Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

After roe, women are no longer free.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Let’s finish the job.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Hot air and ill-informed banter

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re A Meme

Open Thread: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re A Meme

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Erin Gloria Ryan is a writer at Jezebel. Hillary Clinton is a well-known politician and supporter of women’s rights. Madonna is a Single Name Celebrity, and what the Victorians might’ve called a “magpie” — among other things, an inveterate picker-up of shiny trifles. (I was amazed to discover that, per Urban Dictionary, that usage has not completely aged out.) Eventually, on the internets, these three inviduals were bound to converge, as described by Ms. Ryan…

On Sunday, Madonna honored International Women’s Day by tweeting and Instagramming to her millions of followers a sassy quote purported to be by a very powerful woman who everybody is pretty sure will soon announce a run for President (just as soon as she satisfactorily explains that whole email thing). I spotted a couple of problems with it. First, former First Lady Clinton doesn’t spell her first name “Hilary.” Second, Hillary never said those words: The quote in question is actually from a piece that I wrote, and for the past three years, it’s spread around the internet like a fun and viral girl power missive from the lips of Hillary Clinton herself.

My words’ journey to Hillary Clinton meme land began in May of 2012, when then-Secretary of State Clinton appeared before press in Bangladesh sporting red lipstick, black plastic-framed glasses, and no other evident makeup. In response, fedora industry pillar Matt Drudge featured the look prominently on his site, Fox News started talking about it, Twitter Got Really Stupid—you know, your standard modern day manic news cycle idiocy.

I wrote a piece about the incident that basically called all of her aesthetic naysayers idiots for focusing on her looks when her looks weren’t the point. The following passage was included in the post:

You may not agree with a woman, but to criticize her appearance — as opposed to her ideas or actions — isn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all you. Insulting a woman’s looks when they have nothing to do with the issue at hand implies a lack of comprehension on your part, an inability to engage in high-level thinking. You may think she’s ugly, but everyone else thinks you’re an idiot.

… Almost immediately (according to Google, the same day that I wrote the piece), the internet decided that Hillary Clinton had said those lines. In the ensuing months, Tumblr, Instagram, and Pinterest jumped aboard. Even women’s rights organizations, who you’d think would know enough to Google stuff—joined the chorus. And before you know it (and despite the efforts of several eagle-eyed internet fact-checkers and the fact that the piece I wrote is the second highest result when you search for the quote), I became Hillary Clinton’s unwitting ghostwriter….

The more you know. And among the things we know — if you think Hillary Clinton’s fans are defensive of her image, they will never be able to match the uncut rabid protectiveness of Ms. Ciccone’s loyalists.
***********
Apart from marveling the wonders abounding across this series of virtual tubes, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

Reader Interactions

64Comments

  2. 2.

    Corner Stone

    And among the things we know — if you think Hillary Clinton’s fans are defensive of her image, they will never be able to match the uncut rabid protectiveness of Ms. Ciccone’s loyalists.

    I beg to fucking differ. How dare you?!

  6. 6.

    schrodinger's cat

    If you want something else to read, here is
    my post about the Indian government’s decision to ban the airing of the documentary, India’s daughter about the rape case that sparked weeks of protests in India.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    Am sure everybody wants to know how Cliven Bundy is doing–is he holing up in his bunker a-waitin’ on the feds? Not so much.

    A November 2014 BLM public meeting in Pahrump, Nevada, to discuss the proposed management plan (the same one that prompted some commissioners to resolve to say “no” to the BLM) was canceled after a hundred or so people showed up to protest—too many to fit into the community hall the meeting was scheduled for. According to commissioner Lorinda Wichman, Bundy supporters had sent an email blast to locals, encouraging them to show up to “help save our right to use our public lands,” to protest any potential BLM “retaliation of the Bundy family,” (which some Bundyites have claimed is one of the goals of the resource management plan) and calling the BLM the “Bureau of Land Grabbing Maggots.”

    And every day that passes without a federal government move to prosecute Bundy is a day that he and his followers are emboldened. “We have not been bothered by nor have we even seen a US government licensed vehicle of any kind on the Bundy Ranch or the northeast portion of Clark County,” Bundy said in his email, referring to the last 11 months. “Cattle prices are good and green grass is growing!”

