Critically Analyzing Memes

[@danielle5861]

I’ve been studying molecular evolution for 4 years, and not once have I heard someone say “Charlie Darwie.” I am changed, for the better

[@elliedo01]

IMO, Dick Dawk is actually better.

[@banjoemily3852]

I like calling him Chuck D

[@crazy0277]

It was Dick Dawk for me

[@moldyvoldy1]

Ttt r⁶⁶out the 4t

[@AmandaPapePlease]

Congrats on your BA

[@Shanspeare]

can't stop watching the wine violently slosh around in the (not wine) glass throughout the video. it's speaking to me

[@Robstafarian]

The way CJ handles wine damn near triggers me; I did not know this was part of me.

[@nailinthefashion]

it represents us sloshing through the recent years, ultimately consumed by the universe

[@violasteinruck4148]

And here I thought I was the only one captivated by the way people handle their drinks in videos, impressed when they do it with absolute grace and screaming like a maniac when they spilled so much as one drop.

[@thilypad557]

Shan x CJ collab when?

[@MulberryDays]

for connoisseurs of the genre, don't forget to watch Sarah Z's tea.

[@kid14346]

"About 50 percent of his book is him going on unrelated tangents." We hate that which we are most similar to.

[@stellamariss]

lmaooooo

[@Viazerd]

I'd argue that CJ usually has pretty clear throughlines connecting all their points to an ultimate goal in videos. can we always keep up with them? lol that's the real question

[@gastllyxo]

This is an extremely good comment

[@DetectiveOlivaw]

Damn, feel like I just witnessed an assault

[@eoincampbell1584]

The trick is CJ's tangents actually end up adding to the overall message or coming back later in the video in a surprising new way that makes you rethink *everything*

[@avalewis8156]

NO the “idk who this is” is the whole PUNCHLINE of the meme. The dying patient is alone and does not even know the woman who is with him in his last moments. All he has is the spirit the of ginger ale in his body. It’s HILARIOUS

[@condemns]

no its the punchline of the meme in a metatextual sense, the deliberate breaking of the relational meme rules to present an absolute irreverence towards both meme format and it's contents. this reading is supported by the fact that it's using a scene of immense gravitas, drawing on the human fear of death and sacred belief in jesus to make a joke about ginger ale, incorrect in both cultural sensibilities and cultural meme expectations

[@MageBurger]

Also if you look at the meme as “someone depending on whatever the Jesus character represents”, the little girl has no contribution to the joke itself. Drawing attention to them would normally be distracting, but because they are labelled as ‘idk who this is’, it draws attention to them specifically to say the meme has one too many parts (people) for what the joke needs, thus giving the illusion there are no plot holes or unaddressed elements in the meme.

[@robinmitchells]

“Do animals tell lies?” Tell me you’ve never owned a cat without telling me you’ve never owned a cat

[@pollywatson8099]

came down here to say this in a worse way

[@dianacortes4253]

My dad's dog pretends he hasn't been fed so that he can eat again when my dad comes back from work and sees the goddamn dog screaming in the most dramatic way and hitting the plate like he hasn't had a meal in years. I'd call that lying

[@ShoulderMonster]

Not to mention all the mimicry and deception going on in the animal kingdom

[@stereofidelica]

TRAGIC! Local Cat Has Never Been Fed in Entire Life, Says Local Cat

[@awesomedude5558]

@A Self Called L Own a cat and you'll know

[@7677890]

When I was an undergraduate Dawkins' ex-wife gave a lecture called "living with the selfish gene". Also, "all credible scientists, with the notable exception of Richard Dawkins, agree that..." was a meme with the other lecturers.

[@jamesmoore7755]

LMAO thats amazing

[@SelfPortraitRedWallpaper32489]

he deserves that lmao

[@KeithBallardA]

I think... I think he's going to kill that Gamestop employee. I think he killed his brother.

[@lannaherrmann3580]

... oh my god you're right

[@iWindBlade]

that's what I wanted to say! this adds a whole new exciting layer to it omg

[@a_rinass]

"law and order theme song plays"

[@_goopho]

and he's gonna do it... via PSN??? THE TWIST THE SUSPENCE

[@johngreen8344]

@@_goopho It gets even worse. What if the GameStop guy had his account set up to block friend requests from unknown players? Did the GameStop guy and his dead brother play Co-op games, then begrudgingly hand him an unplugged controller when they were chewed out by a parent who came home from work, too stressed to deal with the screeches of 'IT'S MY TURN NOW!! MUUUUUM!!!'? Did the GameStop guy give him an unfair trade value on Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars on 3DS?

[@limonx6778]

My favourite "meme" is that one Miku Binder Thomas Jefferson, because you need SO MUCH INFORMATION to fully understand it, I wish I could see that image completely out of context for the first time again

[@hopelessly.lavenderly]

the first time I saw that image I chocked on water and risked death. 10/10

[@Robstafarian]

I just looked it up, and I have never felt older.

[@yuu34567]

ok holy shit i think it's my favourite meme too. it doesn't make me laugh hysterically anymore but its just so iconic and funny

[@czechmeoutbabe1997]

Miki Binder Thomas Jefferson is honestly such a sincere work of art

[@Kimmie6772]

At first I was like wtf? Then I started laughing and have a picture of a Bernie Sanders version saved on my browser. It's just too high quality.

