Meme Report 8/7+8/14
Very Demure, Very Mindful
Double Issue this week because even I need a break to actually enjoy my brat summer.
Olympics
I’m going to round up every moment from the Olympics right here and say I loved them all. Each one fills me with Olympic spirit. I’m sad we are not going to get a new athlete every day anymore. I’m sad I can’t watch Skateboarding, Fencing, or Rhythmic Gymnastics all at the same time. I guess I just have to watch regular sports. It’s not the same as being overwhelmed by every sport at once. It’s not the same as getting a new athlete to be obsessed with every day. Goodbye friends, I’ll see you in LA.
RayGun
There was one Olympian who was special. She was not one of the typical stories or standouts. She was a god among men. An academic among athletes. In the third act of the Olympics, we were presented with a 36-year-old woman named “Raygun” with a PhD in breakdancing. A perfect character to shake this whole thing up. We were tired of being inspired. Enough with the people who worked their whole lives for this or the people who pivoted. Where was the clown?? Who could we laugh at?? Then Raygun arrived. The great thing about the Olympics is that everything is corrupt and fucked up and finally that resulted in pointing and laughing instead of heartbreak. Also thank god she was Australian. America would have never been able to bounce back from that one.
Kamala Walz Hat
Fun's Over!!! This is the last moment of levity I want from the campaign for at least a month. We're delirious from the last month (two weeks?) of fun. It’s time to start winning the youth vote on policy again. Student Loan Forgiveness? Raising the federal minimum wage? Abortion Rights? Ceasefire? We had an extra long recess but it’s time to go back to class. No more shenanigans.
It was a perfect final note because, for me, it steps over the line into just pandering. It’s not all of us having fun anymore. It acknowledges the dynamics at play too much. Up until now, it’s been the American public asking for things and then miraculously getting them. This is asking us to buy something. A bridge too far. We were having fun and now you want my money? It also feels like pandering. Camo? To appeal to middle America? Groundbreaking. Obviously, they’re going for both the Regular Camo vote and the ironic reappropriation of Camo vote. Neither applies to me so this is where I tap out. It’s too many layers to put on one pattern.
RFK Jr and the Baby Bear
I will be honest, I forgot what this was referencing. I allow the RFK Jr. Presidential run to pass over me. Never staying in my mind long enough to leave an impact. I don’t know what to do with him. I don’t feel what I’m supposed to feel about him. He’s a ridiculous character but only if you’re paying attention. He doesn’t have mass appeal. The only people who care are people who read the news and it feels like they’re doing it out of obligation. He’s an unnecessary sideshow when the main event is entertaining enough now.
Brat Summer Truly Over
It is mid-August. Many kids have gone back to school already and while adult summer doesn’t end until Labor Day, we can all admit it’s winding down. Summer’s all about promise and opportunity and it’s fading fast. Those loudly declaring brat summer officially over are desperate to have their finger on the pulse. As long as I still have to sleep with my air conditioner on, it’s brat summer. To call it in August does not show a discernment in taste or any kind of supernatural understanding of vibes. Brat Summer will end when there’s a chill in the air, just like every other summer before it. The real culture critics are scratching their chins trying to figure out if this summer is Janet or if it’s just planet.
TikTok
No
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I would say this is the lowest form of content. I’m sure I’ve said that before about other things but this time I mean it. A filter that adds nothing and shaking your finger no. What is the point? What opinion were you unable to express before that you can finally express? What is this for? Why now? Why this? All questions go unanswered because no answer would satisfy.
The Cucumber Guy
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I saw him and said a fellow member of the community. Many see him as an innovator, which he is. But the idea of cucumbers in a little sauce never occurred to them. It’s one of the great snacks god gave us. Cucumbers and a little bit of sauce. He elevates the form. Anything can be a cucumber salad if you add cucumbers and enough sauce. I’m a sucker for an easy TikTok snack so I’m happy to see another align with my tastes so well. I also can’t wait to see what he does next. What food can he make into a cucumber salad? At first, I thought the lox bagel salad was too much but I’ve realized it's not far enough.
The fandom meme that has taken over my FYP. I was hoping for further innovation in the world of edits but instead, we get an everyone-can-play version. As long as you can put text on a picture and relate a character to yourself, you can make a post like this. I am intrigued by some of the comparisons people are making but not enough. It’s too eldest-daughter-victim-complex core. Next!
Demure
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Ok, I love Demure for all of you. You all definitely need to be more demure. I know myself enough to know that’s not my vibe. The rest of you could stand to learn a thing or two. We needed this. We needed a new silly word to say to each other. It's a new inside joke for internet girlies of a certain age. Our community needed another facet to get us through the end of summer. Everyone needs a little pop of something before we settle on the fall trends. Demure is a cigarette break in the ever-turning wheel of culture. This one is just for us and just for fun.
Frazzled English Woman Fall
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We’re doing it for real this year. Last year everyone started pushing this in mid-October. That’s too late to pick a fall trend. This year? We’ve already got our Mary Janes and multiple baggus to carry around, all that’s missing is an ugly jacket and a scarf. We all have enough notice to participate. Start planning your playlist now
Rip Brooke Schofield
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Sadly, a week after I said Kamala was smart for connecting the dots between her and Brooke, she was canceled for racist tweets. Nothing Gold can stay and no influencer du jour is safe as long as she refuses to delete old tweets. What’s interesting to me about this situation, is that it didn’t need to happen this way. If you’re on a podcast called Cancelled maybe take a different approach to your own cancellation. There were many ways to approach this mea culpa. Crying no makeup youtube apology was not the way. That’s the old playbook! It’s disingenuous! It didn’t have to end this way but unfortunately, once a YouTuber always a YouTuber.