Title: 🙏 This is so sad 🤔

Artist: Unknown

Medium: yes

Description: This is by far one of the most absurd memes featured so far, with many, many layers. First of all, it follows a classic text format, with a comment/caption at the bottom. The whole text reads:

Girl: “how much do you love me?’ 🅱️ oy: “... 15..” Girl: “omg ur so mean I hate u!” *girl commits soy sauce* *🅱️ oy visits girls grave* 🅱️ oy: ‘...burger king foot lettuce, the last thing you’d want in your burger king burger is someone else’s foot fungus’ LIKE IF YOU DIED 😭 🙏  This is so sad 🤔 Can we revise the treaty of Trianon (1921)

Near the top is a distorted “😂 “ emoji, paired with another emoji distorted beyond recognition. Below is an image of Squidward committing the crime known as a “dab,” a dance move popularized by the internet around 2017. In the bottom right corner is the bloated figure of a boy wearing sunglasses. It appears as though at one point, he may have been happy in life.

Analysis: The basic format for this meme stems from an old, cringey style of text post where a boy and a girl have a conversation. The boy says something perceived as offensive, and the girl commits suicide. The boy then visits her grave, and finishes his sentence, revealing the true, deeper meaning he had meant all along. Thus, following this Romeo and Juliet -esque story, the caption tells of how sad this is, and asks for support in the form of ‘Likes.’ In this case, however, this format is grossly distorted by replacing “commits suicide” with “commits soy sauce.” The boy’s dialog ends up as “... 15.. (...) ...burger king foot lettuce, the last thing you’d want in your burger king burger is someone else’s foot fungus.” This bizarre line of dialogue comes from a youtube video, counting off various mysteries solved by the website 4Chan, including the cursed “Burger King Foot Lettuce” segment, which went viral. What typically would say “like if you cried” instead says, “like if you died,” an extra detail that truly makes this meme wonderful. Finally, the addition of “Can we revise the treaty of Trianon (1921)” follows the trend of replacing “Can we get 10 likes” with literally anything else, the more random the better. This trend was popularized by the 2018 meme “This is so sad, Alexa play Despacito.” This meme has many cursed layers, and is a magnificent piece of art in the world of modern memery. 

Interpretation: Being filled with many random and unrelated layers, this meme relies heavily on shock factor and straight up absurdism. The multiple layers make this the pinnacle of absurdist Gen Z humour, and it would be rather fruitless to explain why it is funny to someone who doesn’t immediately already understand it. But truthfully, it is this pure randomness (and the knowledge that the average person won’t understand what any of this means) that really makes memes like this the inside joke of Generation Z. We live in a society where kids are mocked for being immature or unintelligent, but their humour would ironically tell something different: the level of nuance found in this branch of memery is so detailed and in depth, that kids these days have essentially created a series of interlocking puzzle pieces that can be arranged in nearly any form to entertain only themselves. If anyone unaware of these nuances tried to interpret the many layers of some memes, they would perceive it as simply jargon, with no real entertainment value or true purpose. However, a Gen Z kid could interpret these subtleties in many unique and individual ways, and could then rearrange them themselves in a plethora of combinations to communicate with their friends. This “language” is so unique to the Gen Z people that the same meme can be comprehended on an international scale, a meme that may only incorporate a few images pasted over one another with a filter thrown on at the end. The message of the meme above is really just a testament to the creativity and diversity of young people’s humour, and demonstrates their ability to communicate with one another through their own made up language. Overall, this meme is a divine example of the youths’ sense of humour these days, and their ability to gather a deeper meaning from what at a first glance appears to be simply nonsensical. 

Evaluation: yes. 10/10

Title: yes

Artist: The History Channel

Medium: Academic Journal

Description: The main focus of this historical meme is a conversation with the beloved Siri, a national treasure amongst Apple users. The user asks, “Hey Siri, who threw the first brick at Stone Wall?” whereupon Siri replies, “the cast of glee threw the first brick at stonewall.”  On the righthand side, there is a “👬 “ emoji, paired with a “😂 “ emoji on the left. The time at the top of the screen reads 04:15, which is Militarist for “4:15 a.m.” The iPhone’s battery is at 1% charge. The entire screen is grainy and discoloured. 

