Meme Report 7/28
My Roots are Planted in The Past, Who I Am is Who I Want to Be
HIPAA Violation
It’s now time for me to review a meme that is tangentially related to sports. I have years of training from watching Pardon the Interruption every day with my father. I will not need it for this but I just want people to know that when the time comes, I will be ready. For this I simply have to rely on something else, my knowledge of HIPAA. For those not in the know, Cowboys Quarterback, Dak Prescott said at a press conference “I don’t necessarily think that’s exactly important. I think that’s HIPAA” in response to a question about whether or not he was vaccinated. Now after some research I confirmed that it is not a HIPAA violation to talk about your own medical history but it is a brilliant excuse if you don’t want to do something. Add it to the hall of fame list which includes “I’m Union”, invoking the fifth amendment, and “it’s an OSHA violation” as turns of phrases that you can whip out in everyday conversation when the reason you’re not doing something is simply because you don’t want to.
The Beach That Makes You Old
This is why we do this. Memes are a reflection of real life. Despite living almost solely on the internet the ebb and flow of the meme ecosystem could not exist without the influence of the real world. This meme is almost fully sparked by real life. We were given the premise for the movie and we ran with it. “It’s a beach that makes you old” The meme itself does not do much beyond that because we do not need much beyond that. We’re so happy to be making memes about current events and culture that are not horribly depressing. There’s a new movie coming out and we can see it in theaters and guess what? It’s about a beach that makes you old. The phrase itself is funny. We can talk about it endlessly. It also adds a new location to the meme canon, something we are horribly lacking. The canon is well populated with characters but less so with locations. Off the top of my head right now we mostly have the beach that makes you old and the marketplace of ideas. There are others but they are much less popular and well known. The beach that makes you old is a perfect summer meme. You just have to be alive and on the internet to participate. Those who do not find it funny are not reveling in the joy of a simple meme. There will always be the bitter and unfunny, hellbent on making sure the rest of us are as miserable as they are and frankly? They should go to the beach that makes you old if they're going to act that way.
The Hospital Horse
I love the hospital horse as a concept. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life in the hospital and seen what they have to offer. Therapy Dogs, Roving art projects, a Sundae cart on Sunday nights. I’ve seen it all and I want the horse. I want to see a horse in my hospital room so badly. Everyone hating on the horse is wrong. This is where we separate the real from the fake in terms of horse girls. You either want the horse in your hospital room or you don’t and if you don’t, I feel sorry for you. I hate to say this but the French are right on this one. Bring Me The Horse.
I’d also like to congratulate all of us for not making any John Mulaney, Horse in the Hospital jokes. I’m really proud of us and I think it means we’re moving forward as a culture.
Emma Roberts Beach video
These videos come around every so often and they’re better when they’re not celebrities. Pretending to be carefree and fun but coming across so incredibly stiff is more fun with a C-list actress or an internet weirdo than Emma Roberts. I also think Emma Roberts is uniquely unsuited to this meme. She has yet to really nail down her star persona as she ages out of high school bully and I think this is another misstep. Her response is a little funny for someone who is not out and out a gay icon. The meme does not speak to me and it seems half hearted from all of you.
Tiktok
I am loving all of the Olympics Tiktoks and I want to give a special shout out to the member of the women’s rugby team who’s really bringing us incredible content, Ilona Maher. Ilona Maher is not only an incredibly funny and talented athlete, she is also a native of Burlington, VT, just like me! We took Algebra 2 together with Mr. Williams and have various other tenuous connections from living in the same city all of our lives. I’m very happy to see her succeeding not only at Rugby but at Tiktok, as well. Go Ilona and Go Team USA Women’s Rugby!
A Single Mom Who Works Too Hard
Whether you know it or not it is a universal truth we all love Reba. Now, one can say they don’t and are unfamiliar with her music but she is one of the greatest artists we have and her music speaks to the soul. This meme is what I hope is the beginning of The Reba-ssance. This meme is about the feeling we all have when we do a minor chore. The feeling one gets when they call the uber for all their drunk friends. An inflated sense of self about taking care of someone, even when that person is yourself. Filling the ice cube tray for my roommates and I, does mean I have gentle hands and the heart of a fighter. Reba once again captures forgotten moments of the human experience and sets it to an endlessly listenable song.
Great work everyone. Here comes the boy, a beautiful little cat or a great dog. As someone said though, don’t show me your boyfriend. I don’t care. No one cares. No one likes seeing you display your boyfriend in a cutesy adoring way. Keep it to yourself.
Here Comes The Man Welcome Tax Payer
This was a sound made in response to people using the original to show off their boyfriend. This was the sound one should use if they want to show off their boyfriend. However people are using it to show off their old adult cats and dogs which I love even more. The thing about boy cats is they are so silly. I know we are projecting gender roles onto cats but it is very fun to call the small animal that spends most of its time sleeping, the little gentleman. Cats can carry themselves like business man who went they want to speak, make little mews. Welcome Tax payer finally gets at this phenomenon.
I’ve debated including this meme because I have nothing really to say about it. It’s simple premise is going to a fictional universe, like Bikini Bottom, and replacing the names of the characters with your personal ethnic stereotypes. Everyone had their fun with it. Was it a great meme? Not really but I also couldn’t really participate and it wasn’t for me. The jokes were never that clever or to the height of anyone’s intelligence but if it made you laugh I’m not gonna hold it against you. The example I included did make me laugh a little bit, especially “Thy Babe” and I wanted to share that with you all.
Tiktok versus Vine is a great debate that has more or less ended. Tiktok is sticking around and seems to be chugging along where Vine found failure. I loved Vine and was one of it’s champions in the old days. This trend while not great but a little funny is special because it pays homage to one of the great Vines. It’s a recognition of what came before. We would not be where we are without the great Viners of the past. I want to see more of this. Repurpose, reuse, adapt, overcome, improvise. Do not let the old meaning dictate the new meaning but incorporate the old into the new.
Heartbroken at Not Going to the Olympics
This meme combines two great things. People injuring themselves and the olympics. I love when people tell obvious lies on the internet. It remains one of my great joys. Getting ready to watch a sad Tiktok about someone not making the olympic gymnastics team and then watching them fall over trying to do a cartwheel while they’re drunk is a great pleasure of my day every time it happens. It is also an under the radar Olivia Rodrigo meme. Our pop princess remains undefeated for 2021.
Every so often we get a meme that is just a format to let people know you know other memes. It has no merit on its own. There is no spin. There is no unique interpretation or originality. This one is the purest distillation of that. You do the dance and format the thing you’re referencing like a question. There is nothing else. To add insult to injury, most people can’t even do the dance right and it’s a very simple dance.
I saw one person draw a French horse/John Mulaney comparison but I instantly blocked. Glad you have kept safe from that. More enthusiasm for the beach that makes you old than I was expecting, but that’s why I always tune in.