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Entertainment
October 7, 2016
prospectornow.com
MEMES TURN POLITICS INTO PLAYGROUND BY COLE ALTMAYER Entertainment Editor
I
n an age where even the most innocuous of opinions and the most braindead of jokes can go viral over the internet, one realizes two things: reputation is as fragile as glass, and innocence is fleeting. One good “roast” can turn a hero into a villain, a man into a boy, or even a prominent Internet meme into an icon for something shameful and hideous. The meme in question is Pepe the Frog, a cute little cartoon amphibian whose nigh-infinite variations can display emotions ranging from smug satisfaction to childlike bliss. But these days, according to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, Pepe’s only got one thing on his mind: white supremacy. Take as much time as you need to comprehend that. According to an article uploaded to Clinton’s campaign website on Sept. 13, “Pepe’s been almost entirely co-opted by the white supremacists who call themselves the ‘alt-right.’” The alt-right are a group of extreme right-wingers who have recently been more relevant in the world of politics due to Clinton’s rival, Donald Trump, paying this fringe group of radicals an unusual amount of lip service for a mainstream candidate. Many of them use the Internet as a battleground for their nationalist and ethnocentric ideals, stalking internet forums and social networking sites and waiting for opportunities to sow controversy and hysteria. However, the Clinton campaign’s accusation of Pepe’s altright nature is not strictly true. Like many other internet firestorms, it all started with a bored Twitter “troll,” which is internet slang for someone who angers, lies to or annoys others simply because they’re entertained by the reactions they get. This troll
R.I.P. Harambe 1999 2016 Pepe isn’t the only meme that has caused a recent stir in the mainstream media. After the death of famed Cincinatti zoo gorilla Harambe, the internet exploded with tributes to the late primate, ranging from comedically sincere to purely ironic. Harambe has even appeared on some polls for the presidential election. The Cincinatti Zoo closed their Twitter because of the memes.
THE FROG PRINCE: Student holds up sign that displays the association between Donald Trump and Pepe the Frog. Recent connections between the alt-right movement and the Trump campaign have brought an unusual variable into the presidential race: memes. (photo by Cole Altmayer) went by the name of “Jared Taylor Swift,” and he decided it would be funny to lie to Daily Beast journalist Olivia Nuzzi about being a “prominent white supremacist”. Swift deceived Nuzzi into believing that there was a recent movement among white supremacists to reclaim Pepe the Frog from the mainstream, and the easiest way to do that was to turn him into something horrible: a Nazi. Pepe has been associated with awful things ever since his rise to meme status, but most of the people in the “mainstream” aren’t familiar with his nitty-gritty on notorious imageboard 4chan, which is infamous for a distinct lack of moderation and a tendency to be countercultural. This makes it the perfect home for all things offensive and distasteful. Swift took this ignorance and used it to spread misinformation through his trolling of Nuzzi, basically just for kicks. And thus, the concept of Pepe the Frog as an alt-right icon was born. It’s all nonsense, but intriguing nonsense, and intriguing nonsense is printable. Nuzzi’s article was later quoted in the Clinton campaign’s Pepe statement, and public reaction took everything from there. The meme’s formerly positive nature was soiled by Swift’s need for a laugh. He wanted to see something as trivial as a meme that’s revered on the dark corners of the Internet blown up to a national stage, nothing more and nothing less. Swift’s intentions were beyond the alt-right, or any agenda in particular. The Clinton campaign, however, saw this resurgence of Pepe as opportunity for a political attack against the alt-right. This all begs a question that no one ever thought needed to be asked; should Internet memes ever be seriously discussed in something as important as a presidential election? English teacher Jill Corr, who also teaches media analysis, sees
