What happens if a meme goes too far?

This is going to be a huge mistake, I can just feel it now.

Disclaimer: The incident involving the death of the gorilla named Harambe, which I do not want to get into details, was undoubtedly a huge tragedy. I want to let everyone reading this know that I in no way want to make light of this incident, nor do I want to get into the rights and wrongs of it, nor the rights and wrongs of how it spread across the internet like wildfire.

Now then.... what the hell happened with Harambe? Quite honestly, this is one of the most controversial ideas that has ever spread throughout the internet. Some describe it as a tasteless meme, others describe it as a way to honor the ape, and most are quite honestly confused at the sheer insanity.

So, and with the utmost respect, what the fuck happened? How could something considered tasteless by many spread so far?

It's more than a meme; it's an solid idea

Memes are, by their nature, short lived and not very deep. This isn't a knock on them, it's just the format. For a meme or joke to spread, it needs to be simple, easy to understand, and provoke an immediate reaction. And by this nature, of course most memes aren't going to be deep. They're usually going to be simple jokes, one dimensional, easy to react to. But sometimes, something can straddle the line. Harambe is one such idea.

It's a simple joke on the surface, yes. But it can be construed as deeper, particularly because it's based off of a real world event. It's got elements of real world animal rights, death, tragedy, and an undercurrent of honouring a dead creature.

What this means is that this isn't like the usual quick laugh people can get from a meme. It can get as deep as one would want, whether that be a simple joke or commentary on the situation. The joke is what let it spread. The commentary is what's let it last for so long, rightly or wrongly.

The forbidden fruit

More than anything else, this whole thing is controversial. It's been described as offensive, tasteless, dumb, and much worse. That's the key.

Remember when you were younger, and were exposed to something considered much too inappropriate for something your age? You probably thought it was the coolest thing ever, some sort of awesomeness that you weren't supposed to see yet. Really, it could have been an R-rated movie, an M rated game, wherever, it didn't matter. What mattered was that it was usually off limits, and that gave it an almost mystical factor.

Same principal applies here. Joking about shooting an ape would be in bad taste in most areas and casual conversation. But not in the wild west that is social media, where you can say literally anything and often see no real world consequences. Nothing is off limits there, so it's no surprise that anything and everything can spread.

But it being a tad risque or a bit offensive isn't enough. No, it has to, HAS TO be off limits everywhere but the anonymity of the internet. That means no news. No organizations. No casual conversation. Nothing.

The jokes about Harambe fit all this perfectly. The news (Save Last Week Tonight) can't touch something like this, as it would be seen as offensive. Organizations can't use it to look “cool” because it's in bad taste socially. And there is no way you'd say “Dicks out for Harambe” in casual conversation unless you were drinking.

Again, all this gives it a sort of mystique, like the internet is thinking “How far can we push it?” “How far can we go?” It's strangely subversive in a lot of ways, ducking under social norms and socially acceptable jokes. It's a lot like passing notes in class, in that it gives people autonomy from what they are expected to do. That's a powerful motivator.

A... rallying point?

Ok, hear me out here. Harambe can be a rallying point, something to follow, something to support. That, more than anything else, is what made this idea stick.

What I'm trying to say here is that in invoking this idea, a person can in a way also take a stand. The joke can also be used as support for Harambe, animal rights, a way of protesting the shooting, etc. Whether they are actually doing so in reality is irrelevant, as it feels like you're expressing an important opinion by using this idea. It feels like you're doing more than just joking around.

Again, jury's out on whether it collectively means anything. Regardless, it's an important factor. Most memes don't mean anything, They're dumb little jokes we all laugh at and get some fun out of. This meme is one of the few a person could conceivably get something out of beyond a laugh, heck, it could even communicate an opinion. What I'm saying here isn't why it spread. Memes can spread on humor alone, as we all know. All these reasons are why it spread despite it being seemingly so much in bad taste.

...OK, it's kinda funny

It's also just somewhat humorous in the first place, something we can't discount. I've laughed at this meme a few times, you likely have, and that's fine. The sheer absurdity when someone shouts “Dicks out!” is funny a lot of the time because of the out of nowhere element it has.

It's not a bad joke per se. A lot of people discount any humorous element, but that's not entirely true. It never would have been made if it wasn't kinda sorta funny. And we need to account for that, despite how funny you think it is.

So there you have it. The Harambe memes spread because they were funny, deeper than usual memes, had an element of subversion and gave people something to support and think about. That's a mouthful. I wouldn't expect anything else from the most contentious idea to ever wear the hat of “meme”.