QCQ for _Internet Memes____________________________________________
Quotation (with page number or parag number or time stamp if video/audio)
“The grass mud horse is just one example of an ‘alternative political discourse’ that is taking place in China with the help of internet memes” (417).
Comment (250-500 words)
I found this quote, along with the entire passage it’s in, really interesting. It’s crazy to me how memes, things I view as dumb, useless, and silly, have been able to encourage discourse in this way. To provide background for this quote, this meme of a grass mud horse was circulating China at a time when China had banned the use of vulgar and immature internet discourse. Obviously, a big part of the internet is free speech and the ability to present your ideas, in their entirety, to the public. This comes with many positive repercussions such as a huge platform to share your ideas and discuss… Anyway, grass mud horse in Chinese sounds like a bunch of cuss words, basically, and the meme was a way for Chinese citizens to protest the ban on vulgar language without actually violating any rules. I think this is a really constructive way to use social media and memes. Funny and witty things like this catch people’s attention and draw people in. I can see this being used in many things that affect my own life. For example, memes are often used to criticize public figures like presidents, CEOs, etc, and I’ve noticed a few memes of similar intent.
Question
Are memes the best way to create political/social discourse/activism?
