The Internet is undefeated, my friends.
If you maintain any sort of a social media presence, you are doubtlessly familiar with this week's hottest meme. It's not a single meme per se, nor even a single meme format. Rather, it's the interposition of the words "Epstein didn't kill himself" into virtually every meme format ever devised. When we sit back and consider the proliferation of Epstein-based memes, we can observe three things:
1) Memes are silly and amusing, but they are more than that. They have become an art form, a means of communication, a way to make a statement. They are the bastard child of newspaper editorials and satirical cartoons. Instead of partisan cartoonists satirizing the politicians they don't like, we have artisans everywhere challenging the immovable moors of society; which leads me to my next point.
2) Americans, and I suspect we're not unique in this, deal with the harsh realities of life through meme-based humor. Our sense of humor has become very dark and ironic, not to mention irreverent. Perhaps it always was. A generation raised on films by Mel Brooks and David Zucker have created a generation who are in turn are creating irreverent memes. Our generation has become disillusioned with the political process and the untouchable elites, so we express our disgust and distrust through various online media. We know we can't actually force the powers that be to conduct a thorough investigation into the Epstein case, to say nothing of actually bringing the guilty parties to justice, so we deal with it through perpetuating memes. Creating memes is our form of public protest. Instead of marching on Washington, an act that we recognize to be as noble as it is frivolous, we clutter the Internet with memes; which leads me to my next point.
3) Behold the power of the Internet! Maybe the populace is not so powerless as we have resigned ourselves to being. This Epstein story is not going away, despite the best efforts of the mainstream media. Maybe the Internet is the undoing of the mainstream media, relegating the seemingly endless list of cable news programs to the same fate as AM radio. Say what you will about the Internet, but it has at least as much potential for good as it does for evil. The Internet is a tool, and, as with any tool, it is only as good as those who wield it. The Internet allows a desperately disparate people to have a collective voice. It facilitates the dissemination of information and enables the common man to expose the corruption that is so deeply rooted in so many of our national institutions.
Maybe I'm overestimating the significance of what is happening right now. Maybe the Epstein case will eventually be shelved and people will forget that a serial trafficker with powerful friends died a suspicious death in prison. Maybe these memes won't bring down the deep state or foment a revolution, but at least our children will know that we didn't buy the load of excrement that the media is trying to feed us.
The Internet is undefeated, my friends. Let's hope it remains that way.
If you maintain any sort of a social media presence, you are doubtlessly familiar with this week's hottest meme. It's not a single meme per se, nor even a single meme format. Rather, it's the interposition of the words "Epstein didn't kill himself" into virtually every meme format ever devised. When we sit back and consider the proliferation of Epstein-based memes, we can observe three things:
1) Memes are silly and amusing, but they are more than that. They have become an art form, a means of communication, a way to make a statement. They are the bastard child of newspaper editorials and satirical cartoons. Instead of partisan cartoonists satirizing the politicians they don't like, we have artisans everywhere challenging the immovable moors of society; which leads me to my next point.
2) Americans, and I suspect we're not unique in this, deal with the harsh realities of life through meme-based humor. Our sense of humor has become very dark and ironic, not to mention irreverent. Perhaps it always was. A generation raised on films by Mel Brooks and David Zucker have created a generation who are in turn are creating irreverent memes. Our generation has become disillusioned with the political process and the untouchable elites, so we express our disgust and distrust through various online media. We know we can't actually force the powers that be to conduct a thorough investigation into the Epstein case, to say nothing of actually bringing the guilty parties to justice, so we deal with it through perpetuating memes. Creating memes is our form of public protest. Instead of marching on Washington, an act that we recognize to be as noble as it is frivolous, we clutter the Internet with memes; which leads me to my next point.
3) Behold the power of the Internet! Maybe the populace is not so powerless as we have resigned ourselves to being. This Epstein story is not going away, despite the best efforts of the mainstream media. Maybe the Internet is the undoing of the mainstream media, relegating the seemingly endless list of cable news programs to the same fate as AM radio. Say what you will about the Internet, but it has at least as much potential for good as it does for evil. The Internet is a tool, and, as with any tool, it is only as good as those who wield it. The Internet allows a desperately disparate people to have a collective voice. It facilitates the dissemination of information and enables the common man to expose the corruption that is so deeply rooted in so many of our national institutions.
Maybe I'm overestimating the significance of what is happening right now. Maybe the Epstein case will eventually be shelved and people will forget that a serial trafficker with powerful friends died a suspicious death in prison. Maybe these memes won't bring down the deep state or foment a revolution, but at least our children will know that we didn't buy the load of excrement that the media is trying to feed us.
The Internet is undefeated, my friends. Let's hope it remains that way.
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