[@Flameclaw123]

How do you think Darwin himself would feel upon reading "Okay so basically im monky?" Would he weep bitter tears seeing his life's work turned into a mockery of itself? Or would he weep tears of joy knowing that his theory has become so widely known and accepted that even the common man can understand it in such basic terms?

[@dmarsub]

It is not a mockery of the theory of evolution itself at all. So he would be fine.

[@azul9655]

Food for thoughts, really...

[@TheTetrapod]

@@azul9655 *food for thots

[@beesinpyjamas9617]

I think about this so much holy shit i wanna time machine just to see his reaction

[@cakecinema9385]

His work made him question his own christianity, to the point that he seriously considered not publishing it. But in the end his scientific mind overtook his religious affiliation. I'd like to think that could he have seen this in our day he would weep for joy not only that his work was accepted and found to be true but also that it was able to co-exist with this religion in some form. I think he'd be happy to know his work did not destroy his belief system, but made it better reflect reality.

[@kaylasmith3070]

i disagree with you about the relational meme with ginger ale. i think it was executed very well--the inclusion of "idk who this is" implies that ginger ale is so overwhelmingly important to them that really nothing else matters. family doesn't matter. on his death bed he will be thinking about his truly beloved--ginger ale. all that family/relationship shit just doesn't matter in the presence of it.

[@antropofilia1318]

same

[@silver1788]

Id go even further I would say that the idk who this is shows not that the ginger ale is more important than friends and family but that there are no friends/kin/lovers in their life that could bring the joy they get from the holy alcohol. Basically the added dimension of feeling lonely, abandoned, depressed, unloved and so on. The simple message (ale is want brings them happiness) didnt completely fit onto the meme format with the 3 parties so he tried to make that fact into a sidejoke that unintentionally reveals so much more about their psyche than they thought or maybe wanted

[@thilypad557]

I agree even though i’m 2 years late

[@ivanclark2275]

My interpretation was that perhaps the POV character of the meme is inflicted with dementia and does not remember the beloved family member bringing them ginger ale on their deathbed, but does really care about the ginger ale.

[@silver1788]

@@ivanclark2275 interesting take

[@senaesul3128]

It's actually illegal to watch CJ's video once with full focus and intent to learn. You have to multitask on 3 different desktop apps at least to engage with the spirit of CJ's chaos.

[@tw6704]

lol i actually do that because CJ's fast pace ramblings activate my ADD and need to multitask

[@johnnyflamevlogz8203]

Fuck

[@myapplesrrotten]

@@tw6704 as someone with asd i cannot focus on anything so fuck multitasking just sit there in a half vegetative lost state

[@naturequeen2597]

@@myapplesrrotten relatable.

[@beebee1794]

So thats why it was so hard to watch this in bed without the ability to multitask

[@lodewijk.]

Neglected the fact that “ok so basically im monkey” was an existing meme phrase that was slightly relevant for a bit so it’s an extra genius application of an existing meme that fits completely perfectly as if it were made for it

[@stevengoomba6490]

It quite literally informed people about and promoted anarcho primitivism

[@ellenvlachos304]

One thing I've noticed is that your agressive indifference to sponsors and supporters has made me very keen on supporting you. What a world.

[@JanaeSmith]

you know you're too cool when you have to tell us (not you)... it's a terrible dichotomy - wanting to participate but knowing there's no RIGHT approach.

[@friendbreakfast]

they comment on that in the last video i think. how they make sure to try and not generate a parasocial relationship by acting like that, but ironically that STILL makes it be a parasocial relationship because that way of acting, by itself, is endearing to their fans.

[@halcyon_echo42]

Only "Some More News" ad breaks truly emphasize the utter disdain for the societal drives that requires them to promote products to viewers on a regular basis. These two avenues are the easiest to be a fan of

[@julianacheampong8853]

@@halcyon_echo42 lmao i love the some more news ad. Especially whenever they drink that vomit looking green juice with the most uncomfortable smile. It’s a wonder they still get sponsored

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

Fun Fact: There was a German zoologist with the name Johann Georg Wagler and he wrote a book about zoological classifications which was published in 1830 - 29 years before Darwin published the "Origin of species" - and in that book he was already like "Yeah, we know that humans are biologically not really different from other apes. Every zoologist knows that. But there is also the second view of the philosophers who think humans are something different. Who is right? The zoologist of course. But I will still classify the humans as an own group in my book and I hope this small incorrectness is protected by human vanity". But the real fun part about that book is how he views the different classes of animals. He views - in the manner of the Linnaean taxonomy - reptiles and amphibians as one class called Amphibia. And then he sees the birds as an higher developed form of those Amphibia - which isn't even that incorrect, because birds are technically in the same clade as reptiles. Crocodilians for example are more closely related to birds than to every other type of reptile - and then he has a class of "Gryphons" and sees them as the missing link between birds and mammals which are the next group after gryphons. And then the human as higher form of mammals.

[@Vasoslaihiala]

Origin of species, tho, is about natural selection, which applies to all animals, not just humans having common ancestors with apes. A "true" memefied simplification of it's title should actually be "Okay so basically I'm mutant".