  8. 8.

    Bobby B.

    I’m going to stay on my virtual tubes, typing with rage in the belief that it matters. Respect my fingers of fury! Ignore my pot belly!

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    “intelligence shaming”? Madonna loyalists? what are MRAs? Does Madge still record music, or just pop up for elaborate dance numbers on award shows? I am as old as the dirt under the hills

  11. 11.

    trollhattan

    My presumption in 2015 is that only Andy Sullivan still listens to Madonna. Which is how it should be henceforth.

  12. 12.

    jl

    OK, no more criticizing women based on their appearance, just as long as we can still do it for men, especially for male politicians.

    Edit: because having to give up dissing male pols on the basis of their appearance would be whale of a concession in the name of gender equality. OK, I am a bad man, I admit it. But I have to make my stand here.

  17. 17.

    raven

    Andrea just recalled the wonderful pink sweater Hillary was wearing years ago when she interviewed her. so there

  20. 20.

    Sad_Dem

    Internet comments with random ALL CAPS words and phrases are ALWAYS misguided loony rants. They deserve a name, but it has to be distinct from the wingnut random first-letter capitalization and apostrophe abuse.

  21. 21.

    PurpleGirl

    I reserve the right to comment on a woman’s look if I think that they are wearing something that is truly fugly. This does not translate to thinking they are dumb, stupid, unthinking or anything along those lines. It only means that I think they are wearing something fugly.

    ETA: I’m feeling really crappy and I’m going to sleep. Talk to you all tomorrow.

  24. 24.

    trollhattan

    Anybody know how Scotty Walker and Sam Brownback’s state revenues are doing? Because I think Jerry’s state is kicking their butts.

    California’s revenues swelled by about $1 billion more than expected last month, a sign of continued financial recovery likely to prompt jockeying for additional funding by social service agencies hard hit by recession-era budget cuts.

    The unanticipated boost came from personal income taxes, sales taxes and the alcoholic beverage excise tax, all of which came in above expectations, state controller Betty Yee said in a report released Tuesday.

  26. 26.

    Roger Moore

    @Sad_Dem:

    They deserve a name, but it has to be distinct from the wingnut random first-letter capitalization and apostrophe abuse.

    I think the traditional term is “crank”. There’s a long history of internet cranks, dating back at least to the classic Ludwig Plutonium.

  28. 28.

    jl

    @trollhattan: Commie California economy and jobs growth rates are very good compared to most other states since recovery started (though we dropped more than most in recession). And most of that is in Super Commie Northern California.

  29. 29.

    Roger Moore

    @trollhattan:
    Wait just a doggone minute. I’m sure I heard somewhere that raising taxes hurts the economy and results in decreased revenues. We all know that California recently raised taxes, so there’s no way they could have unexpectedly high revenues. Betty Yee must be cooking the books somehow, probably with all the money she’s stealing from the overflowing treasuries in states like Kansas that wisely chose to lower taxes.

  30. 30.

    raven

    @Baud: I was just pointing out that, in the middle of an interview with Rachel about today’s presser, she thought that was relevant.

  31. 31.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    So, this was going on in Selma this last weekend, too.

    I’m really beginning to warm to the idea of cutting about 8 states loose–if we could get all the minorities out before we let them go. Hell, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, maybe Tennessee… Have we had any white people even halfway worthwhile that’s come out of those states in the last 150 years, aside from Al Gore and Bill Clinton? I know there’s still hope for Georgia and Texas, given enough time, but, shit, how long are we going to have to wait? Just get the people out who’d get fucked over 37 ways if they stayed behind, and let the whole raft of them go.

  35. 35.

    jl

    I have a thought on the deleted personal emails thing. The GOP and the press is going to harp on that, and GOP will certainly try to keep this supposedly major scandal going.

    But with so many work related emails released, it would be very hard to hide selectively deleted emails. There would be cross reference, a mention of something that was not there. And with the records public, arguments that she did delete work emails could be evaluated with publicly available record.

