Jordana C. @jordanamit3652 - Tumblr Blog

Social and Racial Implications of High Expectations Asian Father

(http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/157381-high-expectations-asian-father)

(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/137/9/d/high_expectations_asian_father_by_editmaster546-d65l2hu.jpg)

“A-SIANS, NOT B-SIANS!” “Blood type B? Why not blood type A?” These captions are two examples of how society depicts the Asian race as illustrated in memes such as the High Expectations Asian Father. This meme stars South Korean actor Jeon Mu-Song, who is known for playing father figures in Korean film and television (Know Your Meme). The image used was taken from the 2007 movie Epitaph, where Mu-Song looks stern and disappointed (Know Your Meme). This facial expression is perfect for representing what pop culture believes to be the ‘typical Asian father.’

Tumblr users Chris and Bryant launched this meme as a single topic blog back in 2010 (Know Your Meme). The first caption of the meme read, “I dun care you got A+ in English, math, History; you got A- in art. / You fail life” (Know Your Meme). Due to the popularity of the initial image, variation and spread started shortly after its creation, with many stereotypical Asian parent jokes. Know Your Meme describes it as “based on stereotypes and clichés about first generation Asian parents pushing their children to excel in academic fields in an overbearing manner” (Know Your Meme).

Using my own religion as an example, I can understand why I think this meme gained an enormous amount of popularity. I am a Jewish white girl, who LOVES making fun of myself with the typical Jewish/white girl stereotypes. Sometimes, I find the jokes to be extremely true in the sense where I find that I sometimes do the things we are called out for (such as loving coupons and free things!). I also agree that not everyone in our religion does these things, so the jokes only apply on occasion. These observations of my own identity make me believe that Asian people might feel this way about the memes they see about themselves. It is a way for them to make light of their culture, while comparing personal lives.

At the same time, any meme having to do with race or religion can make people view these ethnicities in certain, and often-negative light. Yes, we do make fun of ourselves, but these Internet memes help shape the way we are portrayed in society, and people partake in these various jokes without realizing the racial and social implications that come with it. As a society, we are condensing one race into one specific personality type because we think its ‘funny.’ Everyone is different, even if they are a part of the same race. Sometimes I see this meme and think, why are all the captions almost all the same? And then I realize, it’s because we associate the Asian race with only a few stereotypical actions. These jokes are getting repetitive, old, and are definitely not always true. A final thought, people really need to realize what they might be doing while joking around about a potentially sensitive topic. Although I don’t take offence, many do. I would tread lightly with this type of meme.

Works Cited

"High Expectations Asian Father." Know Your Meme. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/high-expectations-asian-father>.

BAD LUCK BRIAN

The Bad Luck Brian meme became popular after a photo of a young, blonde boy wearing a sweater vest and braces surfaced the Internet in January 2012 (Know Your Meme). This boy is seventh grader Kyle, who revealed during a Reddit AMA that his school picture was thought to be a joke by his principle (Know Your Meme).

Despite the meme’s current popularity, the first version uploaded was quite the fail, as it received less than 5 up votes on Reddit (Know Your Meme). As the captions became more consistent and creative over time, the meme rose to its existing recognition. This memecaptures the humour of bad luck through captions describing many embarrassing and tragic scenarios that could potentially happen at any point in time (Know Your Meme). Some of the popular examples that helped the spread of Bad Luck Brian include the captions, “Goes on a date, With Overly Attached Girlfriend,” and “I’m on a boat, Titanic” (Google Images).

(http://www.knowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bad-Luck-Brian-Date.jpg)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DiTfIgWdpG0/T-EqLWf1UyI/AAAAAAAADxk/LcHkPpZTNxQ/s1600/bad-luck-brian-drunk-in-college-041412-09.jpg)

This meme captures the entire idea of Murphy’s Law, which states that if anything can go wrong in a certain situation, it will (Wikipedia). In other words, this meme takes the idea of the worst-case scenario and turns it into humorous situation that allows various Internet users to relate to and discuss. In fact, this meme is probably extremely successful due to its allude to humour and every day life and culture, which as discussed by Knobel and Lankshear are two aspects that help memes acquire awareness and spread. Bad Luck Brian takes normal, everyday situations and informs Internet users about the worst outcome that could possibly happen. These captions paired with the silly image of a seventh grade boy who looks like these bad situations always happens to him makes people laugh, as well as makes them feel better about these certain circumstances.

Although the meme describes Murphy’s Law and the idea that the worst outcome will always occur, this method actually helps people release their anxieties about certain situations. For instance, “Goes on a date, With Overly Attached Girlfriend.” Going on a date can be pretty scary for some people, especially if it goes horribly wrong. This example of Bad Luck Brian shows one of the worst-case scenarios of going out with a person. This meme allows people to visualize a bad outcome, and could help alleviate some first date anxieties. It also can help prepare them for the worst, since the meme informs them what ‘the worst’ actually is. When ‘the worst’ does not occur, people are immediately relieved.