[@itsalladream5559]

20:40 so the interpretation of this meme is missing an important piece of context! *It's not a really a just girly things.* It's in the font and shape of a post on the whisper app, which was designed for "anonymously confessing secrets". I think it adds a layer to think that if the writer were 100% serious, they knew this post had some stupidity to it so they had to go on the one place where you can say things without getting yelled at by the audience. I think that's why people love making up fake confessions and putting them in this format, it adds a level of earnesty to your bimbo-on-purpose meme.

[@redblaquegolden]

THIS!

[@tehFirehorse27]

I'd also add another piece that, not only does it have the implication of being made by a girl, it has some big gay vibes, as 'this person is so cool and/or hot i turn stupid' is a VERY common meme element in expressing lgbtq related attraction or admiration, emphasized by the particular still used for that meme

[@zerere_]

yes darling

[@ageha_vercor]

There's also the potential added layer of irony in suspending your disbelief to think NOT that the confessor thought it was stupid, but instead that the confessor has some other, deeper (or more pure) reason to be keeping themself anonymous. As someone that was entrenched in the Whisper culture for a bit, you learn through osmosis that the moodiest confessions happen late at night, in that hour that people start thinking super deeply and just start yearning. The idea behind the meme that some teenager or 20-something is laying in bed, aching deeply, possibly even crying silently in the dead of night and screaming into the void "I wish chess was real" like it's a heart-rending confession SENDS ME. There is (or was, it's been some time) this culture of loneliness and longing about the Whisper app, where a lot of the confessions come from a place not of "I feel weird/stupid for this", but more like... These anonymous confessors just don't have anyone to talk to. Quiet kid in the back of the class vibes, hardcore.

[@octag0nist]

"Step out of the palace with my tunic on, I'm so bad I can turn an eunuch on"

[@noididntstealurcar]

I would like to posit that the Cain and Able meme is actually relatable. The hilarity that the very specific and personal experience referenced is a common one sort of speaks to a cultural shared understanding of oversharing online, of laughing at pain and trauma, an understanding that none of us have healthy coping mechanisms

[@momog5615]

Yes! The experience is so specific it becomes general again. The general experience expressed is trying to fill the loss of a person in your life by forming an obsession with someone who looks like them and stalking them to try and fill the missing person’s place, rather than dealing with the loss in a healthy way. The dead brother is seen lovingly as the favorite son (lost beloved) contrasted with the author as Cain who also couldn’t cope with his negative feelings healthily while also implying the “guilt” of being the son who survived. It’s funny because it’s not funny at all-it’s utterly pathological and heartbreaking-and memes are supposed to be funny so it subverts those expectations. (Also the loneliness/trying to reach out feeling of video games and online communities)

[@FDSignifire]

Let me hurry up and put my kids to bed so I can watch this youtube video about memes!

[@jediyarahim-danford7592]

I left mine in the tub. She'll be fine...

[@lizdavison7798]

Ditto

[@liv-uu1fi]

oh this generation

[@50colt30Productions]

@@InkOfAtlas it's amazing. Somehow recently all of these amazing creators are coming up. I'm excited for this new wave

[@ZeroN1neZero]

okay but same tho lol

[@kaydenstuff]

Can I also point out that in the Cain and Abel meme that the gamestop employee who reminds op of their dead brother is being put in the place of Abel, the brother who died. This just makes the whole meme WAY darker for me

[@evi6629]

RIGHT?? Like... op... did you kill your brother??? Are you gonna kill this guy? Why did you make a meme about your dead brother and used an image of the dude who very famously murdered his brother?

[@kaydenstuff]

@@evi6629 RIGHT THAT'S WHAT I MEAN, it's so ominous. Like was that intentional? It's hard for me to not see it as international it's too much of a coincidence

[@Ladyknightthebrave]

I really wanted to make some sort of very funny comment using some text meme from Tumblr but all I can think of is the breadsticks meme. This video was rad👍

[@liviabomfim9220]

i kinda missed the references on text memes because so much of my thoght process is expressed in tumblr memes also................... i came out to have a good time and im honestly feeling so attacked right now

[@itsalladream5559]

The end is nigh! Bill nye! The science guy!..

[@intelligenceparadigm4931]

What're YOU doing here? All the best youtubers know each other huh

[@peterDcontact]

So video essayist love to watch video essays? I thought you would like trashy vlogs for the escapism

[@breadsticks471]

breadsticks......

[@umbra4540]

something else that gets me about the darwin meme is that, at least to me, it doesn't sound like he's talking about humanity at all it sounds like he's just talking about himself "you guys? dunno what's up with you. but basically i'm monke"

[@mmtruooao8377]

the two memes that consistently make me laugh are - james nonds having a stronk call the bondulance - tutant meenage neetle teetles

[@Sadie-rai]

This is wonderful and now I must relate

[@geeblegabble]

funny the second one implies a “stronk” happening

[@speckofdignity2487]

Those two always nearly kill me on impact every time I see them

[@daianmoi8528]

Whyyy is the second one killing me so much

[@genuphobia1029]

The Jame’s Name. James Name. Bond Name’s the James- 😂😂

[@jorieshouse]

Okay 2 elements of context missing from the examination of the ginger ale meme 1) Jesus as not just comforter but miraculous healer 2) the way some (in my experience, Black) communities treat ginger ale like actual medicine for literally any ailment

[@stevesmith7839]

Honest, not ginger ale, but fresh ginger tea... IS... the actual medicine for literally any ailment.