Analysis: Though the emojis don’t add much to this meme aside from filling negative space, the time and battery percentage only make it feel more “cursed,” as the youths would say. 4:15 am is an ungodly time to be awake, let alone researching queer history on a phone that is moments away from death. The other stand-out feature of this meme is the phrase, “the cast of glee threw the first brick at stonewall.” Of course, it was Marsha P Johnson, a activist and drag queen, who sparked this revolutionary moment in queer history. 

Interpretation: The bold claim that the LGBT+ community has rights because of the television show Glee is quite amusing, especially considering that the cast members had not even been born yet in 1969, let alone started to air the series. In addition, it implies that Glee was revolutionary enough to have this great of an impact in the Gay Rights Movement. While Glee is often praised for being widely diverse and inclusive to characters of all races, genders, and sexualities, there is always some reliance on stereotypes to a certain degree, and if these stereotypes are broken, it is often in a predictable manner (there are, of course, exceptions). This meme, while a little extreme, pokes fun at how the characters within the Glee franchise often got caught up in their own self-aggrandizing agendas, considering themselves to be pioneers in the gay rights movement when at most they would sing a Broadway standard about the struggles of being obnoxious. Overall, this meme would be considered “cursed” by most, due to the unholy time and battery percentage, and the shocking claim made by Siri.

Evaluation: Bedevilled, Monumental. 4/20

Title: none

Artist: Unknown

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Description: This meme features Wallace from the popular animated short film series, Wallace and Gromit. Wallace wears mechanical pants, first introduced to the series in the second instalment, “The Wrong Trousers.” Opposite Wallace is the character Son Goku from the 1985 manga Dragon Ball and its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z released in 1989. The two characters  are locked in a battle of epic proportions. The caption reads, “Goku you bugger! Get off me Cheese!” The picture quality is grainy, and the light levels are unbalanced, likely a product of their brawl, which would have enough power to alter the perception of reality.

Analysis: Both Goku and the “techno-trousers” are known to be ultra-powerful within their own canon universes. Thus, one can infer that this battle must  be legendary, and it is unclear who the winner might be. The text is expositional, by alluding to Wallace’s love for cheese. It is revealed, then, that the context of their quarrel must revolve around Wallace’s need to protect his cheese from the dastardly Son Goku. However, in the case of Goku, all of his actions are justified, and are carried out in the pursuit of good.

Interpretation: The question must be asked: who is the aggressor in this situation? Because Goku is a righteous hero, one would expect Wallace to be the villain in this situation. However, Wallace is known to be rather useless in combat, and the dialogue implies that Wallace is only acting in defence/retaliation. It should be noted, that the trousers worn by Wallace in this situation seem to have a mind of their own, or rather are controlled by the sadistic penguin once trusted by Wallace. But, the penguin only control’s the pants themselves, and not Wallace’s own thoughts or speech. Perhaps, then, it was the techno-trousers who acted as as the aggressor, to which Goku retaliated, all to the surprise of poor Wallace, who is forced to march to the beat of somebody else’s drum.

Evaluation: Bewildering, Arduous. 1/5

Title: Unknown

Artist: Unknown

Medium: Unknown

Description: This meme’s main focus is an image of buff Spongebob Squarepants, holding a diamond pickaxe and a Steve head from Minecraft. The text reads, “We are out of Chicken Nuggets / That means  / Our Sleepover / is FINISHED.” Each line is in a different font, the last one the largest and shimmering like an oil spill. 

Analysis: The figure in this image is reminiscent of an external meme where a person stands awkwardly, like an 8 year-old child, along with the caption, “mom says it’s my turn to use the xbox.” The text is mostly absurd, as there is no immediate connection between chicken nuggets and the end of a sleepover. 

