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Survey on memetic snarkiness - please answer

Last posted Mar 27, 2012 at 12:32AM EDT. Added Mar 16, 2012 at 03:54PM EDT
11 posts from 7 users

(Pre-discussion here, sort of. Link to survey in 5th post below.)

Technically, this is a matter for "Meme Research", but since it's not about a single meme, and since I'll get more attention here, I'm posting this in general. Video related:

The recent popularity of the Marilyn Hagerty meme has once again raised a question asked of a number of memes: Are we laughing with them, at them, or are we even laughing at all?

My intention is to put together a survey in which a number of memes are listed, and the responder is asked the above question. However, before making this survey, I wanted to open it up to discussion and suggestions.

The suggestions in particular that I'd like would be appropriate memes to include in the survey, particularly ones where it may not be clear what the source of the funny is, if indeed it is there at all. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking:
Marilyn Hagerty
Antoine Dodson
Basil Marceaux
"I like turtles" kid
Bear Grylls
Chuck Testa
Boxxy
Xzibit
Zangief Kid
Epic Beard Man
Trololo Guy

I guess other suggestions that might be helpful would be useful options beyond:
A) I'm laughing at them.
B) I'm laughing with them.
C) I'm not laughing at all.
D) I don't know.

Last edited Mar 21, 2012 at 04:55AM EDT

opspe wrote:

I think that's a great idea, actually. I'd be really interested in seeing the results.

Agreed.

I'd take part in it when the time arises.

This is a good idea. I think you will find that the overall answer is "Yes and No" depending on the meme in question and who it features.

Some memes are most definitely made with the intention of mocking a certain avatar of something.

For instance a lot of advice dog spinoffs are exactly that: jokes made to point out the hypocrisy of a certain demographic in order to mock them.

College Liberal, Blizzard Mom, Advice God and Unhelpful High School Teacher are all perfect examples. They exist solely for people to point the finger.

But on the opposite spectrum there are certainly memes that exist to laugh along with a joke such as Lazy College Senior. That meme might sound like its being snarky until you realize that the meme exists because that's what college really was like for all of us and we can all relate to it. It's funny because it reminds us of what we were like rather than how dumb something this.

But this is all just my opinion. Allow me to take the survey and let the results speak for themselves

@BSoD: there are those aspect as well, but as you will have seen taking the survey, I focused on real individuals whose contribution to the overall lulziness of the Internet potentially make them heroes or clowns.

Skeletor-sm

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