[@jorieshouse]

@@stevesmith7839 true!

[@jamesdaniel2986]

“Say something funny” “Umm… no” This killed me lmao. Thanks for the video, CJ!

[@MrGoofyPup]

Arguably the funniest thing they could have said.

[@SasskiF]

Their friends know their viewers

[@drummerdog546]

the not editing it out also got me, like in a Markiplier video it would come onto screen in big black text as they said it to emphasize it. the white space is staggering

[@MolecularMachine]

Task failed successfully

[@namo5056]

Actually I interpreted the Ginger Ale meme as the author fully aware of the meme's format and just adding that "idk who this is" as an ironic subversion of the usual format. Like they know the format so well that they subvert it.

[@smashingscarf7279]

Cj is the first person to explain a joke and make it funnier

[@disasterjones5798]

Back when I was still using tumblr, I got into the habit of providing descriptions for videos and image posts. It was an interesting exercise in comedic pacing when describing memes, trying to find a format that still provided all the necessary information to get the joke without ruining the punchline.

[@shiningalbireo]

"Do you just watch my videos because you like the cadence of my voice without retaining anything I'm trying to communicate to you?" Damn, I might feel called out by this if I actually retained what the callout actually was. Oh well!

[@BurningBlades1]

This is pretty much the reason I've rewatched so many Hbomberguy vids over the past two years.

[@CharlesECheez]

one of the first relational memes was the painting "The Threatened Swan" by Jan Asselijn, which someone added text to around 100 years later, labeling the dog as "the enemy of the state" , the swan as "the grand pensionary" and the eggs as "Holland"

[@madibobadi9222]

That’s absolutely f*ing incredible and I must thank you, two years late, because you writing this comment has improved my life greatly.

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

You ain’t had no business lookin this fresh at 6pm on a Wednesday. The audacity

[@sandapanda4975]

Oh hey man, I love your content! Found you through FD Signifier

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

@@sandapanda4975 thank you so much ❤️🙏🏾 & big up di mandem like Fiq. Yuh have good taste 👏🏽

[@ikilledeminem3520]

what

[@ikilledeminem3520]

what are you talking about its 8:40

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

@@ikilledeminem3520 bless up, kermit - there’s different timezones 😅

[@turner15]

15:12 I think that it’s actually a meta joke where the things the different people are representing are supposed to be literal - like Ginger Ale The Person - so by labeling the lady “idk who this is”, the author isn’t admitting they didn’t know what to do with her, they’re saying they literally don’t know who she is; she’s some stranger who just wondered in there. Like if we were to imagine this meme as a skit instead of a image, we’d clock the words and the three people as common appearances like the straight man, the crazy one, and the dumb one. We know what’s going to happen here. But then you get to the character in the skit that’s been set up as the dumb one, the crazy one in the hospital sudden frowns and goes “who is that”? And the straight man goes “I thought he was your friend”. And then the “dumb one”, revealed to be a stranger, suddenly runs away. It’s supposed to be a subversion, if that makes sense. Or I could be totally over analyzing it and that’s not it at all.

[@erindeleon4960]

I actually think the ginger ale meme is so effing hilarious because it perfectly crystallizes the feeling you get trying to want express something in a meme format, but not being able to find the right one, so you just end up choosing one usually at random. Or even more hilarious, when you’re looking for that one meme but can’t find a good blank version, so you use one you already have on you even tho you know it doesn’t fit. But you gotta just get the feeling out somehow!!!

[@lillydollaghan5204]

CJ the X's almost Icarus-esk glory of destroying possible future career prospects in a way constructed to look off the cuff and manic, but is instead intentional and almost surgical in it's precision, encapsulates a sense of rebellious joy that encapsulates the spirit of shitposting. The agressive means by which CJ the X creates distance between the audiance and the performer, whilst reinforcing the transactional nature of the performance, only helps draw the viewer in by including them in the clear guidelines by which they can participate in the art. 10/10. Gud.

[@InnasArtStuff]

‘fish grew legs, now you pay taxes’ is now my new answer to everything…

[@maddyfeltus6471]

The intertextuality of Cain and Abel and the dead brother is another layer of genius. Can’t help but imagine the brother is dead under similar circumstances

[@kvltthot2102]

I interpret the Ginger Ale meme differently. The "idk who this is" perhaps does not add to the funni of the hospital scene. However, it speaks to us as social creatures. The attempt at labeling the third party, is an attempt at conforming to certain social rules; in this case, the constraints of the meme format. Obviously, the creator does not manage to conform, and is seemingly clueless about how they should even go about it, evoking a sense of empathy. Their failure to comply, makes their meme stand out, and as a meme consumer, we feel a more personal connection to them. The true meme transcends ginger ale. It's about falling short, about making a half assed attempt at fitting in, by copying others. The creators situation did not call for thi particular format, yet they chose it anyway, in a desperate attempt at producing content that would bring a sense of unison.

