User:DoctorWho42/Bernie or Hillary?
"Bernie or Hillary?"[1][2] (or "Bernie vs. Hillary"[3]) is an Internet meme that pits American politicians Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders as opponents. Clinton and Sanders are both candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in the United States 2016 election. The meme features a political poster comparing the two candidates on a particular issue.
History[edit]
The meme started out as a joke campaign by Tumblr user Obvious Plant.[4] The meme was popularized via the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash.[5]
Format[edit]
The meme uses the format of the political poster to compare the candidates on a particular issue. The caption reads "Bernie or Hillary? Be informed. Compare them on the issues that really matter."[3] Variations of the meme compare comments on such issues as: anime,[3] English rock band Black Sabbath,[4] cannabis,[2] electronic music,[5] first-person shooters,[3] gaming,[3] Harry Potter,[5][4] heavy metal,[4] Internet memes,[2] jet skis,[4] lizards,[5][3] American indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel,[1] Nutella,[5] American casual dining restaurant chain Olive Garden,[6][3] philosophies on sneaking soda in the free water cup,[3] PlayStation,[3] Pokemon,[5][3] preferred gaming consoles,[3] Radiohead,[5][3] space vampires,[5][4] stand-up comedy,[2] Star Wars,[5][3] and Tony Hawk.[5][3]
Art[edit]
On February 12, 2016, new media artist Matt Starr organized the art exhibition "Weekend with Bernie" for Wayfarers Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition included Ryder Ripps's installation "Faces of Bernie Sanders Dank Meme Stash" featuring Skype video chats with members of the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash and the meme.[7][8]
Reaction[edit]
Criticism[edit]
The Washington Post's Caitlin Dewey described "Bernie or Hillary?" as a "persistent example" of "some of the most successful Bernie Sanders memes are also, on their face, the least factual" since "[it] paints Clinton as a semi-literate hanger-on."[9] Slate's Amanda Hess criticized the sexism of the meme stating "[i]nvariably, Bernie Sanders' response is passionate and charming while Hillary Clinton's is insufferable and cloying."[3] Alternative weekly newspaper Houston Press's Jef Rouner compared the meme to the "Idiot Meme Girl"[3] stating "that shit was sexist and unfunny then, too. Some of them are literally the same jokes. So on top of everything else, it's just really unoriginal."[4]
Impact[edit]
Vice's Gabriella Lewis claimed the meme has gotten more people interested in electoral politics.[2]
Reception[edit]
American electro house musician Steve Aoki called it "dankest of the dank memes."[5] Oberlin College student newspaper The Oberlin Review's Josh Ashkinaze said "Bernie or Hillary?" "[t]he dankest meme now."[1] Slate's Amanda Hess found that "Bernie vs. Hillary has already evolved into such an undank meme."[3] The Daily Dot's Stephen Thomas has called the meme "hugely popular."[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Ashkinaze, Josh (February 12, 2016). "Politicians Should Embrace Internet Memes". The Oberlin Review. WordPress. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Lewis, Gabriella (March 20, 2016). "We Asked an Expert if Memes Could Determine the Outcome of the Presidential Election". Vice. Vice Media. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hess, Amanda (February 9, 2016). "The Bernie vs. Hillary meme is weird, ceaseless, and kind of sexist, just like the 2016 campaign". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rouner, Jef (February 5, 2016). "Your Pop Culture Sanders vs Clinton Memes are Sexist and Unfunny". Houston Press. Voice Media Group. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Aoki, Steve (February 22, 2016). "The 17 Dankest Bernie Sanders Memes On The Internet". Steve Aoki. Aoki Media. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ .Buzz, Carles (February 22, 2016). "Can Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash Swing the Election?". Motherboard. Vice. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Armstrong, Annie (February 18, 2016). "Young Artists Rally to Raise $10K for Bernie Sanders". The Creators Project. Vice Media, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ "Inside "Weekend With Bernie", A Bernie Sanders-Themed Art Exhibition In Brooklyn". Paper. Paper Communications. February 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Dewey, Caitlin (February 23, 2016). "How Bernie Sanders became the lord of 'dank memes'". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Thomas, Stephen (February 11, 2016). "Maddi of #ImNotKiddingMaddi opens up about Hillary, Bernie, and Beyoncé's 'Formation'". The Daily Dot. The Daily Dot. Retrieved May 4, 2016.