Althouse: These pro-Trump "memes" are "meant to be trivial pieces of online ephemera that signal the president’s righteousness over the 'libs.'"

October 15, 2019

These pro-Trump "memes" are "meant to be trivial pieces of online ephemera that signal the president’s righteousness over the 'libs.'"

"CarpeDonktum, a stay-at-home dad from Kansas who popularized this style of pro-Trump meme and who has received multiple invitations to meet President Trump at the White House, described these memes to me as 'boomer humor,' aimed at aging, hyperaggressive political posters on Facebook. In other words, these memes are empty-headed hyperpartisan sharebait — grist for the algorithmic mills. And the rudimentary composition of these clips is a feature, not a bug. That the memes look childish provides a veneer of acceptability — so that they can be shared without getting pulled from social networks. The memes’ creators and sharers can giddily watch the president dispatching his enemies while claiming the video is just a funny gag. When confronted, they can throw hands up in the air and cry, 'Snowflake!' In their version of reality, the uproar over this video is more proof that overly sensitive liberals are 'triggered.'... Indeed, MAGAland began relentlessly mocking the Times report on the video within minutes of its publishing. '23 paragraphs, about a meme lol. Yikes this is psychotic,' someone wrote on Twitter. 'These types of articles is why the meme was made,' another replied.... Taking the meme video seriously does the unfortunate work of amplifying the clip.... Responding to the trollish world of MAGA memes is a lot like arguing with a child...."

From "The Violent Trump Video Is Dumb, and That’s the Point/The absurdity of memes like the one shared widely on Sunday evening gives cover to their creators" by NYT opinion writer Charlie Warzel, who ends with the assertion that these memes should be taken very seriously and analyzed prominently because they are part of one big phenomenon of "political tensions and polarization." If it's all one big thing, and the big thing is important, then any trivial component is also important.

There must be a Greek word for that kind of logic. It's not necessarily a fallacy.

Note: Though CarpeDonktum is quoted in that column, he's not the source of that very violent "Kingsmen" meme that is in the news this week.

52 comments:

Jaq said...: "Stop making fun of me!"; 10/15/19, 6:37 AM
Crimso said...: 'they are part of one big phenomenon of "political tensions and polarization."'

Like SNL, The Daily Show, Maher, late-night "talk" shows, etc.? Maybe they need to be canceled, for the common good.; 10/15/19, 6:38 AM
Fernandinande said...: There must be a Greek word for that kind of logic.

Two words! κουτσός and υστερικός.; 10/15/19, 6:39 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I still don't get how the original movie scene can be OK but the meme with CNN and NBC logos superimposed on people's heads can be Very Dangerous.; 10/15/19, 6:41 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Why don't we just outlaw Facebook and the internet to stop all this? It worked out really well for the criminals composing the Democratic party to outlaw booze, think of how well it will work out for them and their kids and grandkids if we all just outlaw the internet and charge for it on the black market where we take our cut and kill anybody that gets in our way?

Instead of Camelot, we will go with Shangri La this time though, it has more of a drugged out amphetamine vibe so apropos for yesterday and today's Democratics.; 10/15/19, 6:44 AM
MadisonMan said...: Skylark, out of the park, right out of the box.; 10/15/19, 6:46 AM
Hey Skipper said...: ... Charlie Warzel ... ends with the assertion that these memes should be taken very seriously and analyzed prominently because they are part of one big phenomenon of "political tensions and polarization." If it's all one big thing, and the big thing is important, then any trivial component is also important.

However, about actual violence, nothing shall be said.; 10/15/19, 6:50 AM
Mr. Groovington said...: Kek <— this one
Kek
Kek
Kek
Kek; 10/15/19, 6:50 AM
rhhardin said...: The political trouble with the video is that it upsets women.

The actual trouble with it is that it misreads Trump, who is a cool and friendly opponent. He's what competition ought to look like in a peaceful world. He doesn't give in to women when it's better for the country not to give in.; 10/15/19, 6:54 AM
Glen Filthie said...: Shitlibs think with their emotions. When ridicule and humour are brought to bear on them, they can only respond with anger. They have become so childish and petulant, that they can be trolled with childish memes. I blame the women and the exotic, ethnic vibrants and weirdos from over the rainbow that now infest the liberal parties and causes. The low information/low skill/low IQ individuals never handle wit or humour well.; 10/15/19, 6:54 AM
Fernandinande said...: NYT proves that it deserves mockery by writing "someone wrote on Twitter", but responding to the trollish world of NYT fake-news and opinion articles is a lot like arguing with a child.; 10/15/19, 6:57 AM
gilbar said...: Automatic_Wing said...
I still don't get how the original movie scene can be OK but the meme with CNN and NBC logos superimposed on people's heads can be Very Dangerous

It's REALLY Quite simple
in the original movie scene; the people being shot, were conservative christians (YEA!)
in the meme; the people being shot, were the media (BOO!); 10/15/19, 6:59 AM
rehajm said...: Did Jeff Zucker tell ya to say that?; 10/15/19, 7:02 AM
Jaq said...: “The problem with the internet is that there are no gatekeepers!” - HRC; 10/15/19, 7:03 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Shorter Charlie Warzel: That's not funny!; 10/15/19, 7:08 AM
Unknown said...: The violence of the clip wasn't a problem for them when it was shooting up a church in Kentucky (in the movie). "Who could possibly relate to those hicks? The over-the-top violence is what makes it darkly humorous! And who wouldn't laugh at those dumb Christians getting shot up?"