[@Blechg]

Yo you're totally right, that meme is just like Kat Valentine! How could CJ not see this!

[@cptobvius]

I thought his take was off (unless he was being facetious) as is yours. I thought this was a meta meme. The author chose this format BECAUSE it didn’t fit his simple idea and it’s funny to show ineptitude. I think it’s unlikely the creator unaware of what they were doing.

[@LunaRanisWorld]

@@cptobvius Same. Reading "idk who this is" made me crack up because I was expecting something else. To me the creator ended up making the meme more funny by not making it make sense in the way we usually use the format edit: I would like to amend my earlier statement by saying that the addition of "idk who this is" makes this even funnier because of how many different ways it can be, and is being, interpreted, thus making it more relatable to more people

[@victorthecollector9198]

That one made me laugh because like. Even in the format itself it worked for me because the thought of a bedridden person loving ginger ale so much that they don’t even recognize the person who is mourning for them is so funny in a very morbid way

[@tystromberg5288]

Michael from the Office made the meme

[@MyRegularNameWasTaken]

"Remember, the free market doesn't allow things to actually compete in quality so that the most valuable thing will rise to the top. That's some capitalist fantasy land bullshit. The free market just shows you what wins in this market. It doesn't mean it's good. It can be exploitative and shitty and immoral." Saving this quote for later.

[@Achrononmaster]

The idea of a free market is good. It can only occur under something like socialism. Actual existing "free" (from regulation) markets are non-free, Pareto, rich get richer, winners take all. Orwellian language is the basis for all great memes?

[@QuailQuests]

the "Beth Harmon is so cool I wish chess was real" meme also has the extra layer of implying that with the tumblr-origin format, this supposed poster is perhaps so online that they have not experienced chess irl to know that it is real, but consume enough media to understand that media depicts things which are fictional and do not happen in real life, and YET not ENOUGH media to have seen chess depicted in other forms that would make it seem like a regular real life thing... anyway yeah thats a juicy juicy meme

[@thegermaniclanguagebranch1117]

I thought at first w the ginger ale meme the idea was as theyre dying theyre not thinking of any of their closest loved ones-theyre just thinking of ginger ale. their love and embrace of ginger ale as their lord and savior supersedes any relationship this dying person has had in any of their past lives, so when pointed to a loved one theyve likely lived with or been around for decades or even a lifetime, they just go “idk who that is”

[@scifii_official]

I'm going to have to call you out on missing a major detail in your explanation of the chess meme. That one is a part of a newer meme format that plays on the separation between fiction and reality. Typically, this manifests as "I love [something from a work of fiction], I wish [real thing that appears in that work of fiction] was real." Another example of this would be the "I love Luca, I wish Italian people were real" meme. Yes, the comedy is derived from the assumed stupidity of the author, but the joke is more specifically that that the meme creator thinks that because they saw a chess board in a film, it cannot possibly exist in real life. This is very similar to the "Holy shit they made [insert object here] in real life!" meme, most often tagged onto a photograph of that object taken with a smartphone camera. Just thought I would add onto what was said in the video for anyone reading the comments. Other than that, I thought the video was great, and I'm looking forward to the Miraculous Ladybug video at 1 billion subs

[@TheBigjerm7]

I really like the use of chess as the [real thing that appears in that work of fiction]. I didn't watch Queen's Gambit but chess in the series, and especially to the main character, represents an extraordinary talent with which she is lauded over and finds a place to belong to as a rising figure. It also comes at the cost of her well-being in other important aspects in life, even then it becomes an aspiration for the meme author as though they relate and maybe are what Beth was in the beginning of the series... alone and a victim of misfortune. I'm staying up too late

[@Oli.V]

I love the intentional stupidity ones because they’re only funny when taken literally and so if creating a meme you know is incorrect but meant to be taken completely seriously you’re creating almost another author in between you, the one writing the words, and the post. This nonexistent author becomes a character in the viewers mind because they know if they’re hearts someone made this not believing it, but it’s only funny if you pretend they did. The person making the meme is imagining something that someone who genuinely believes this would say and it’s such a meta way of making memes and really just tickles my funny bone

[@jp_ha_1]

it also kinda reminds me of the "i can't believe ___(artist, famous person or whatever) invented ____" which is also a play on that concept of the author seemingly not knowing the thing existed before

[@6Shooter28]

16:00 "Umm... no!" was actually probably the funniest thing they could have said there

[@ToastyJunebugs]

The phrase "I don't give a fuck about Dick Dawk" now lives rent free in my head forever.

[@formerly_human]

the sheer excitement i felt when you made that thing go DRDNDTDDNDDRDGDN for THE THIRD TIME is undiscriblbelbe

[@mksiblings7476]

I feel like one of the best examples of how deeply engrained in our minds memes are is the fact that every time CJ said "Why are we here" I could only hear the "just to suffer..." copypasta repeat in my brain

[@ash-tv3bu]

every day i get emails....

[@mrp4728]

same lmao

[@maiab-w8733]

every night. I can feel my leg

[@Ergoperidot]

Yeah and the phrase “what is love” will forever be ruined forever.

