Author: Roy De Jesus
90’s Memes – Spongebob Memes
Spongebob Sqarepants was a staple for many of children, such as myself, born in the 90’s. In recent years, Spongebob memes have been used to demonstrate some of the errors in our society and ourselves. Below I will choose some memes that display how Spongebob affects politics, education, and popular culture.
The first meme has been named “mocking Spongebob” universally by internet users. It displays Spongebob in a mocking pose. This meme is really flexible because it can address any issue that may seem illogical to a group of people. The particular meme above really addresses the general consensus of healthcare in the United States. By using this popular meme, Americans can gain attention to the issues of attaining healthcare in the United States while still maintaining a sense of humor. A closer look really demonstrates the American frustration of Republican opposition to a healthcare reform.
For my next meme, I wanted to find a conservative “mocking spongebob” meme in order to show some contrast. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find a meme that could analyzed well. Instead, I decided to use an evolution of this meme that really demonstrates how political memes have become.
The meme above became a set of viral memes which replace “mocking Spongebob” with “mocking Trump” or “mocking Drumpf.” It utilizes the silly, taunting elements of the original meme but replaces the captions with actions and words of the President Trump.
“Mocking Trump” demonstrates the general perception of Donald Trump. Many feel as though the President has been colluding with the Russian government in order to achieve his goals. Furthermore, many believe that President Trump is also betraying the country without answering the questions its citizens. In the meme above, the caption describes the general frustration of Russian interference in our government and demands of President Trump to cease assisting Russian government officials. Trump is shown mocking those who criticize his administration’s choices.
You can see how “mocking Spongebob” has been used for to expose controversial political news. The next image will show how memes can address mental health problems within the youth. But first, here is one last “mocking Spongebob” meme that any struggling student can relate with.
The series of the meme above has been named “savage Patrick.” The image shows Patrick Star displaying signs of evil intentions. It appears as if he is plotting to cause harm.
The caption for this specific meme compares the malevolent faces with the pressures of a college student. It references anxiety and depression which are commonly untreated in American youth. Possibly due to the broken American healthcare system mentioned above. The anxiety could also be a result of the stress of having a high GPA in order to get a decent paying job. Financial stress is also a common factor in anxiety and depression. I believe many young adults, such as myself, can relate with this meme because it is a common situation for college students.
These memes are only a few of the Spongebob series of memes that utilize comedy and sarcasm in order to mock or make light of our political and social problems.
Renaissance Memes
The next set of memes we will discuss is renaissance memes. These set of memes became popular because of their flexibility and creative methods of relating old art to current life. I will dive into some memes and analyze what we can derive from them.
The picture above displays a skeleton holding an hourglass. There is also a woman holding the body of a possible dead man. Additionally there is a flying angel above. The skeleton central focus in this meme as the text misinterprets the hourglass for a mobile device which he is using to take a selfie with.
The image can provide some reference to the culture that many of this generation currently live. This meme plays off the narcissism that can often occur with the rise of social media. Selfies are a defining social requirement in order to stay relevant on mediums such as Instagram or Snapchat. Of course, this meme is facetious; a reminder to not take ourselves so serious as well.
The picture above shows a man being pierced in the head with a dagger by another man. The humor lies in the facial reaction of the male getting murdered. The caption takes advantage of the victim’s smile as he is being stabbed. Taking a closer look at this meme, we could see some mental health issues that are important in our society.
Mental health has been at the forefront of medical issues this generation. It has been the problem in various incidents. Although it could be argued that this specifically references self esteem problems that are prevalent in youth, low self esteem can contribute to mental problems.
The meme above displays a man of faith drinking from a barrel. It can be deduced that the barrel holds some alcohol and the monk is over indulging. The image really displays the temptations that affect even the men of faith.
In contrast, the meme caption displays the lack of opportunities for the youth in today’s society. In order to succeed in our current economy, young adults must take any advantage (in this case, free refills).
Kermit the Frog Inspired Memes
This semester we looked at things that we love. This covered comics, music, movies, celebrities, and more. We analyzed specific characters in these categories and how their story impacts society. I particularly enjoyed reading about Ms. Marvel and Katniss, in the Hunger Games, because they were relatable. They weren’t perfect, nor rich, and they accepted themselves. Similarly, I looked at memes were honest, critical, but also gave us some hope (and a good laugh).