Interpretation: The external meme represented by Stevebob (Steve-Spongebob) is designed to poke fun at those times when your annoying younger siblings interrupt your time with the xbox, ultimately bringing an end to your fun. The message from the text also signifies the end of someone’s fun, in this case being the sleepover. Another instance of fun ending portrayed by this meme is the exhaustion of the chicken nugget supply, which of course is a disaster. The main message of this meme, then, is a warning that all fun is coming to an end. We are approaching a new age of authoritarianism, what with the rise of right-wing ideologies popping up in various countries around the world. We must therefore prepare ourselves to resist by remaining as gay as possible, in both senses of the word.

Evaluation: Adolescent, Cautionary. 2/7

Title: Milk Testing

Artist: Unknown

Medium: Digital

Description: This is a two panel meme mainly featuring the character Patrick Star from the popular children’s television show, Spongebob Squarepants. Patrick is in handcuff’s, confined to a a platform half-buried in the sand. A milk jug pours milk into his open mouth, and he appears nauseous from the taste. He then swallows hesitantly, wincing, but obediently. Patrick is labeled “the milk testing man,” and the milk jug is labeled “prototype milk.”

Analysis: There is not much to be analyzed here, as this meme is rather self explanatory, in the sense that one can interpret its meaning without any prior knowledge of memes.

Interpretation: Because of how one can understand every layer of this meme without any previous meme experience, it falls under a category of purely random humour. The whole concept of a “milk testing man” and “prototype milk” is truly absurd and random, and is an example of the bizarre creativity and originality that some current meme artists possess. It then sparks the question of what actually makes a good absurdist meme? Is it one with many layers that have to be interpreted, or can it be just pure nonsensical phrases? Obviously, this question is subjective.

Evaluation: Peculiar, Intriguing. 5/10 

Title: Where’s God Now?

Artist: @memes-whom-are-dummy-thicc

Medium: Hardcover

Description: This meme is an edit of a “Where’s Waldo” book. The text reads, “Lost For Thousands of Years! Hidden Amongst Thousands of People! Where’s God Now? Martin Handford.” Waldo holds up a book with this text on it, but something is off. His eyes are a piercing blue, staring directly into your soul and devouring your secrets. In the background, there are many illustrated figures spiralling like a vortex. One of these figures is circled, and He did it to us. None other than Lucky Luciano stands so smug in his white boy shorts. There is something about this scenario that radiates a chaotic energy.

Analysis: The original text which would read “Where’s Waldo Now?” instead is replaced with “Where’s God Now?” This replacement of Waldo with “God” is a bit of a slap in the face to the unsuspecting audience, who had grown used to these books throughout their childhood. Waldo’s eyes are derived from a popular meme from a few months ago, after an image of Miley Cyrus at a press event was circulated. In this image, her eyes are wide and glaring, her seafoam corneas almost penetrating the screen. It is these eyes that were severed from the original image and placed instead over Waldo’s. In the bottom right corner, one will see Him doing it to us. “You know I had to do it to ‘em” is another external meme, originated by the twitter page Lucky Luciano. In this meme, He “does it to us,” i.e. He stands, hands clasped, dressed as a pretentious university prep boy. He smiles, because although He had to do it to em, deep down He wanted to all along. It is unclear what “doing it to us” really means, and the obscurity of this phrase adds to the aura of the meme. It then became popular in memeing history to place Mr. Luciano in various images, to then have people search for him, similar to a Where’s Waldo book. 