[@klhx]

Love this video! Just a note: The Beth Harmon meme is derivative of the Whisper app, not tumblr’s justgirlythings. On the Whisper app, you get to post anonymous (usually embarrassing) confessions and the app puts the text on an applicable b/g - that’s what’s happening here. It’s supposed to be this “tongue in cheek” moment of embarrassment when the author says they wish that chess was real. As in, like duh chess is real, Beth Harmon isn’t. It’s that swapping of the what is real and what isn’t, in that specific context, that makes it so hilarious.

[@quiban9603]

The choice to start this video with a solid 6-7 minutes of Richard Dawkins, Charles Darwin and the parallels between memes and genes was a bold choice and one that i thoroughly enjoyed.

[@2DTrashTMCR]

I think I listen to you because your essays sound like prose poetry, and the style aligns with your music in that way. The way you speak is familiar and comforting to me? In a lot of ways it's like listening to myself, but more satisfying. Also positive BPD comrade rep. Those things combined make you the type voice I was hoping to hear at some point on this platform and it makes me happy

[@jessicacarter5822]

hi ur jeff bezos vid literally changed how i see the world in so many ways and is probably the best video essay ive ever seen!! ur amazing and so funny!!

[@ewwpoorpeople5684]

Boy, was it the one thing I needed to finally acknowledge my phone addiction. Did I do anything after reaching that realization? No, god no. But, like, it was really something.

[@intransit3695]

Best video on the internet. I’ve watched it like 5 times, it’s amazing.

[@alejandroarean234]

they hate the breaking down of viewer-creator relationships (parasocial relationships) u sure didn't retain a lot from that video. (or like a quarter cause its ficking long as hell lol)

[@day5001]

@@alejandroarean234 he also says forming an emonitional connection to him isnt just bad and also kinda of inevitable, like he literally puts parasocial(non derrogatory) in his video

[@melodyzhang1989]

@@alejandroarean234 looks like someone else didn't retain a lot from that video! hm.

[@moonyasnow36]

My favorite meme ever is an edit of Paul Blart where the text reads 'ploob oobl plap blap - the end of all' where the titular character has only one eye, one long nostril instead of two small ones, an ear where his mouth should be and a mouth where his ear should be It's been 3+ years but it gets me every single time

[@luisadrian327]

15:40 I feel like an alternative reading of this meme could be: "So when I'm down (or sick or whatever) , Ginger Ale is so good that my closest relatives pale in comparrison to the comfort and relief I get from it that I basically forget who they are" Anyways great video as always :)

[@GuerillaBunny]

My reading was: "I'm just trying to enjoy my drink in peace, and this rando is in my face." Another interpretation is that the creator of the meme is trying to disrupt a memetic convention for lols.

[@mid0rri411]

yes exactly

[@fabledhorse356]

interesting my reading was that they drink ginger ale religiously but don't know what it actually is

[@blueberrymuffin36]

im loving these different meme interpretations. mine was definitely "i love gingerale so much literally nobody else matters to me including this person who cares about me, idk who they are i only care about gingerale"

[@chriscaventer596]

felt this way with my dad in the hospital sometimes. the prime subject is the girl - misplaced or mistaken, reflecting on the man 'me'

[@ActuallyNotHayden]

That Don Quixote rage comic is genuinely a work of art and nobody can convince me otherwise

[@victoriaparnell7339]

This is exactly the kind of hyper-serious, utterly meaningless, deep dive into fantastic fuckery that I get off on. Thank you.

[@emmettchan5545]

My favorite meme of all time is the original Amogus. It took 3 seperate, genius meme ideas to create this masterpiece. First: Stonetoss edits. Shitposts that still feel meaningful because of the shared message "Stonetoss is a Nazi", immediately confirming to the viewer what community the creator is in and what values they posess. Not having that tiny message can feel like a betrayal because they're not showing that they're an ally, so they must be confirmed to be a traitor. Powerful emotions to harness for your meme. Next: The shitty among us drawing. It's honestly genius how it was drawn. Pleasing to look at yet clearly poorly made, it's prime meme material. It is inexplicably put in the Bitcoin greenhouse bubble. There are greenhouses in among us so you can plausably spot A connection, but it's so weak that you still largely assume there is no rational, understandable reason why someone created this. Finally: The text box. The look the guy is giving is one of smug condescension, the possibilities are endless. But largely unfunny. "Imposter" would have put this meme square in the D Tier, and similar attempts would not have helped. But... "Amogus". Not even Among Us. Amogus. It's glues to the mind. Years from now it will still escape some lips. Amogus. A word so powerful it envokes emotion in everyone currently reading it. Amogus. This is how you make history with a meme

[@hexane360]

I love the Dawkins definition of meme because it so closely nailed what they were to become in modern culture. Like I can understand someone in 2008 thinking "that's a little melodramatic, memes are just funny text image pictures", but really, memes are ideas, and the Internet is one big biological reactor with plenty of food and water. sort of a 3-month old leftover. Not only that, the conditions driving the growth of memes [image macros] are the same ones driving the growth of memes [politics, ideas, news, entertainment] through the rest of the world.

