Memes

A Meme is a comic, really. Pictures and words put together to get some kind of point across.

It's a fascinating phenomenon. I'm tempted to try to explain what they are, but the meme up top has reminded me not to attempt that.

Seeing them, whether I understand them or not, is a reminder that the cultural conversation moves at a blistering pace these days and I'm on the crest of the hill, about to be completely left behind, pop culture-wise. Or maybe it's already passed me by. Enh, I'm okay with that I guess.

Mostly.



I guess memes are sort of a mashed up hybrid of single-panel political cartoons and fumetti, which adds new dialogue to existing images (see rawdale's TRUMPED for an excellent example right here on the Duck). I was a big fan of fumetti back in the day, when it showed up in comedy magazines like MAD or Cracked.

They can make a political or philosophical point, or a comedic observation, or connect several popular culture items together…



Or they can be just plain silly, like the meme about Italian soldiers' bodies being made of pasta.

Are you down with the memes? Do you make them yourself? What's your opinion on them?