mainstream media. The only varithe whole emergence of the altant of Pepe they know is the “bad right as the media paying a lot of Trump one.” attention to a group that ultimateMuch of the younger generaly means little. According to Corr, tion feel very obviously pandered the alt-right is a vocal minority; to when memes are used in this the only reason they seem so imway. Another issue that’s unique portant is because they can shout to Internet memes is that they inthe loudest. herently bring a very “exclusive” “There’s a lot of attention paid feeling along with them. Many into small, seemingly insignificant ternet communities, such as 4chan things, and [Pepe the Frog] just and Tumblr, have different meseems like one of them,” Corr said. mes from each other. Lots of them Social science teacher Brock serve as inside jokes that tie these Collins shares a similar view, but internet communities together. also elaborates that memes aren’t When this community is ina total lost cause when it comes to truded upon by the big, bad “mainserious debate. Offhand jokes can stream,” havoc ensues. lead into conversational tangents all the time, and something as recognizable as a meme is a great conversation starter for all kinds of people. However, when they are used in the way that Pepe was, as a tool to ensure a “us vs. them” and “red vs. blue” perspective, they become nothing but an empty attack. “I think it’s the beginning of a conversation,” said Collins, “but I don’t think it should be used as the focus of a conversation.” According to Collins, there is not a lot of nuance and debatable is“I think [memes can sues that can be conbe] the beginning of veyed in something a conversation, but I “When it that’s supposed to be I don’t think it should becomes not seen as a joke. just an inside However, it’s also be used as the focus joke, and very important to note of a conversation.” everyone that the use of memes in Brock Collins, history is in on it, mainstream and widely teacher [people just] publicized forums, such don’t find it as politics and advertising, funny anymore,” Corr said. can be seen as a way to pander to Junior Nathan Black equates a younger generation. These are such attempts to the “dad joke,” the exact people who view, make the phenomenon where a hapless and laugh at Internet memes on a father makes a terrible joke and, of daily basis; people outside of this course, nobody laughs. Dad isn’t in demographic aren’t internet-savvy the position to be funny. It’s weird enough to understand the extent to and lame when he does it, simply which memes like Pepe are spread because he’s Dad. about and used. Advertisers and now politiThis is why Pepe’s status as a cians are collectively making the alt-right icon caught on fast with equivalent of awful “dad jokes.” cable news and other forms of
It’s hard to imagine anyone was convinced to vote when Clinton said the younger generations should “Pokémon Go to the polls.” It’s a Herculean task to successfully bridge the gap between the political world and the chaotic and fast-moving culture of the Internet. “Especially since [memes] originate on the internet, [you have to] understand the full context behind them,” said Black. “That’s why you can’t bring them into advertising very well, because it’s ‘just an internet thing.’” However, some memes do eventually break into the mainstream consciousness. Once the meme gets fully welcomed into the mainstream, it becomes a day of mourning for the Internet. That meme has reached the point of no return; it has gone from an “inside joke” to a less funny “outside joke.” This occurs more often on the Internet as each day passes; memes die a lot faster now. People joked about the Numa Numa Guy for months, while “Damn Daniel” died in a week. One possible reason this happens is because the line between what is an Internet meme and what is just a mainstream joke has blended. “It’s kind of tragic,” said Black. “It’s a melancholy feeling. It’s like your meme just died.” The nature of memes itself is not the only cognitive dissonance that is experienced between the mainstream and the Internet underground. If the Pepe article and the controversy around it prove anything, the mainstream media cannot comprehend “trolling.” Everything that lead up to this alt-right Pepe the Frog outrage was carefully planned to create as much controversy as possible, which leads some people, such as Collins, Corr, and Black, to believe that it isn’t really worth our time. “[Swift] was trying just to cause a innocuous controversy that doesn’t really exist,” said Collins. “So, in that sense, do I really think that Hillary Clinton’s website should have this on it? Probably not.” In the end, the article on Clinton’s website is just another attack, something we see every day over the course of an election cycle. The simple, succinct and recognizable nature of memes makes them a prime candidate for rhetoric that can be used against a political opponent; especially when that opponent, Donald Trump, and that meme, Pepe the Frog, are tenuously connected. “Sometimes just mentioning something negative, and it is usually always negative, gets all this attention [that it doesn’t really deserve],” said Corr. “It just seems like it is such a detraction from the actual issues.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MEME?
Tessa Wrede, freshman Favorite meme: Harambe
Peter Jaffe, sophomore Favorite meme: Hugh Mungus
“He is the hero of the nation, and is the most epic gorilla ever.”
“Because [Hugh Mungus] is a hero!”
Sripadh Puligilla, junior Favorite meme: Pepe the Frog “Pepe is love, Pepe is life. Pepe is not a hate symbol!”
Jake Donoho, junior Favorite meme: John Cena “I believe in him, I love him, and I can’t even see him.”