Steamed Hams

This week's meme, "Steamed Hams," is a video. It is a clip from the episode "22 Short Films about Springfield" from the animated series The Simpsons. In the scene, Principal Skinner invites Superintendent Chalmers over for dinner. The dinner, however, goes awry. Skinner burns the dinner, forcing him to come up with lies about what's happened. He tells Chalmers that he’s making “steamed clams” for dinner, and then runs to get hamburgers from Krusty Burger. When Chalmers is confused by this, Skinner tells him that he made “steamed hams” instead, what he calls hamburgers. Here's the original clip.

The episode first aired on April 14, 1996. While the term "steamed hams" has been joked about on the internet since it was posted to Urban Dictionary on November 15, 2007, the video itself didn't become a meme until recently. Memes of the video are often titled "Steamed hams but _" with it's differential quality in the blank. Here are some examples.

I think this meme caught on for several reasons. One reason is that The Simpsons is a source of nostalgia for many, so it's has wide appeal. This particular scene is also hilarious and the dialogue is very well-written. One can memorize the scene easily, so when the meme interrupts the natural flow, it is noticeable and humorous. I hope to see more video-based memes like it in the future.

"Why Is the FBI Here?"

This week's meme is "Why Is the FBI Here?" This meme features pictures of different Google searches with a text notification from a father saying, "why is the FBI here." The implication is that the FBI has been alerted to what the son has searched. The first instance of this meme was posted on February 12, 2017 with the searches “nearest kindergarten school,” “how to clear search history” and “where to find a bomb” underneath the text from Dad.

It took a lighter turn on February 24, where the Google search was "how to download minecraft for free." Many others have been posted since then.

There have been spin-offs of the meme as well. One is "Illuminati Don't F-ing Move/Illuminati Stay Right Where You Are." These memes involve a screenshot of someone uncovering "top-secret" information and receiving a text from the Illuminati saying, "Don't f-ing move" or "Stay right where you are." The first was from December 3, 2017 and features a text saying, "You know how no one knows which came first, chicken or egg. ITS THE EGG. THEY PLANTS.” (I'm not including this image because it includes inappropriate language.)

The other variation, "Wants to Know Your Location," is the most recent. These memes also include various Google searches but with a different people wanting to know the searcher's location. On January 15, 2018, a screenshot of a Google search saying "how to hang yourself" was accompanied with a notification window saying "Logan Paul wants to know your location."

I think these memes caught on because of paranoia about secret agencies like the FBI and the Illuminati. Today, with all of our modern technology, many people are paranoid that they're being monitored or watched at all times, especially through their phones. Some people go overboard with theories though, and these memes are clearly mocking those people. I think these memes are hilarious, and I would love to see more.

Justin Timberlake Selfie Kid

This week I'm going to discuss the "Justin Timberlake Selfie Kid" meme, which arose from this past Sunday's Super Bowl LII. In the final part of Justin Timberlake's halftime performance, Justin went up into a section of the crowd and performed his song, "Can't Stop the Feeling." He ended up singing right next to a young boy, who wanted to take a selfie with him. After the kid's first attempt at a selfie, he stared at his phone while everyone else was hyped up. Many people thought that the kid was uninterested, uncomfortable, or unsure who Justin Timberlake even was. This reaction gave rise to a meme in which a picture of the kid staring at his phone is paired with a picture of what he could possibly be typing or looking at. Probably the most popular version of the meme is one where the kid is searching "who is justin timberlake" on Google.

The actual selfie that was taken has some serious meme potential as well.

I watched Super Bowl LII up until after the halftime show, and when I saw this kid appear on screen, I knew there were going to be some memes of him. This just goes to show how quickly anything can become a meme nowadays, and how quickly that meme can spread. I can identify with how awkward the kid must have felt, especially in front of a TV crowd of millions. I'm sure others can as well, which is part of why the meme caught on. Since this meme is from a very specific televised moment that you probably had to watch to get, my guess is it won't last very long. I enjoy it either way.

Left Exit 12 Off Ramp

This week I'm going to discuss the "Left Exit 12 Off Ramp" meme. This meme features a car swerving into an off ramp. Each version of the meme has a different highway sign and usually puts words or an image onto the car. On the left side of the highway sign is something the creator disapproves of and on the right is something they prefer. The car swerves to the right.

The meme came from a YouTube video called “How to exit freeway like a boss.” A car swerves onto an exit ramp in the video, but there is no highway sign. The video was uploaded on July 4th, 2013. However, the meme did not pop up until its first known use on December 29, 2017. In this version of the meme, the car has the Swedish flag on it. The sign says “Continue being a stable first world country” on the left and “Mass uncontrolled migration from third world nations” on the right. It's political and topical, but there's some truth in it, and I thought it was funny.

This meme doesn't seem like it will last long, mostly because it isn't that creative or original. The last version of the meme that I've posted below exposes it for having the same concept as the Drake meme. However, "Left Exit 12 Off Ramp" is easy to understand and great for a quick laugh.