Ilona Kovacs
Professor Noah Travis Phillips
EDPX3700 Internet Art Cultures
April 14th, 2021
Above is an evolution of a meme that was birthed in January of 2020 during the presidential campaigning. Candidate Bernie Sanders was quoted in a video he released saying 'I am once again asking for your financial support' and from there, a relatable meme about asking for money was born. Netizens couldn't stop there though, as in the second meme, not only was the situation in which you were requesting money changed, but you could now alter the meme to request anything at all. And finally, when asking proved to no longer be working to get the point across, Bernie Sanders was memed once again in the 'I am no longer asking' variation.
Because of its relevance during a politically turbulent time, the Bernie Sanders meme actually did end up making him a lot of money which was the overall original intent of the video that was memed. I think that this typology of meme could be considered as some sort of 'celebrity fluke' because of this. When celebrities do something seemingly average for them and it turns into a much larger publicity haul than their marketing team had planned only because it turns into a meme and is spread freely by Netizens, it feels like the opposite of the meme context intent playing fun at the celebrity. The template to make your own can be found on Know Your Meme.
| Dimension | Definition | Demonstration |
|---|---|---|
| Content | The idea/s and the ideology/ies conveyed by a specific text. | Bernie’s video: pro political campaigning and publicly requesting financial support Derivatives: pro publicly requesting or demanding more |
| Form | The physical formulation of the message, perceived through our senses | Bernie’s video & its derivatives: Bernie Sanders, standing, outside, requesting with innocence, one specific photo with words loosely 'I am once again asking...' at bottom in white font |
| Stance | Information about the communicative positioning of the addresser in relation to the text/message, the context, and other potential speakers. Sub-dimensions: participation structures, keying, communication functions. |
Bernie’s video: professional keying, campaign advertisement. Derivatives: ironic keying, casual relatability. |
Back in February of 2017, Cracker Barrel fired Nanette Byrd and her husband Brad resorted to Facebook in search of answers:
"To say I'm pissed off would be an understatement. After 11 years, those low lifes at Cracker Barrel let my wife go. I would really like to know why and those of you who know me these days, know that I WILL find out. In the mean time, if any of you would like to know also, please go to their Facebook page and ask them. I would really appreciate it. Their half assed excuse was that she wasn't working out. After 11 YEARS? Come on. This old boy is STORMING!!!! You can't even get people to work 40 hours these days and her AVERAGE week was 50 to 60. Needless to say, we WILL be seeing an attorney soon. If anybody knows a good labor attorney, please let me know. Thank you. I'd better quit now before I go too far. By the way. The low life who fired her was Gwen Alexander."
- Quote provided by Know Your Meme
Brad's post rallied an insane amount of attention, and he continued to pry for answers after Cracker Barrel was unhelpful the first time. Those who caught wind of the story were also interested in answers for both Brad and Nanette resulting in the viral hashtag '#JusticeForBradsWife' which is now banned from the comments on Cracker Barrel posts along with other trigger word phrases like 'Eleven Years.' Commentors and memers simply got creative in finding the loopholes in the banned comments by spacing out the letters in their words and using emojis. There are likely pretty interesting and lasting effects on the business flow and in the hiring process for Cracker Barrel due to this constant reminder of corporate USA corruption with them in the limelight.
| Dimension | Definition | Demonstration |
|---|---|---|
| Content | The idea/s and the ideology/ies conveyed by a specific text. | Brad’s post: against normal working-class policies, pro loyalty and justice Derivatives: against Cracker Barrel, pro 'Brad's Wife' and justice |
| Form | The physical formulation of the message, perceived through our senses | Brad's post & its derivatives: Brad's Wife, #JusticeForBradsWife, 'eleven years', Anti-Cracker Barrel |
| Stance | Information about the communicative positioning of the addresser in relation to the text/message, the context, and other potential speakers. Sub-dimensions: participation structures, keying, communication functions. |
Brad's post: serious keying, emotive, personal story. Derivatives: cynical/ironic keying, community resistance in support. |
When looking at comparing Brad's Wife and 'I am once again asking...' something that stands out to me is this foundation of finances and economic flow at the very root of them. A job salary is something most viewers can relate too and understand frustration surrounds, while requesting money in a PSA style campaign advertisement can come across in a less endearing way. Because of the background context of the turmoil surrounding politics, campaign funding, working-class jobs, and corporations in the United States, these two memes are created with different tones and general points.