The Slap Heard Round The World
Ok. I’m not going to discuss the moral imperative of making memes about an event like this. We continue to make memes about Ukraine and other actually definitively bad things that happen to real people who aren’t incredibly rich and famous, so the morality of the meme is fine. Each version is nothing special but an occasional one can make me laugh. However each individual iteration is not the point. The point with this kind of meme is that it has to happen. When a moment like this happens, we all have to participate. It was served to us on a platter. If we didn’t react and create, we would be losing our touch. It was an incredible moment, the likes of which we rarely get anymore and will probably not see soon again. This was like a shock of adrenaline to the cultural ecosystem. We have something to talk about for the next week, if not month. We can talk about the moment, the reactions to the moment, the memes from the moment. The meme is not really about anything except to say, remember that crazy thing that happened? I hate to call it too early but dare I say…. Cultural reset? We certainly needed one and no time like the present.
As for my take on the slap itself, because at this point the discourse itself has become a meme, I think sometimes things happen and it's fine that they happened once. They probably shouldn’t be encouraged to happen again but if they did everyone involved would be fine. Chris Rock recovered from the slap in real time on stage. He’ll be fine. Will Smith apologized. He’ll be fine. Jada will be fine. Everything about this is so removed from any kind of normal life that to apply any kind of larger statement about it seems ill advised. Whatever situation is trying to be compared, consider the following information: Are either of the people involved two of the most famous men in the world and is the event where said violence occurred The Oscars? Oh no? Then it’s not comparable. What does a single slap between millionaires at the Oscars say about violence in general? Nothing at all.
Will Could Have Killed Him
Often in heightened situations people either over or underreact. If things turn out to be fine, the overreactors will be laughed at and mocked. I am still laughing about this one and so is everyone else. We’re still riffing days later about a tweet that was deleted twenty minutes after it was written. I have a feeling we’ll be saying “He could have died” in response to things for months if not years. This kind of overreaction brings to mind one of my favorite adages of all time: If things were different, they wouldn’t be the same.
Speed force
Overshadowed by The Slap was the introduction of Speed Force to the lexicon. In an attempt to give Spiderman a chance at being honored by the academy, the Oscars introduced two fan favorite categories both of which were won by Zach Snyder. We all know and love this moment so it’s no question as to why it won. Had the slap not happened we would probably all still be talking about Speed Force. It would have been the moment of the night! Instead it will be remembered mostly by me and the other nerds on film twitter.
Julia Fox Red Carpet Interview
Listen I love Julia Fox but we can’t make a meme of everything she says. They’re not all funny and it's the same joke over and over again. Are any of her clips from the Oscars as iconic as Uncuh Jahms? No. Don’t force it because it was funny once! Also we don't want her star to burn out too bright too quickly! She’s already been rocketed to a higher level of fame than she can easily maintain. Give her a minute to reset post Kanye.
TikTok
I love this trend. It’s a perfect antidote to TikTok’s recent uptick in bad vibes. Too much earnestness and fear mongering all at once. This trend is stichting someone else’s video that starts with some kind of idiotic hooky question and responding “No.” Then using one of those random “What X are you” filters for a quick round of smash or pass. The answer is always Smash. It reminds of the days of tumblr when people would respond to bad posts with “This post is bad so it’s my post now.” and then say whatever they want. It’s an effective way to engage with the internet. The person responding gives both their feedback on the original and changes the conversation to something, if not more productive, then certainly more fun.
This trend is also the latest iteration of the Smash or pass revival happening on TikTok right now. I believe it started with the sound, “Smash…. Wait What Was the Game?” A meme that never really got traction with the general public but avid TikTok users really latched onto. The girl from the original, Susie, brought Smash or Pass back into the public consciousness. While her meme never got it’s day, she restarted a cultural moment. Good for her.
I knew this one could not be genuinely enjoyed for long. I knew people were gonna have a problem with it because it would seen as celebrating the worst members of our society, older white people. This trend was highlighting sweet moments people had with strangers. Often those moments were old men being nice and encouraging for a change. It’s notable because it’s a change from how those people usually act. The point of this trend is that these moments are rare, which is why it's special when they happen. Nobody understands how to not participate, so now everyone has to chime in with the flip side. Old white strangers are rude constantly, so there’s a lot of fodder for this new iteration. This meme is going to get more popular than the original ever was and now the song will be associated with horrible experiences rather than the simple sweet moments of everyday life. Sad to see it go but nothing gold can stay. Especially on the internet.
New Trauma dump sound. Good sound overall but sad to see it associated with yet another opportunity to talk about bad things that happen to people. It’s especially sad to see because the original video is really funny. The “oh my god Leah what the fuck” is in response to Leah, some random girl, dancing. Her friend is reacting as if she’s really good or changing it up in any way but she’s just being silly. It’s a fun moment between friends and I feel there’s rich fodder for a trend like that. The sound should be associated with people cheering on their friends either doing something totally normal or a little fun. Not yet another opportunity to talk about the time some teenage virgin had a positive pregnancy test because of a hormone imbalance.
I can’t tell if only people who are annoying are participating in this sound or the sound itself makes everyone’s opinion annoying by extension. It hurts to listen to and so far no one has a particularly cogent or interesting point. Thank god it’s not popular enough to have any real impact on my FYP.
This one is truly transcendent. We’re going to make TIkTok weird again. The dances are going to be longer and weirder and more upsetting. Nothing will be accessible or for the common man. It will all be an assault on the senses and a horrific one at that. We’re gonna have real fun again. I linked the sound rather than a specific example because I want everyone who hasn’t experienced it to pick one at random and watch one. Whichever one you see first will set the tone for the rest of them. All others will be judged against that one. I didn’t want to favor any specific video because they’re all unique in their own special way. Watch two in a row and try to form a coherent thought. What compels people to make these, I know not but I'm happy they’re making them.
Sage. Agree one hundred percent about Julia fox—these clips just are not top tier, and I love her too!! She’s marinating right now which is okay.