[@Wade.Stikmann]

I.... I don't even know if I should tell you this. But you said "-I hope you enjoy these little pieces of my soul." at 22:22 and... It showed me a Grammarly commercial. I really need to download add blockers, but also I don't think I've laughed harder or been so pissed off in my entire life. But also the Memes that you showed really were hilarious and I loved your interpretation and explanation of all of them. Please keep doing what you're doing, I really enjoy it. (Unless you are actively hurting yourself because of it, but I figured you already kind of knew that on some level; thus the parenthesis.)

[@someone16234]

“Beth Harmon is so cool I wish chess was real” is a phrasing format that comes from an older tumblr meme from that sort of ‘intentionally bimbo’ thing you talked about, but idk what the first meme of that type was

[@courtneys.7113]

also it was a bit of a subsection of justgirlythings to pine over fictional worlds. i'm 100% sure there is an image on tumblr that has a picture of the harry potter characters with text that says "i wish hogwarts was real" in a completely genuine tone. so i feel like meme is also a play off of that (tho i do love the trend of rebellious bimbofication)

[@burningflurber]

@@courtneys.7113 I've definitely seen "harry potter is so cool i wish british people were real" at some point

[@thisisasupersayin376]

The first instance I heard of it was the Splatoon Miiverse post "This game is so cool, I wish squids were real". I saw a lot of people making fun of this post and thinking it was genuine, but I wonder now if this is just how a preexisting smaller scale meme expanded its audience?

[@slowgan1199]

You offer viewers more than a college professor can. Familiarity, kindness, the courage to laugh at the actual funny in the actual world while also juggling its many ball-like frameworks FOR THE PURPOSE OF FREE EDUCATION, I MEAN COME ON. and I like your bow. Probably maybe going to get some eye makeup and do a video about the "genre" of content you make, I really like it. :)

[@kearneyshine3146]

You got me wondering if I dont actually retain anything from these, and I thought about it and realized that since watching the bezos video I have been making a genuine effort to be on my phone less and go more places without it

[@courtneys.7113]

lol the way that video changed my life. thankfully i was already going down that path but the video was the last push i needed to get my shit together and do healthy things for myself

[@kearneyshine3146]

@@courtneys.7113 This is most excellent

[@johnhogan8327]

CJ turns my depressive episode into a heavily self destructive manic episode with such ease

[@katieweaver2856]

Okay but creators really do have a positive impact i.e. I’m taking a depression bath and this is my favorite bathtime content. Ty for unknowingly assisting in my self-care 💜

[@zbronstein3901]

I was just about to mindlessly consume this content and then remembered I can consume this content while taking a bath

[@threebirdsinatrenchcoat]

"i wish (real thing) was real" and its cousin meme, "its like if they invented (thing) was (something it already is, or is definitionally impossible)" are two of my favourites

[@magpie405]

i love memes that are highly specific to a demographic that i don't know anything about and that i don't relate to at all, like band kid memes about tubas and shit haha yes the flute section do be like that (i think??)

[@Ilportavoce]

ahhahaha so true

[@Ilportavoce]

it makes u feel part of smth bigger than urself

[@someone857]

As a flute, the flute section really do be like that (I meant to type that I'm a flute player, but I guess I am a flute now.)

[@AstraVex]

This was AMAZING to listen to on the train ride home. Thanks! 💖 Also, "A Fish Grew Legs, Now You Pay Taxes" sounds like an awesome title for an audiobook or a Netflix Special. 😋

[@Arty_Nah]

2 minutes in and i already forgot this video is about memes, the way you manage connect so many ideas together is scary

[@naturequeen2597]

I feel like I must have missed the point then cause the whole video was just memes.

[@gracezaky1192]

Yeah I mean it's his chess. The sequel of the Queen's Gambit was in front of us all along

[@chizzicle]

Okay, the last meme is actually hilarious. Very much a definition of that other meme "your experiences are not universal" but the specificity of it only serves to make it more funny, and the added context of Cain and Abel, when the meme itself is also about a dead brother just adds to the whole things

[@porcupineangel6632]

Also, there's a kind of self-replication/paradoxical horror to the last meme. The format connects Cain's murder weapon to the PSN friend request, and Abel to the Guy at GameStop that reminds you of your dead brother. The same way you connect to this Guy is the same thing- it suggests- that killed your brother, who this guy reminds you of, so you want to connect to them, but the same way you connect... etc. It's almost a tragic drama

[@DetectiveOlivaw]

My absolute favorite meme format remains the Roundabout, "To Be Continued" video form, I feel that it heightens and elevates any given video moment with the proper edit, but the 1967 Spider-Man images as well as the Spider-Man newspaper strip edits remain things that will reduce me to helpless laughter if presented in the right circumstance.

[@spookykaeya]

GENE ?? GENERATIONS ?? GENE-RATIONS?? I NEVER NOTICED THAT OH MY GODDDD biology really didn't teach me anything other than mitochrondria is the powerhouse of the cell

[@kvarner6886]

Dude, you got me with the Skillshare shit. I fastforwarded all the way to the penguin meme before I realized. I applaud you.

[@remytwoshoes1769]

The fact that he used Cain and Abel for the meme about his dead brother is so perfect

[@vacantvisionary]

I'm such a sucker for jokes coming full circle. What an excellent piece of art.

