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About

Monkeys and Apes refer to several taxonomic ranks of primates, terrestrial mammals some of which (great apes) are considered the closest biological relatives of humans. Online, apes, usually erroneously referred to as monkeys, are often referenced in memes, sometimes in the contexts of atheism and anarcho-primitivism, serving as a symbolic representation of the lost simplicity of the archaic ways of life.

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Related Memes

Harambe the Gorilla

Harambe the Gorilla was a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla who was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell into his enclosure in late May 2016. The incident was wildly criticized online by many who blamed the child's parents for the gorilla's untimely death.

Return to Monke

Return to Monke encompasses a series of memes closely associated with anarcho-primitivism that romanticize simplistic archaic lifestyle, with apes (often referred to as monkeys or monkes) serving as a symbolic representation of that lifestyle. The meme often features intentionally simplified language and is closely associated with similar traditionalist memes such as Reject Modernity, Return to Tradition and Consume Product.

El Changuito

El Changuito was a spider monkey owned by a member of La Familia Michoacana, a Mexican drug cartel, that was killed during a gang shootout in June 2022 alongside his owner. The monkey died in a bulletproof vest. His death inspired tributes across social media, including a narcocorrido song in his honor and a Meme Heaven photoshop that went viral.

Various Examples

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