In my opinion, Bad Luck Brian is a way for people to understand the negative outcomes in everyday life and realize that their results could always be worse. I think that the popularity of this meme stems from the idea that unlucky situations are more common than people think, and that others often get themselves into these scenarios just like ‘Brian.’ At least people have the ability to laugh along with the Internet about these various, doomed situations.

Works Cited

"Bad Luck Brian." Know Your Meme. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian>.

"Murphy’s Law." Wikipedia. N.p.. Web. 28 Feb 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law>.

Zeddie Little AKA the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy (RPG)

Zeddie Little, known as ‘Watkins,’ had his picture taken by Will King, a South Carolina photographer at the 2012 Cooper River Bridge Run before he was dubbed the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy all over the Internet (Know Your Meme). After being uploaded to Reddit, this meme rapidly spread because multiple users thought he was remarkably good looking (Know Your Meme). Popular examples of this meme include various captions over top the original photo, such as “Gets Arrested, Mug Shot Submitted to Glamour Magazine” and “Runs Marathon and Wins, My Heart.” Captions such as these help the spread and variation of the popular meme.

(http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/279/276/2a3.jpg)

(http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/279/276/2a3.jpg

On March 31, 2012, Will King, a photographer, uploaded all of his marathon photos to Flickr and Facebook. Shortly after, one of King’s Facebook friends discovered the one photo of the extremely handsome man (Know Your Meme). Within the hour, the photo had reached over 300 000 views on various social media platforms (Know Your Meme). After his rise to Internet fame, Watkins (Zeddie Little) appeared on Good Morning America, where he discussed his reaction about becoming a meme (Know Your Meme). According to Little, the famous photo was taken after he had waved to a friend near the finish line (Know Your Meme).

The RPG meme is part of the 21st century spectacle. Guy Debord helps to validate this observation in his 18th thesis. He writes, “Where the real world changes into simple images, the simple images become real beings and effective motivations of hypnotic behavior…wherever there is independent representation, the spectacle reconstitutes itself” (Debord 18). As discussed in lecture, society is being mediated by images that really do not matter. People are constantly being blinded by this spectacle, and care more about attractive celebrities and drama rather than the more important issues. In this case, Little is the ‘celebrity’ who is contributing to the troubling concept of the present spectacle.

Although attractive, Zeddie Little was only made a celebrity due to this one image. The person in this photograph became ‘real’ because of how people associated him with a made up personality. In the words of Jean Baudrillard, “Illusion is no longer possible, because the real is no longer possible” (22). Society sees this persona as existent, when in truth has no relation to reality whatsoever. Memes such as this one belong in Baudrillard’s fourth phase of simulacra, in which they are completely unoriginal and only refer to themselves. How do people know he is this attractive, both in looks and personality, outside of these captions and photo? They don’t. The Internet is stuck in an imaginary world that is fooling them into thinking something is real when it is not.

While this meme’s popularity has since died down, it contributes to the spectacle because popular concepts come and go. People care about certain ideas for a short time before they move on to something else that is irrelevant in society. The Zeddie Little everyone knows is not real or important.

Works Cited

Alexandru098. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy / Zeddie Little." Know Your Meme. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ridiculously-photogenic-guy-zeddie-little>.

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Trans. Sheila Faria Glaser. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994. 1-45. Print.

Debord, Guy. “Society of the Spectacle.” Marxists Internet Archive. N.p., 1967. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm>

precarious-love

i had to

jordanamit3652

Is it just me or is February/Valentines Day the best time of the year on Tumblr?!

ANXIETY CAT!

Anxiety Cat is one of my favourite memes on the Internet. Anxiety Cat is part of the Advice Animals series, and it features a scared looking black cat accompanied by captions that relate to social agony and anxiety (Know Your Meme). Popular examples on Know Your Meme include the captions that read: “Home alone and hears a noise, accept the fact that you’re going to die” and “Finally decide to make an important phone call, hope no one answers.” These two captions are probably my favourite, as I relate to them on a personal level.

(both photos from Know Your Meme)

The Anxiety Cat meme originated from a well-known demotivational poster that was created and started circulating the Internet back in 2007. The poster reads, “What has been seen cannot be unseen” (Know Your Meme). At first, the captions associated with the black cat were all about catnip. As time went on, the meme evolved into being a hilarious outlet for social anxiety problems (Know Your Meme).

The spread of the frightened black cat started with a page on Tumblr that is dedicated to Anxiety Cat in August 2011, a blog which posted about 100 images per month (Know Your Meme). According to Know Your Meme, the series was then posted to reddit, and shared on other various humour sites. It was also featured as one of the 15 funniest cat memes in 2012 (Know Your Meme). The meme varies based on different social anxiety situations, and are usually scenarios that people can relate to.

