good decision but this quickly shifts when Evil Kermit interrupts. Instead of completing his work as he should be doing, he instead coaxed to tweet about it.
I believe this meme uncovers the issues with distractions in today’s digital age. This relates well with the topic of instant gratification. Because we have many ways to be entertained, there are many moments were individuals can quickly diverge from goals. In this meme the social media Twitter is used as a distraction but there are various others. Personally, I am guilty of abusing YouTube when I have deadlines to complete. YouTube is the worst when attempting to be productive. The videos on YouTube are often short, causing viewers to not have a problem being distracted for a few minutes. Unfortunately, this is where Evil Kermit is often interrupts. A few minutes of distractions can quickly snowball into hours of procrastination.
The Evolution of Memes 