2024-07-25 00:18:15
Harris mocking memes re-edited into support memes become hugely popular
“A new generation that is cool but not spoiled” “A person who overcame difficult circumstances”
Black Girl Handcuffs Scene Turned into Trump Handcuffs Scene
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd (local time) that various memes that had been maliciously depicting Vice President Kamala Harris are suddenly transforming into memes that glorify her.
Vice President Harris is a perfect meme character. She dances in a sloppy but fun way, has a very unique way of speaking, laughs a lot, and is often self-deprecating. These traits have worked against her so far.
In her 2023 speech, when Harris said, “Do you think you fell out of a coconut tree?” Republican YouTube channels ripped the clip and ran it with commentary that Harris looked like a talk show host or that she was screaming in excitement. Her dancing on the campaign trail was described as twitching. The worst meme came during the 2020 election, when Harris, a former prosecutor, was portrayed as a “cop.” It was used by the racist left, black influencers, and Republicans to paint Harris as reactionary or hypocritical.
But now, all of these memes have been reversed. After President Biden nominated Vice President Harris to replace him, old Kamala memes are becoming popular again. But the interpretation is the opposite.
Online fans have turned Harris’s comments into a catchy internet meme. The coconut tree quote is followed by the line, “You exist in everything you’ve lived through and everything that came before you,” making it sound like a cool thing for someone who has achieved great things in difficult circumstances.
◆Harris’s support overwhelms Trump’s online
There was also a video of Harris dancing to a song by Charli XCX, the singer who popularized the term “brat” generation. The term, which is a play on the word brat, is used to describe the “spoiled but cool new generation.” Harris is portrayed in the video as a bumbling but cool pop star.
A new video was also created titled “Kamala Harris is a Police Officer.” Supporters branded the scene, which featured Harris giving an exaggerated wink, as a guarantee of a presidential victory.
The way to assess a candidate’s charisma used to be, “Would you like to have a beer with her?” Now it’s, “Are you willing to spend an evening making a cool video that effectively synthesizes Harris’s personality with pop music to fantastic results?”
All of this is creating an overwhelming online fervor for Donald Trump. MAGA fanatics have been turning every weakness into a strength, even highlighting Trump’s triumphant appearance despite his felony conviction. At one point, the Democratic camp was unable to properly counter this, but things are different now.
The coconut tree comment is described as a scene from the movie The Matrix where she shouts, “I’m from coconuts,” and turns the tough presidential election situation around in an instant. The scenes that are famous for disparaging Harris have been transformed into a feeling that they came from the chaotic presidential election process. The worries that had been running high for months as Biden refused to step down suddenly turned into enthusiasm for Harris. The online supporters for Harris seem to be intoxicated.
Memes that disparage Kamala often feature accusations of being a braggart. A meme of her passionately emphasizing the catchphrase “what can be, unburdened by what has been” was widely distributed by the Republican National Committee but is now being spread by Harris supporters. The meme, which involves repeatedly shouting the somewhat grammatically awkward phrase, has become popular on TikTok. Supporters have remixed the footage with an interesting DJ-generated soundtrack.
As right-wing influencers trolled Harris for her gaffe, a post on X trended on Twitter, claiming the word “unburdened” could easily be interpreted as a “Marxist, Luciferian spell.”
The “getting out of trouble” meme was once taken to symbolize Biden’s ramblings. But Harris is far from that concern. Now, the “getting out of trouble” meme is taken to mean effectively summarizing what she wants to say and saying it boldly.
◆The complete opposite of Biden, who was struggling online
Biden has always been mocked on TikTok, which may be why he wanted to ban TikTok. The “Dark Brandon” meme, which featured a Biden avatar with laser beams shooting out of its eyes, never caught on. Instead, it was circulated along with various scenes of Biden stumbling around, falling, and freezing.
Shortly after Biden dropped out, James Medlock, a social democratic influencer who writes anonymously, reposted a meme on X that attacked Harris from 2019, showing a smiling Harris in a police uniform handcuffing a black child. “Remember, it’s time to stop talking about Kamala’s left wing support, her Marxist father, and start talking about her being a cop who’s going to put all the criminals in jail. This time we have to win,” Medlock wrote. In response, another user photoshopped Donald Trump into the image of Harris handcuffing the child. This was followed by another photo with Charli XCX.
The scenes of Kamala Harris arresting Charli XCX or Kamala cutting a coconut to the tune of Taylor Swift’s song are not very meaningful, but those are completely irrelevant issues on the internet.
The online fervor to get Harris into the White House is heating up as Harris memes, created by Democratic supporters, are gaining popularity. For those who worry that Harris is too liberal, the playful memes are a bulwark. It’s unusual for an Internet campaign to be so active in support of an establishment politician like Harris. But at least it’s fun.
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2024-07-25 00:18:15