It's only problematic to the media when the victims aren't an approved media-mocking-class, even though the goofy remake is way less realistic. Over-the-top violence going toward YOU isn't "darkly humorous" anymore, is it?; 10/15/19, 7:09 AM
MayBee said...: It interests me that these memes are seen as polarizing, but the press's way of lauding Barack Obama - picturing him with halos, etc -was not seen as polarizing.; 10/15/19, 7:14 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Which came first, the humorlessness or the propensity to scold?; 10/15/19, 7:15 AM
Jaq said...: It is written as if this meme scourge is a problem for the nation as a whole, when really, it’s just perilous for Democrats. It would be a lot less ridiculous if it were written like that, because it would be more honest.; 10/15/19, 7:17 AM
Jaq said...: "Saul Alinsky, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!"; 10/15/19, 7:19 AM
tim maguire said...: Blogger Automatic_Wing said...
I still don't get how the original movie scene can be OK but the meme with CNN and NBC logos superimposed on people's heads can be Very Dangerous

Because in the movies, the entire scene was fictious and we are used to over there top violence in movies. This video was much closer to real world people in real world situations.

Plus it's dumb. A meme that's not funny is a waste of my time.; 10/15/19, 7:20 AM
Jake said...: This is how the tobacco companies recruited kids.; 10/15/19, 7:22 AM
Browndog said...: Yes, murdering Christians in a church in the deep south is good entertainment. Harmless.

Put corporate logos on their faces for a meme, and the world is coming to an end. It could inspire violence against the media!

Could the original scene in the movie inspire violence against churchgoers in the deep south?

DON'T BE ABSURD!!

whispers--anyone want to check the date of the movie release and the date Dylan Roof murdered a bunch of Christians in a church in the deep south?; 10/15/19, 7:43 AM
rehajm said...: What ever happened to Jib Jab?; 10/15/19, 7:50 AM
Birches said...: No CarpeDonkum wasn't the originator of the Kingsman meme, but Twitter suspended him because they thought he was. The elite want to stop memes because they're not good at making them. And they are effective. Not to satisfy bloodlust but because they make people, regular people, laugh.; 10/15/19, 7:51 AM
sunsong said...: I just unfriend or black folks who suppport donald so I don't see any of that and I don't look at the ads either; 10/15/19, 7:53 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: If you tell and laugh at jokes about Democrats, then you are stupid.

If you tell and laugh at jokes about Republicans, then you are smart.; 10/15/19, 7:55 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Except - once again the "media" didn't really give us the truth.

"The video, which was originally posted to YouTube over a year ago, had virtually no views until the Times' coverage; as of this writing, it had more than 136,000 views on the channel above and has been viewed millions more times in various YouTube and Twitter iterations. The Times' leadership seems more than willing to grab readers' eyeballs by talking about the video, but they are not willing to provide readers with easy access to the offending material."

Reason:
https://reason.com/2019/10/14/the-new-york-times-nbc-and-other-outlets-dont-trust-you-to-handle-the-truth/; 10/15/19, 8:00 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Good thing, sungsong. Stay safe inside the cult.; 10/15/19, 8:00 AM
Rick said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/15/19, 8:03 AM
MadTownGuy said...: "...NYT opinion writer Charlie Warzel, who ends with the assertion that these memes should be taken very seriously and analyzed prominently because they are part of one big phenomenon of "political tensions and polarization." If it's all one big thing, and the big thing is important, then any trivial component is also important."

If it's true of the pro-Trump memes, so much more so of the anti-Trump ones, which at least on my social media feeds, are way more prevalent.; 10/15/19, 8:14 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Because in the movies, the entire scene was fictious and we are used to over there top violence in movies. This video was much closer to real world people in .

This is completely backwards. A man with a fucking CNN logo for a head is "closer real world situations" than the original movie?; 10/15/19, 8:15 AM
doctrev said...: The sheer cringe of the NYT actually believing that memes are made as "boomer humor" is proof positive that -anyone- over 40 should be barred from writing about meme culture without at least talking to their children. It's like a bright line separating clueless establishment Republicans from the millions of people who are actually a part of Trump nation generally and G-E memes specifically.; 10/15/19, 8:20 AM
TrespassersW said...: MayBee said...
It interests me that these memes are seen as polarizing, but the press's way of lauding Barack Obama - picturing him with halos, etc -was not seen as polarizing.