Interpretation: The original figure circled on the cover of the “Where’s Waldo Now?” book was Waldo himself. Because the title is altered from “Waldo” to “God,” it implies that Mr. Luciano – who exists in Waldo’s place – is God. This is not an outlandish claim: Lucky’s presence in internet culture, and his new additions throughout common photographs, have made Him a staple figure that the vast majority of the internet population has grown to know and fear. He is beyond powerful; His aura radiates through any screen, so one will always feel His presence within an image even without directly seeing Him. Miley’s eyes are symbolic of the all-seeing eye, an illuminati cult symbol – cults tend to have an affiliation with the sacrilegiously divine. Miley also has a history of worshipping a non-Christian god: her persona and career as a young adult, the so-called Ms. “Hanna Montana,” proves that she is but an imposter wearing her own skin, as Hanna Montana is known for her secular music (a cardinal sin). Miley’s association with the bold claim that He is equivalent to God gives this meme a strong credibility. This meme should therefore be taken as a warning. Nay, a prophecy.

Evaluation: Pious, Like a Wrecking Ball. 666/100

Title: have you see my wig???

Artist: Wendy Williams

Medium: Animated

Description: This meme consists primarily of an animated clownfish with Wendy Williams’s face superimposed over that of the clownfish. The text reads, “have you see my wig???” The image quality is grainy and faded, and the lighting on Mrs. Williams’s face is less than professional.

Analysis: The clownfish in question is Marlin, from the classic Disney-Pixar film Finding Nemo (Dir. Andrew Stanton, 2003). The film follows Marlin, a distressed father looking for his missing son, Nemo. “Have you seen my son?” is an iconic line of dialogue spoken by this parental figure, and in this case is altered to “have you see my wig???” The “n” in “seen” is missing, likely cut off when the meme was cropped from it’s original form. Another possible explanation is that the artist ran out of room on the image to contain all the letters, and either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Alternatively, this could be entirely intentional for comedic effect. The photo of Wendy Williams used in this meme is rather unflattering, and her expression denotes concern or fear, paired with an uncomfortable aura, which is fits well with the connection to a parent losing their child. Wendy Williams is Externally known as a source of various memes, usually surrounding the subjects of “tea,” “wig,” “sis,” or even pure facial reactions. (For more on tea, wig, and sis, click Here ). 

Interpretation: In this context, “have you see my wig???” implies that one’s wig has flown off, and is currently unable to be located. A phrase like this is often used to express immense shock, a shock so great that one’s wig is either knocked off, or “snatched” away unexpectedly. With this knowledge, this meme is rather self explanatory, and is essentially just a unique and interesting way to express one’s surprise.

Evaluation: Novel, Evocative. 2.5/9

Title: n/a

Artist: unkown

Medium: Digital

Description: This image depicts Gru from the Despicable Me franchise dressed as a flight attendant, smiling pleasantly, her hair falling gently over her cheek. Her amber orbs are warm and genial. In the foreground, there are letters that read, “i- This wig is so skinny sis you really snapped the tea.” The image is slightly faded, giving the impression of an old photograph of a lost former love. 

Analysis: The vernacular utilized in this image is derived from a language called stan twitter, an internet dialect. In stan language, phrases like “i-,” “im-,” and even “eye-” are used to express shock or surprise, often in a situation where there a simply no words. “Wig” is an expression often used to denote one’s wig falling off, or being “snatched,” exposing the false pretense that the wig is their real hair. The more generally accepted meaning, however, is similar to that of “i-,” although the connotation usually implies that one is utterly blown away by something. The term “skinny” is short for “skinny legend,” a praising nickname for the one and only Mariah Carey. Another common phrase found in the stan twitter vernacular is “sis,” short for “sister.” In this case it is not in reference to one’s legitimate female sibling, but rather used as a pet name similar to “sweetie” or “bro.” It should be noted that, though sis/sister was popularized by the pseudo-celebrity James Charles, stan twitter uses this word separately from Charles’s skewed interpretation, but acknowledges the alternative usage. The word “snapped,” (infinitive “to snap”) means “to go off,” or to say/do something either brash or revolutionary; attention-grabbing (e.g. “sis she really snapped”). Finally, “tea” is a common word referring to gossip or generally unaccepted/unknown truths. It is used in ways such as “spill the tea” (like “spill the beans”), or “and that’s the tea, ladies” (For more on tea, sis, and wig, click Here )