[@betasanderson6770]

"What is the good of sex?" CJ: "Someones gotta tell him" Me, a sex repulsed asexual: Is there any good in sex?

[@mills5627]

See thats what I'm sayin!

[@Robstafarian]

Me, a demisexual: "Maybe sometimes?"

[@swimmyswim417]

Me, a sex averse asexual: Maybe in theory, but honestly it’s debatable.

[@lizc6393]

I spend half my time crippled by a libido better suited to a sex addicted, Persian prince with a harem and MDMA habit, and the the other half feeling legitimately nauseated by the first thought of sexual contact with another human...

[@htttp_mirage]

me, an aro/acespec too confused with specifications of labels because im yet to have proper interactions of the romantic or sexual kind with the people im attracted to: *my type of people*

[@pan-opticon]

I’m a little late, but I still wanna mention that your album is AMAZING and it’s basically all I’ve been listening to this past week- thank you for putting out music :)

[@ash-tv3bu]

dawkins would be much more interesting if he'd ever had spiderman in him

[@hugenerd4041]

Wouldn’t we all?

[@burningflurber]

do you reckon its sticky like his hands and feet?

[@doctorwholover1012]

Do you think dawkins and Spider-Man ever explored each other's bodies ?

[@micahmosse3876]

The way you say "okay so basically I'm monky" is making me cry-laugh

[@TheZatzman]

Am I the only one who had to rewind multiple times because they were giggling at all the memes? Also, 9:05 is the best Skillshare ad I have ever seen. Truly.

[@rin-me9wt]

Okay but the unnecessary thorough research is somehow part of what makes these video essays so beautiful and why I have come to love your videos and your brain mind so much. Yes, creating a "parasocial relationship" lmao.

[@leap4joytx]

very glad that this was only half an hour long so cj didn’t have time to ruin my life like they did in the last two videos

[@autogirl44]

The energy you bring to your videos is just immaculate thank you.

[@margaretrm1319]

i would die for a full length video on the whisper memes that have recently resurfaced on pinterest...the 9th wave feminism bimbo explanation made so much sense

[@deathslayer1512]

Explaining a frog is a lot like disecting a joke: Not many people dies, and the frog want to do it

[@johnpaulcross424]

Thank you for providing my bi monthly schizophrenic breakdown of societal collapse fueled by rampant uncontrolled late stage capitalism, I look forward to the next video.

[@blarg2429]

Bi monthly as in twice a month, or once every two months, or just as a good name for a magazine?

[@lyraminerva612]

Ok, so I know this video had so much more to say, and is so incredibly insightful but I can’t stop laughing at the door stopper at the end of the video. The silence, the lack of explanation, the focus drawn in on this one seemingly unimportant action. It’s genius!

[@alext9760]

Watching these videos feels like im taking out my brain, rinsing it, and putting it back in my head

[@snippets981]

😂👏👏👏😂

[@brady6951]

“Say something funny” “No ❤️” Nailed it

[@patriciobastons6953]

Your videos are like a mild anxiety attack, please keep at it I love it

[@garystu5997]

this is frankly the best the most honest material I've seen recently, sooo refreshing! thanks

[@zcapari]

this is the first time that explaining the joke has ever made it funnier

[@tastywinner2848]

I only found out about this channel about a week ago and I already know that if I ever got the chance to have a conversation with you about anything, it would be a highlight of the year at the very least. Very intelligent, very passionate, a little bit crazy, it's a perfect combination. In another life we'd be friends. Can't wait to see new content while I browse your older stuff.

[@Sarah-el3vr]

The way you explain things is so satisfying to me because it makes so much sense but I could never articulate it that way myself. I could listen to you analyze shit for hours and be fully entertained (and would pay for it too, on like patreon or whatever).

[@quantumfluffyflapjack]

I'm really shocked that that cover of the selfish gene hasn't become a meme format itself. Look at it, it's perfect. The context, the little pictures to fill in with new things, the easily erasable text for your own words. Exploitable as we said back in the day.

[@dallaslindsey4865]

i like how memes are exactly what baudrillard talks about in simulation and simulacra, like things become references to copies and eventually become simulacra of simulacrum

[@lid5870]

Yay! Thanks for taking the suggestion!!!

[@surrenderthenight86]

So someone made Cain and Able meme to address their trauma through the only medium that felt save and familiar to them and it ended up in this youtube video, huh?

[@cometogether]

great research and analysis, also a great way to remind us and corporations that you're not for sale

[@raddish72]

as somebody who makes videos myself, I have so much respect for people who even after heavily editing their videos, end up with a product over 20 minutes. what an absolute madlad.

[@ryoki_PH]

holy shit analysing memes and internet comedy trends is one of my favourite things to do this is the perfect video for me. thank u king

[@ayelethashachar3651]

jokes on you I've been waiting in my garage for this moment

[@ebisawkward]

My favorite are the memes that have reached a level of popularity and recognition where you don't even need to add text to them anymore for people to know exactly what you are saying, becoming part of some modern hieroglyphics.

[@zee9731]

me moments ago “today is literally terrible” me moments later after seeing this notification “oh wow i love being alive”

[@pinklizard1589]

I absolutely adore the energy we’ve created in the studio today