For my project, I examined the evolution of memes and how they played a role in our society. Analyzing memes may seem like a pointless assignment but they have become a staple in communication for young adults. Memes utilize text and speech to add a new dimension to social interactions. The choice of these mediums is critical to understanding the intended message. Grundlingh argues (“Memes as Speech Acts”, 2018) “with memes, the choice of resource and the social context in which the meme is interpreted are central to successful communication since communicating through memes is dependent on the addressee understanding why.” We will see how this is applicable in memes that are political, self-critical, and just make us feel good.
Memes have affected the way youth organize. One example of this is viral dances, including the flash mob trends earlier this decade. In my project I looked at how memes organized politically and exposed some failures in our president. The meme that demonstrated this best was the “mocking SpongeBob” crossover with our president Donald Trump; and it all came from one Tweet.
The mocking meme corresponds to the way many feel President Trump has handled his presidency. The mocking Trump image creates a satire persona for the president and the text written in both uppercase and lowercase showcases the immaturity we see in our highest office.
We also see how memes can comment on the future that politicians create for us. Young adults are constantly criticized for not being self-sufficient, but without the proper tools they are often left without options. Memes are a healthy way to express frustration and band together.
Memes are honest. They did not hold back self-criticism. This was particularly evident through the “evil Kermit” memes. “Evil Kermit” memes expose some weaknesses in our own lives. This reminded me of Roxanne’s principles. “Evil Kermit” reveals those moments when we know what the right thing to do is socially or politically, yet we simply choose to enjoy the moments for what they are. It is clear that we all have a little “evil Kermit” personality within us.
Memes show us our dark side but being aware is the first step to overcome these shortcomings. They present these qualities in ourselves in a non-threatening sarcastic method.
Finally, memes let us relive our childhood. A time that was filled with innocence and less complicated issues. It is a common state that most of us can relate to and can enjoy for the moment. This is evident through the types of memes that are used. SpongeBoB, Kermit the Frog, and Arthur are all staples of childhood. Using our childhood and memes as a medium we can make the world a better place.
References:
Grundlingh, L. “Memes as Speech Acts.” Social Semiotics, vol. 28, no. 2, 2018, pp. 147.
Muppet Inspired Memes – Kermit the Frog
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.
90’s Inspired Memes – Arthur
The 90’s was a good era. It was the transition between analog to digital. No where was this more present than in children’s television. Although children of previous generations had television, it was filled with puppets, such as in “Howdy Doody” or “Sesame Street.” The 90’s kids were a generation characterized by cartoons; few as iconic as “Arthur.” This is likely why this show has inspired a variety of memes such as the ones below.
The first meme is a satirical take on young adult’s money situation. Arthur is pictured during one of his dreams of rolling in cash. This meme is funny because it dramatically lowers the standard of what having money means. It also has some bleak optimism of survival for 90’s kids.
Taking a closer look at this meme, we can extrapolate some more information. First, most of us are poor. Income inequality is at an all time high. Memes like these are a constant reminder of the struggles that young adults must overcome.
Being poor and hungry doesn’t really help any situation. And the more food you can save, the more money you save. In this meme, Arthur has his famed curled fist. It clear that offering food does not necessarily imply that it was meant to be accepted. The fist represents irritation when things just don’t the way they were planned.
I would argue that the connotations of this meme are simply an extension of the previous memes. In popular culture, one common theme among young people is being poor and hungry. Being poor and hungry is also a result of lack of opportunity and income inequality.
Speaking about food, is pineapple acceptable in pizza? Again, we see that famed curled fist of Arthur over one of the most debated questions of the decade. The fist displays a state of frustration over moments when someone orders pineapple on pizza. There is an implied judgement that pizza is not meant to have pineapple on it.
Meme’s are bound to intertwine and here we see Arthur and the pineapple pizza question. This just goes to show how quickly small social debates can spread. Something as simple as pizza toppings can become viral thanks to the digital web.
In this meme, we see DW sitting in frustration. The captions read “Send me a pic that’s not on Twitter or IG.” This could imply that the reader wants a personalized picture. Something that is not available for the public which could be used to emphasize a deeper relationship than that of their Twitter and Instagram followers.
This meme shows just how vital social media are in popular culture. Furthermore, it could also describe the barrier that Instagram and Twitter users have between themselves and their followers. A photo that has not been seen by the public holds more value than that posted for the world to see.
Arthur memes give great small insights into the minds of 90’s kids. Whether it be our lack of income, social debates, or relationship tips, Arthur has a meme for each of them with the added bonus of nostalgia.
The Evolution of Memes 