What the heck are memes? Maybe art

There’s more to memes than meets the eye.

Memes can paint multiple types of pictures, both artistically and politically, though they are usually associated with humor.

Richard Dawkins, an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author, wrote the 1976 book “The Selfish Gene,” which explained how cultural information spreads. He first coined the word “mimeme” which is ancient greek for “imitated thing.” “Mimeme” was later shortened to “meme.”

According to the Oxford dictionary, memes are “an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by non-genetic means, especially imitation.” To most, memes are funny pictures and videos with some sort of text above, next to, or below them.

Now memes are everywhere. They can be about anything and can reference everything, but in general they are supposed to be funny.

Southwestern College Arts Club president and studio arts major Jorge Mendez, 20, said memes are more than just jokes.

“I think it affects the society in a way where it almost reveals people’s true colors,” Mendez said. “Society isn’t so black and white between bigoted and woke, because there are instances you see in their true colors.”

Memes have become ubiquitous for the generation raised on smartphones and social media.

“The majority of memes make a really bold social commentary in such a funny compact way, but it’s almost like political cartoons in a sense,” Mendez said.

Art Club designer and 3D art generalist major Christian Gutierrez, 21, said he uses memes to communicate.

“They are a different form of expressing parts of ourselves that we feel kind of uncomfortable with saying out loud, so it’s like an avenue that we can share it with,” Gutierrez said. “They are a part of my life in a way that I communicate with my friends on the internet, and for right now they are just a way to express something that I haven’t been able to fully put into words.” 

Paris Gonzalez, a 19-year-old graphic design and studio arts major, said memes are an emotional outlet for humanity.

“We are in a serious time right now with everything being so ‘this person is bad because they said this, this thing is bad because it’s doing this,’” said Gonzalez. “Everything is so harsh and dark and sometimes we just need to laugh and I feel that is what it’s there for. It’s a moment to detach from the harsh realities and kind of just have a moment of peace.”

However, not all memes contribute to the greater good. Some memes are co-opted by groups the images’ creators do not support. One example is Matt Furie’s Pepe The Frog from the comic “Boy’s Club.” Furie told The Washington Post that his character was intended for what was the embodiment of  “feels good, man.” However, white nationalists and trolls added racist imagery.

Pepe became a hate symbol. Furie told The Washington Post that it was a “nightmare” and ended up killing Pepe.

Southwestern College arts professor Nicholas Mueller, 41, said he has concerns about how memes impact culture.

“There is a lot of toxic society online, and I don’t necessarily think memes being related to that directly, but I wonder how they might relate to the kind of culture to calling people out online,” Mueller said, “Which could be positive, but could also be really aggressive and bullying.”

Gonzales said there is a distinct line between funny memes and ones clearly being abusive.

“There is no point in bullying,” Gonzalez said. It can take a time from being funny and lighthearted to that’s a little racist, sexist, stereotypical, and it’s not that tasteful.”

Gonzales said revolting memes have a negative impact on younger generations.

“It’s almost teaching them to be sexist and that it’s okay to be racist if it’s funny,” Gonzales said. “It’s not okay to do any of those things, but some of those memes teach that it is okay.”

Gonzales said memes have been a part of her life from an early age.

Mueller meanwhile, said he is familiar with memes, just not to the same extent as his students.

“I think of it as something that is a coded language of my students that I don’t always pick up on, and I have had a number of times where student projects will reflect memes and I’m totally not aware of,” Muller said.

Mendez said he believes memes are a form of modern-day Dadaism, referencing an art movement of producing work that was nonsense and incongruity.

“I think they are a form of art because it’s the same way stand-up comedy is a form of art,” Mendez said. “It’s trying to relate to certain groups of people or trying to be niche enough to make people laugh.”

Gonzales said not all memes are forms of art. She gives an example of the meme bongo cat being “innocent” and “something so refreshing” could be considered art.

But vulgar memes and those that are unpolished should not be considered art.

“Some of them kind of have a lightheartedness to it that I think we kind of need,” said Gonzales. “Everything is so harsh and cut and dried. So I guess there is a kind of art to it depending on the subject.”