Memes are symbolic, metaphoric, sophomoric and literal reminders of extraordinary, tragic, comical, memorable people, things, events, etc. In the “www” from which they emanate, they mutate through countless iterations and result in various interpretations. Memes, from the word memetic, are idea-viruses, sometimes propagating in spite of truth and logic. Some are funny; others are cruel. There’s nothing funny about a human firing an AR-15–style weapon at anybody—no less with murderous intent.
Since the attempt on Donald J. Trump’s life (in which a bystander was killed and two others critically wounded), memeticists zeroed in like a fly on poop with a new trope. At last week’s RNC, the most viral meme was “fake ear bandages.” Per Time, “The unusual accessory is sweeping the convention hall, where delegates and supporters, in a tribute to the former President and party nominee, are showcasing their own versions of his wound dressing, ranging from cotton pads to tape to folded pieces of paper.” Others have referred to these symbols of support as “ear pillows.”
And so commences the season of political memes, as if that season ever ceases. And now Biden has stepped down as a candidate, giving rise to even more memes.
Within moments of most globally publicized events, Adrian Wilson, a satirist with an acute eye for memes, ear for puns, better than average Photoshop skills and poor spelling, gets the memetic machinery rolling. I present a few of my favorites from his recent output.
