And one thing I think about is, “being Online” != “being savvy in online propaganda” and I think this is especially true for MAGA.
For one thing, I think what Noah Smith is describing is happening on this front where as Donald Trump gets more unpopular, the ppl who are left are even more committed and insane (like that Florida pastor who praised Trump’s gold statue) - and this is like a recipe for creating memes that only appeals to very narrow set of ppl.
And ngl there seems to be a bit of low quality audience problem where they approve low quality memes…
While I’m not a huge fan of him, I think ettingermentum made an apt observation “current MAGA meme scene is millennial uncs wink wink and try to look cool to Genz (and in reality uncs just wink to each other)”
It’s simple, almost all the people on the Right who are good at meme war are against the war, and view it as sucking attention and resources away from the issues they care about. The Pepe the frog guys all want to see ICE maxxing and fighting wokeness, not another sandbox war, and the pro-Israel boomer types can’t meme on their own.
What's even more crazy is that the US administration raised the salience of the meme war early on. Hegseth and other clowns kept pointing to the engagement numbers on their cringey posts as if that was a notable accomplishment. They failed in all of their actual war aims and have now lost on the virtual battlefield too.
Iranian LEGO memes have broken containment. I first learned about their existence over the weekend during brunch when my wife’s Christian conservative friend told us about how hilarious they were, and how stunned she was to be agreeing with Iranian propaganda videos. Mind you, this was a real normie who regularly attends church, volunteers with charities, and votes Republican
Honestly the US is such an easy target for foreign despots in these videos because America is no longer a global force for good and has more in common with leaders in Iran, China and Russia than we do with democracies
Not gonna lie, the NAFO memes are the main reason why I’m loading up on St. Javelin patches for my airsoft harness.
Great article!!
And one thing I think about is, “being Online” != “being savvy in online propaganda” and I think this is especially true for MAGA.
For one thing, I think what Noah Smith is describing is happening on this front where as Donald Trump gets more unpopular, the ppl who are left are even more committed and insane (like that Florida pastor who praised Trump’s gold statue) - and this is like a recipe for creating memes that only appeals to very narrow set of ppl.
And ngl there seems to be a bit of low quality audience problem where they approve low quality memes…
While I’m not a huge fan of him, I think ettingermentum made an apt observation “current MAGA meme scene is millennial uncs wink wink and try to look cool to Genz (and in reality uncs just wink to each other)”
Mebbe because—they Have No Case for their Prosecution l
It’s simple, almost all the people on the Right who are good at meme war are against the war, and view it as sucking attention and resources away from the issues they care about. The Pepe the frog guys all want to see ICE maxxing and fighting wokeness, not another sandbox war, and the pro-Israel boomer types can’t meme on their own.
What's even more crazy is that the US administration raised the salience of the meme war early on. Hegseth and other clowns kept pointing to the engagement numbers on their cringey posts as if that was a notable accomplishment. They failed in all of their actual war aims and have now lost on the virtual battlefield too.
Iranian LEGO memes have broken containment. I first learned about their existence over the weekend during brunch when my wife’s Christian conservative friend told us about how hilarious they were, and how stunned she was to be agreeing with Iranian propaganda videos. Mind you, this was a real normie who regularly attends church, volunteers with charities, and votes Republican
Honestly the US is such an easy target for foreign despots in these videos because America is no longer a global force for good and has more in common with leaders in Iran, China and Russia than we do with democracies