SYMBOLS OF CHANGE: POLITICAL MEMES AND VIRAL CONTENT
PERSONALLY-GENERATED CONTENT
To create this meme, I used the image of fictional film character Willy Wonka played by Gene Wilder, a popular character used in Internet memes. The character of Willy Wonka is playful yet skeptical onscreen. He entertains children while also putting them in situations that force them to think more carefully about their actions and values in an effort to teach them important lessons. Using the image of Willy Wonka in memes is effective because he is a part of popular culture, something that many people know and understand. The language I used in this meme relates to Wonka's character in that I am using this meme to ask audiences an important question about racism and prejudice in contemporary America that makes them look more closely at what they believe. I am attempting here to point out a double standard that is prevalent and worthy of discussion, as many Americans don't understand how their reactions to political elections are reflections of what they believe when it benefits them, but not necessarily when it benefits others.
This meme's visual content contains another pop culture reference, a character from the film The Matrix. Memes featuring images of this character typically include language that asks audiences to process information that is somehow surprising or revelatory in nature. I decided to use this image because I, too, wanted to engage in conversation with audiences by asking them to consider something that I believe to be true: Saying "I'm proud to be black" is not the same as saying "I hate white people." People who don't support the #blacklivesmatter movement have been associating its advocates with the Ku Klux Klan, which is not only disgraceful, but also an inaccurate comparison. Whereas the KKK openly stated that they were "pro-white," they also openly stated that they were "anti-black." And not only did they openly voice their opinions verbally, they also used violence and committed hate crimes against black people and used their beliefs to justify their behavior. #Blacklivesmatter is not a movement that promotes hate or violence; they oppose those exact things. They rely on organizing protests and involvement in calling attention to injustice in an effort to bring about change, rather than using hate speech and acts of violence that only perpetuate the cycle of brutality and racial profiling that already exist.
The final meme I created features an image of a young black boy in dirty clothes who is engaged in communication with a young woman who appears to be dressed well, likely an outsider. In the background, we see that the floor is covered with dirt and debris, giving us the impression that the photo was probably taken in a third world country. The boy's facial expression is skeptical and quizical; he is likely being told something that he isn't quite buying into. I used this image because the boy's skeptical facial expression coincides with the idea I wanted to raise. Many critics of the #blacklivesmatter movement have issue with the fact that people are only concerned with black people here in America and not other parts of the world, specifically in areas where entire populations of people are so poor they have no food, water, or shelter. These critics are of the opinion that there are bigger problems for, and threats to, black people that are more important and worthy of discussion.
In response to some of the memes and videos that I came across while arranging this project, I visited MemeGenerator.net and created three of my own memes to participate in the conversation. The memes I created relate to the issues I have discussed thus far and express both positive and negative messages