![]() All in all, Kermit became the embodiment of how social media can become a machine of criticism.īut not all conclusions drawn from Kermit are negative, for Kermit can actually help us to see what society values as moral or ethical, point out logical fallacies, and question the status quo. In that regard, Kermit became a vehicle for airing questions or legitimate concerns without making it seem like you care too much (because apparently caring too much about something is terribly wrong in today’s world, but that’s none of my business). It serves to make it seem as though society doesn’t care, when in reality it cares very much. Furthermore, the final phrase, “but that’s none of my business,” has implications of its own. Kermit showed us just how thirsty society is to release its vexations, and just how willing we are to do so when it occurs online. But with social networks memes like Kermit’s promote the slandering of others in exchange for likes. Prior to social media people would air their grievances with one another face to face, or behind the other party’s back which tended to make you a coward, or a really bad friend. I personally believe that Kermit exemplifies how social media has changed society’s tendencies to publicly criticize others. ![]() What’s changing, however, is where and when people discuss their criticisms of others. It’s long been known that people hold their own opinions about the actions of others, for humans are critical by necessity. But once again I am left wondering if Kermit and his unquenchable thirst for savagery reveals anything about our society. This unwritten rule produced wonderful memes (not to mention tons of free advertising for Lipton). These two images are either of Kermit sipping from a glass of Lipton tea, or Kermit seated at a table drinking a glass of milk. Furthermore, the meme added to its own brand when a majority of memesters (that is the official term) began using one of two specific images. What makes this form of the meme unique is that they all begin with a situation in which one party is exposed for some deplorable action followed by Kermit’s concession that it was none of his business. source: source: Who was the first to start the all too familiar punchline? Well that’s none of my business, but what came after its conception was a meme of epic proportions (which is very much my business). Unlike the memes’ later form, these first iterations lacked a universal image and thus were overtaken upon the arrival of the hallowed punchline. They described situations that we find to be awkward or a situation in which another party feels bitter, and often depicted Kermit in a car. These memes were much more situational memes. One key identifier is that these prototypes lacked the punchline, “but that’s none of my business.” None the less, they were hilarious in their own right and still had their own theme. These first version Kermit memes became very popular in their own right. The original meme began appearing in the first few months of 2014. To start, Kermit (the meme) actually did not begin in his final form. ![]() So what happened to let our friendly green puppet become the authority on morality and ethics? These punchlines made fun of a comprehensive list of society’s most questionable behaviors and awkward situations. To put it in the words of The Anchorman, the internet was left saying, “that escalated quickly.” The Kermit meme was soon calling nearly everyone out for almost anything, but it of course was, “none of his business”. Kermit the Frog had taken over social media and this time he wasn’t the fun loving Muppet. Now I can continue to sip on my Coke with ice and not tea.Back in the beginning of 2014 seemingly nothing was the internet’s business thanks to a little green amphibian. One man even posted an Instagram photo of bound-and-gagged plush Kermit along with the caption “Finally someone did me the favor and shut #Kermit up. Although #Kermit is still trending on twitter, most of the recent tweets on the issue are demanding that the frog shut up. The Twitter account tried to redeem Kermit’s reputation by tweeting one of the frog’s old quotes: “It’s nice to be important but it’s important to be nice.” Nice try, but I think it’s too late for that.įortunately, it seems that the Twitter majority is now leaning in the same direction as me. In what has to be the most unfortunate form of accidental product placement to occur in a long time, the majority of the memes use a photo of Kermit sippin’ Lipton tea, They’re also incredibly disrespectful towards women and, by implication, to the men to whom they are presumably assigning these quotes.Īlso, on a much more minor note, poor Lipton. They’re blatantly racist, with a large portion of the memes using racial slurs and assigning demeaning stereotypes to black people. While some people clearly think these memes are hilarious, I think they’re obscene.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |