Weekend Meme Roundup: MLK 'Fortnite,' Ivermectin, Jack-O Challenge

Welcome to the weekend roundup, where the trending memes of the past weekend are rounded up and examined more closely. This past weekend was a rare mix where it's a video game trend, an IRL trend and a video game IRL trend all at once.

The gaming trend that got big this past weekend was the Jack-O Challenge, which started when the character Jack-O was announced as soon to be added to the game Guilty Gear Strive. The IRL shenanigans trend is the Ivermectin COVID-19 treatment controversy in which a horse deworming medication has been taken by people hoping to treat their COVID-19 symptoms despite warnings from health officials. Lastly, we've got the bizarre in-game Fortnite event surrounding MLK's March Through Time.

Jack-O Challenge

The Jack-O Pose is a reference to the pose performed by the Guilty Gear character Jack-O Valentine, who makes this pose when they go into their crouching animation. Memes about the post have been made since 2019, but recently, the "Jack-O Challenge" began circulating social media where participants take pictures of themselves doing the signature, often with humorous intent.

Ivermectin

Ivermectin is a medication used to fight parasitic infestations in both animals and humans, which you may have heard of recently through the news. In August 2021, the FDA officially advised against using ivermectin as a way to treat COVID-19 after a growing number of reports that people were using ivermectin drugs intended for livestock when they could not obtain prescriptions … despite scientific evidence disproving its effectiveness against the virus. These reports led to a series of memes in late August, which were used to troll online communities that had been dedicated to ivermectin.

MLK In Fortnite

MLK Fortnite March Through Time refers to the in-game event within the battle royale video game Fortnite where players get to go to a special zone dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.'s march for justice civil rights campaign. The event is part of a collaboration between Epic Games and Time magazine, although the response has been a bit mixed … and heavily memed.

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