Interpretation: By replacing each word in the sentence shown with their definitions, one can see that the phrase makes approximately no sense whatsoever: literally “[gasp] This oh my god is so stunning and incredible sister you really went off the gossip.” Based on the definitions of each word, one should gather that the practical uses of these words is nothing like the way they were used in this meme. This distorted amalgamation of words is a clear reference to locals who attempt to use stan twitter language without properly understanding their meaning and nuance. It is not uncommon to see improper uses of stan language by people who only think they know what exactly they are saying. For them, they think they are being funny, or even fitting in with the stan crowd. The sad reality, however, is that they are unfortunately just embarrassing themselves by trying to use words unfamiliar to them. The image of Gru in the background is mostly nonsensical, but should give an idea of how ridiculous one would look if they incorrectly combined stan language into a sentence and spoke it with utmost confidence. Although, the phrasing used in this meme is exaggerated to send a message, not unlike that of a propaganda poster. The irony is, that due to the almost unreal violation of the stan language depicted in this meme, most stan twittians find it very much amusing. They then share it with their friends, only spreading the false notion that stan twitter actually talks like this. Overall, this meme pokes fun at both stan twitter and those who misinterpret the almost foreign tongue.

Evaluation: Ironic, Sexy. 4/10

Title: when sleep🅾️  ng

Artist: @memes-whome-are-dummy-thicc

Medium: Digital

Description: The main feature of this meme is the girl in the background, smirking bleakly at the viewer, her eyeshadow messy and cascading with glitter. The caption of this piece reads “when sleep🅾️ ng,” making use of the bubble effect over the blood type O emoji. In the top right corner exists the words “This is so sad. Can we get Melania on All Stars 4,” also implementing the bubble effect. There is a word covered up after the “Can we...” implying that the artist originally had written some other inspiring doctrine before ultimately deciding on the phrase in the final, published work. Scattered across the foreground are 3 emojis – “Cry” (top right), “Shock” (bottom left), and “da good kush” (bottom right). The entire piece is painted with a grainy-orange wash, otherwise known as being “deep fried.”

Analysis: Starting again with the girl: this woman of a human being originates from the historic vine, coming back from the club, whereupon she sits in the backseat, having seemingly done her own makeup, appearing exhausted and/or distressed. She has become a staple in modern memery. The caption, combined with the emojis, is reminiscent of “cringey” instagram posts consisting of a local meme with a caption in the format “when you___” followed by a few overused emojis, such as “💯 ,” “🔥 ,” or “🤣 .” The term “sleepong” specifically comes from a tumblr post which I am unable to locate, where the punchline is “sleepong zzz.” The O is naturally replaced with the Blood Type O emoji, following the trend of replacing letters with blood types, a common meme format of late 2016 – 2018. In the upper right corner, one may or may not recognize the phrase “This is so sad, can we get 50 likes.” However, the “50 likes” portion is crossed out, replaced instead with “get Melania on All Stars 4.” The Melania in question is the one and only Melania Trump, and All Stars 4 is in reference to the (at the time) unaired fourth spinoff season of the popular reality televisioñ competition, RuPaul’s Drag Race. The “deep fried” essence of this piece implies that it has been shared many times, with the image file being distorted slightly with every screenshot.

Interpretation: At a first glance, this meme seems purely random. But one can take the caption and emojis as a reference to popular, mainstream meme pages who post basic memes without much substance, which all follow an identical format. The emojis, more specifically, allude to instagram pages dedicated to posting movie clips that everyone has seen with a very obvious caption, followed by a series of cringey and repetitive emojis. The text in the upper left alludes to the accounts who would say something along the lines of “one like = one prayer,” another cringey meme style which has recently been made fun of by internet culture. These captions represent the old style of memism, with the new style, represented by the girl, coming up behind. She smirks because she knows the new wave of absurdist memes is taking over, here to replace the predecessors which this meme pokes fun at. This meme depicts the birth of the modern era of the youths’ humour.

Evaluation: Visionary, Profound. 3/10