    So, if HRC did the deletions honestly and carefully (latter probably IMHO a bigger if than the former), then this scandal will be done, except down in the fantasy RWNJ death match cage.

  37. 37.

    kindness

    Never was a fan of Modonna’s music. More power to her trying to empower others. The Hillary fest going on? It won’t stop. Not even if she wins which she will.

    We libs will just have to switch nouns. The foaming at the mouth crew will go from hating uppity black presidents to uppity woman presidents. They won’t miss a beat. It’ll shock us for a solid 5 seconds.

    The demeaning and dehumanization of your opponent is useful if you plan on treating them less than human. They do too.

  38. 38.

    jl

    @kindness: This is why a Biden presidency would wreak havoc with the GOP base. They would have to roll out a crazed lech old coot white man script. Would be a nightmare for them.

    Won’t happen thought, since Biden is (I think) too old and too ‘Joe Biden’ for public to accept. enough to beat HRC, or probably a few other strong contenders.

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve seen many recommendations for the show, but I have yet to give it a shot. Does one have to have watched Breaking Bad to know what is going on?

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Helps but not a requirement, it stands on its own (but catch up in sequence). Because it’s a prequel there are some connections that won’t seem as important as they will become.

    It will, however, eventually force you to watch BB.

  43. 43.

    Frankensteinbeck

    There is a kind of misogyny I have been noticing. It’s not overtly hostile, but when a woman makes an argument, some men compulsively go into contrarian mode. I see counterarguments that are weird and slapdash and have a ‘just to hear myself talk’ element that I rarely see when the original statement comes from a man.

  48. 48.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Frankensteinbeck: What the hell is Steven Universe? Me, I am waiting for Wolf Hall.

    ETA: It turns out that I have watched episodes of it with my niece and nephew. It is pretty cool, but it’s no Banana Splits – but, in fairness, what is?

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Your turbo bearings and I have been talking, so I just might could be the boss.

    Binge-watching BB has consumed significant amounts several friends’ time, but to my knowledge all have lived through it.

  52. 52.

    trollhattan

    This is how crazy our California summer-in-winter has been: my lime tree is in bloom (typically an April-May event).

    So. Very. Dry.

  53. 53.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @trollhattan:

    Your turbo bearings and I have been talking, so I just might could be the boss.

    Yes, sir. One does ever so want happy turbo bearings and other turbo parts (not meaning to leave anyone out – it was trollhattan who called out the bearings- I think all you parts are great and you all contribute to the whole) .

    Whew, I think I talked my way out of that one.

  54. 54.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Roger Moore:
    I love MLP. However, Hasbro has all but abandoned it. Other shows are putting out three seasons in the time it takes MLP to process one. Season Five is about to start, finally, and with Hasbro going whole hog for their gruesome high school ‘this is more like the dumb little girl show we wanted’ spinoff, nobody knows what to expect.

    Steven Universe is relatively new, having arrived and had two seasons since MLP Season Four, and it’s gone from ‘incredibly heartwarming’ to ‘the shit’s about to hit the fan, isn’t it?’

  58. 58.

    Hill Dweller

    Jon Stewart just did a bit saying Pelosi going to Syria was the same thing as the 47 Republican senators writing the letter to Iran. Both sides!

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    SID’s no Nancy, nomsayn? Mine’s been ragging my butt about the remote battery. Stoopid SID.

    Time to begin the two-hour task of chasing the kid to bed. This time change makes getting a middle-schooler up nearly unpossible.

  61. 61.

    A Humble Lurker

    @Hill Dweller:
    Saw that. Made me want to bash my head into a wall. Even an un-savvy noob like me can see they’re not the same. No where near the same. Jeez.

  64. 64.

    jon

    @jl: The Republican base has wanted President Biden for over six years now. “Impeach Obama!” they keep saying, and still are. Add 27% to whatever the Democrats usually get, and it’s a Biden landslide! JOEMENTUM!

    As for misappropriated quotes, I think that Jimmy Carter meme that’s actually a John Fugelsang quote is the best example of that phenomenon. Abraham Lincoln warned against believing everything you read on the internet. I read that somewhere.

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