I feel like the memeification of Harambe is an example of how humor is (for some) funnier if tinged with cruelty. Is it OK to laugh at a dead gorilla? Hank Green asked his followers about how funny they found the meme, finding a mixed response. This is the only harambe meme i have lightly chortled at in months /TfXFs8wTfg The idea of Harambe has become something very different to Harambe’s physical presence in the world that was cut short – something that’s reflected on and laughed at in some of the Harambe content circulating the internet. To be outraged by a Harambe meme-as those focused on the original conversation around animal rights and parenting continue to be-is to confuse Harambe the meme, a stock in a memetic marketplace, with Harambe the gorilla who died a tragic and pointless death. Harambe marks the emergence of something akin to a true stock market for culture, where price movements cannot always, or even often, be narrativized, either locally or globally. Instead, Harambe’s internet presence became so varied and odd that it came to signify nothing in particular. Marketers were unsure of it and the angry minorities were unable to legitimize the abuse hurled at the zookeepers and caregivers. Venkatesh Rao writes that Harambe became the perfect meme because no one stepped in to own it.
If you would have told Harambe that he was going to be an Internet sensation after he died, he wouldn’t have understood a word you said So why did Harambe become the internet sensation he is now? In Harambe’s case there was no obvious villain, just a highly publicized outcry from animal lovers and people lamenting those who were meant to be caring for the child. Many turned to anger at the zoo keepers or guardians of the child (there were reports of death threats), but the generally accepted version of events was that of a tragic accident. Harambe’s death was followed by a very different mourning period. To this day the man who killed him is mercilessly hunted by the press.Ĭecil the lion’s death caused a huge backlash against hunting lions, one which is hoped to save the lives of other animals. Mobs formed, his killer’s business was ruined and celebrities named and shamed him on their social media profiles. When Cecil the lion was killed the internet’s reaction was that of unbridled anger. While both were innocent animals killed at the hands of humans, reactions to their demises were very different. In August we found 3k tweets mentioning both names, and the animals are often referenced together on news sites when discussing them.
Harambe’s death is often referenced alongside the death of Cecil the lion in 2015. The incredible journey from live gorilla to controversial meme is what this article is all about. What started as the tragic shooting of a majestic creature (to prevent a child getting harmed) has turned into a meme – perhaps the most perfect meme there is.
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