The meme is the modern political cartoon: whether it's a screenshot of another's tweet or a complex graphic explaining a concept or situation, these image files have and continue to change public opinion, and influence the election. Russian hackers may or may not have modified the emails they (allegedly) stole from Podesta's Gmail account; the meme is, by definition, probably more authentic of a rhetorical document, even though memes are freely traded, culled, and edited. The "meme wars" of 2016-- if they happened at all-- represent a new kind of civic and political engagement. Ever since the inception of "Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash," and the creation of such monikers as Bernie Bro and Hill Bot, individuals have sought new ways to represent themselves, through what they post online. Organizations and political campaigns have created their own memes, with varying degrees of efficacy and weariness. Some memes are widely circulated; others are buried deep within comment threads, perhaps created as comment on specific discussions.
I've been collecting memes since just before the Democratic National Convention. In four different posts on my other blog, I have collected hundreds of memes (see links below). In this and other discussion of memes, any attribution to a work's creator is due only to that meme creator's initiative: adding a 'signature,' be it a Twitter handle or searchable phrase, has become a more common practice during the election cycle of 2016.
This author does not endorse or condone any of the memes included in this post (or any other posts compiling memes); rather, these images are presented here to challenge the definition of the "political cartoon," and to invite the idea that these memes hold power-- especially when communicated by people that others trust, like friends or family members. Some of these memes contain adult themes and language; some of these memes, through the use of Photoshop and other editing software, contain outright fraudulent images, depictions of events that have never happened, or could happen. The popularity of these images will not decline following the election of 2016; as with some of the memes included in this collection, some meme creators are beginning to use the form to comment on more aspects of our society than simply national politics. John Dewey, a hero to progressive education and pedagogy, said, "all communication is educative." It is in that spirit that these memes are shared here.
Each of the posts found at the links below contains hundreds of unique memes, as well as further discussion of their distribution and production.
I've been collecting memes since just before the Democratic National Convention. In four different posts on my other blog, I have collected hundreds of memes (see links below). In this and other discussion of memes, any attribution to a work's creator is due only to that meme creator's initiative: adding a 'signature,' be it a Twitter handle or searchable phrase, has become a more common practice during the election cycle of 2016.
This author does not endorse or condone any of the memes included in this post (or any other posts compiling memes); rather, these images are presented here to challenge the definition of the "political cartoon," and to invite the idea that these memes hold power-- especially when communicated by people that others trust, like friends or family members. Some of these memes contain adult themes and language; some of these memes, through the use of Photoshop and other editing software, contain outright fraudulent images, depictions of events that have never happened, or could happen. The popularity of these images will not decline following the election of 2016; as with some of the memes included in this collection, some meme creators are beginning to use the form to comment on more aspects of our society than simply national politics. John Dewey, a hero to progressive education and pedagogy, said, "all communication is educative." It is in that spirit that these memes are shared here.
Each of the posts found at the links below contains hundreds of unique memes, as well as further discussion of their distribution and production.
July 30, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/07/meme-hell-2016.html
September 14, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/09/son-of-meme-hell.html
October 14, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/10/revenge-of-meme.html
October 22, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/10/hopelessly-devoted-to-memes.html
October 14, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/10/revenge-of-meme.html
October 22, 2016: http://commontimevt.blogspot.com/2016/10/hopelessly-devoted-to-memes.html