Yeah, funny, isn't it?

And by "funny," I mean completely predictable.; 10/15/19, 8:24 AM
Birkel said...: The NYT uses the term "MAGAland" while accusing others of mockery.
They cannot see themselves.
At.
All.; 10/15/19, 8:46 AM
Rick said...: Note: Though CarpeDonktum is quoted in that column, he's not the source of that very violent "Kingsmen" meme that is in the news this week.

He's the one banned though. Isn't it interesting whatever justifications the left invents just happen to fall on the people they most want to silence even when they don't meet the stated definitions?

It's an amazing coincidence, time after time.; 10/15/19, 8:47 AM
Birkel said...: Better Skylark:

Stop calling me names, you fucking dipshit flyover country ass holes.; 10/15/19, 8:47 AM
rcocean said...: Of course all Pro-Trump memes need to be taken seriously, how else can Twitter/facebook ban them? That's the liberal/left plan. Shutdown & censor while claiming you're doing it to "protect people" and "Be Kind". The current meme uses a scene from a Hollywood movie that showed the "Funny" murder of "Redneck" Christians in a Church. Gee. the NYT wasn't too upset about that, were they?; 10/15/19, 9:00 AM
Birkel said...: sunsong:
60% of people will vote against Trump.
Also, I black (sic) people who support Trump.

Circle.
Squared.; 10/15/19, 9:03 AM
rcocean said...: BTW, this is why i have mucho respect for the Babylon Bee, they knew EXACTLY what "Fact Checking" Snopes was trying to do. And the B.Bee took preemptive action. But you can be damn sure twitter/facebook and the SPLC have them under a microscope just waiting for their chance. 'cause the liberal/left knows how powerful satire can be.; 10/15/19, 9:04 AM
Kay said...: My first reaction to the famous video was to laugh. After that I thought hard about it but couldn’t really tell if it was pro or anti Donald. I could see it from both sides. I guess now I know. Boomer Humor is a good word for it.; 10/15/19, 9:06 AM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: "...the memes look childish provides a veneer of acceptability — so that they can be shared without getting pulled from social networks."

IOW, so it makes it harder for the elite gatekeepers to suppress them.; 10/15/19, 9:18 AM
Wince said...: Hollywood has inured you to violent movie scenes, even made them laughable, and it's all your fault you fly-over assholes!; 10/15/19, 9:22 AM
Jason said...: Anyone remember when the libs made "10/10: No Pressure?"

That's the short film they made that, among other things, depicted a schoolteacher dealing with two middle-school aged students who were insufficiently woke about climate change... BY PRESSING A BUTTON THAT CAUSED THEM TO EXPLODE AND DRENCHING THEIR TERRIFIED CLASSMATES WITH BLOOD AND GUTS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjVW6roRs-w

Good times.; 10/15/19, 9:56 AM
Jason said...: Sunsong: "I just unfriend or black folks who suppport donald so I don't see any of that."

Let me guess: You were surprised when Hillary lost.; 10/15/19, 10:15 AM
Scott Patton said...: Sam Harris had Kathleen Belew on his Waking Up Podcast talking about about the white power movement in the United States. She made a similar semi-fallacy when describing the relationships of different groups of very bad white people. Instead of describing what could be represented by a Venn Diagram, which would allow for groups with no overlap, the whole lot of them were literally described as groups represented by concentric circles. With the largest and most (arguably) benign group of people having, at the center, what amounts to 14 crazy hard core racists in the back woods of Idaho.; 10/15/19, 10:44 AM
Jaq said...: Sunsong: "I just unfriend or black folks who suppport donald so I don't see any of that.”

It’s how she stays so well informed. Thanksgiving at her house must be a joy.; 10/15/19, 10:48 AM
Jupiter said...: Does anyone recall the funny video the Climateeers made, about blowing up children's heads because they were insufficiently ecofreako? Ho ho, the teacher pushes the button, and explosives destroy the skulls of little white children! What could be funnier!; 10/15/19, 11:31 AM
Narr said...: sunsong has the power to black folks!

Narr
It's his superpower; 10/15/19, 12:59 PM
Jim at said...: I still don't get how the original movie scene can be OK but the meme with CNN and NBC logos superimposed on people's heads can be Very Dangerous.

I do. Those screaming about it now are hypocritical assholes. Nothing more.; 10/15/19, 1:29 PM
mikee said...: So, is it fair comparing this meme to the real-world, very actual, Antifa violence outside Trump's last speech, and the one before, and the one before, and so on, back to the burning dumpsters at the inauguration?; 10/15/19, 10:00 PM
JamesB.BKK said...: I black folks myself. Just aks me. I might have to put an asterik on my answer tho.; 10/16/19, 1:42 AM