This meme uses humour to raise awareness about the facts and truths about what people with social anxiety go through on a daily basis. It also helps other people understand these certain individuals, which in turn will help them empathize and help these anxious users go through these stressful situations. Knobel and Lankshear state that in memes, “Humour is a key component…humour is always open to interpretation on a reader’s or viewer’s part.” (11). This statement relates to Anxiety Cat because it brings people with social anxiety together and connects them on a personal level. These people see these images and laugh, as they realize they are not the only ones going through a hard time in various social situations. The implications of this meme are extremely important, as it is helping awkward individuals get their fears out into the open. Now that the majority of society understands what types of circumstances are frightening, they can start to work together to provide social comfort. As Shifman states, “shared values and norms are constructed through cultural artifacts” (14). Anxiety Cat helps to construct these shared values and beliefs about specific problems, which help people better understand ‘irrational’ fears.

So why do I think this meme is one of the best ones out on the Internet? Because I am Anxiety Cat. Seeing all of these memes made me realize hey, I’m not alone! It made me feel better, and it also made me realize my fears aren’t as ridiculous as I thought.

Works Cited

Infectra, . "Anxiety Cat." Know Your Meme. N.p.. Web. 24 Jan 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/anxiety-cat>.

Knobel, Michele, and Colin Lankshear. “Online Memes, Affinites, and Cultural Production.” A New Literacies Sampler. New York: P. Lang, 2007. 199-227. Print.

Shifman, Limor. Memes in Digital Culture. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2013. Print.

Meme Analysis #1: Doge the Dog

I’ve never understood the humour behind the Internet famous Shibe, which was awarded the title of ‘top meme’ of 2013 by KnowYourMeme.com (Wikipedia). Due to my lack of knowledge, I decided to research and deconstruct Doge.

The Doge meme is part of the Interior Monologue Captioning sequence, which according to KnowYourMeme.com is when random texts are added to a photo that pertains to how the subject is feeling, or what it is thinking. In the case of Doge, the text is usually in Comic Sans font, and written with bad grammar (Wikipedia). Popular examples consist of images of the Shiba Inus dog breed, with its face often altered. Images include, but are not limited to Doge’s face on Starecat, and on random objects, such as a sponge cake (KnowYourMeme).

(Both images taken from Know Your Meme)

The word ‘Doge’ originates back to 2005, when the Homestar Runner puppet show misspelled the word ‘dog’ in the June 24th episode (KnowYourMeme). Pet owner Atsuko Sato photographed the adorable star of the meme, a dog named Kabosu, on February 23rd 2010 in various positions. The most notable pose, of course, being the shot of the Shiba Inus sitting on the couch, glancing at the camera with its face turned sideways, and raised eyebrows (KnowYourMeme).

(http://cdn.theatlantic.com/newsroom/img/upload/wire/2013/12/31/doge-1/lead_large.jpg)

The spread of the ‘hilarious’ meme started when the photo was uploaded to Reddit with the caption “LMBO LOOK @ THIS FUKKIN DOGE,” which received an enormous amount of popularity (KnowYourMeme). Following the reddit upload, Tumblr user leonsumbitches posted an audio file of a computer reading commands from a computer game in which the player stumbles upon a ‘Doge’ (KnowYourMeme). As a long term Tumblr user myself, I do know that most users find anything funny. Due to the success of the first Doge, the account ‘Fuck Yeah Doge’ was created, which includes many variations of the meme, and lead to the famous Doge Coin (KnowYourMeme).

After much research on Doge, I have come to the realization that this meme is nowhere near beneficial to society. Upon first glance, I thought that this dog was giving me a condescending look and insulting me with horrible grammar. After trying so hard to find it funny, I think it is actually sad. A majority of Internet users are laughing at a picture of a dog with bad grammar phrases. I think this could be a metaphor for the lack of care about education. It seems that we are dumbing ourselves down in order to understand and participate in the stupid humor to be included in the masses. When I tried to ask a friend why he thinks it’s funny, he answered me with terrible grammar! OUT LOUD! Ungrammatical sentences are making their way offline because of memes like this one. Doge is the lowest common denominator. I would laugh so much harder if it were a reaction meme. Maybe I missed the point of Doge, but that is how I feel.

Works Cited

"Doge (Meme)." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Jan 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_(meme)>.

NovaXP. "Doge." Know Your Meme. N.p., 24 Jul 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doge>.

So... this happened...

I followed this twitter on my class account in attempt to understand the "Doge" meme, and I guess it followed me back?

I think "Doge" will be my first meme analysis, so that I can finally understand the humour behind it!

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Jordana C.