Ah memes, the uniquely humorous and concise mode of communication of the younger generation. There’s something special about how one image can carry so much meaning for so many people; you see a meme once and you instantly know what sentiments are coming out from that image. However, memes have evolved from being just simple symbols of random early 2000s’ humor to explaining people’s social and even political sentiments. Memes connect people, and the UF community is no exception. In fact, swampy memes, UF’s hub for relatable humor, has evolved as well to a point where we can learn more about the student community’s views on UF life.
What are “swampy memes”?
If you’re not a UF student, you probably don’t know what I mean when I reference “swampy memes.” In a nutshell, the Swampy Memes for Top Ten Public Teens is a private Facebook page where UF students let their creative juices flow and design some sweet memes. The page was created only a few years ago, but it has over 30,000 members. Students can submit an original meme for approval. If the administrators of the page enjoy it, the meme will be published for all to see. I joined Swampy Memes last year, and I can attest to the significant increase of the hilarity on my Facebook news feed. I don’t think a day has gone by without at least one post, which I believe is admirable considering the amount of work UF students have on their plates. Some of my favorite genres of memes include any of The Office-based memes, memes about the RTS bus system or a classic Spongebob meme. You can never go wrong with a SpongeBob meme.
There is one significant trend on the Swampy Memes for Top Ten Public Teens page: meme activity increases whenever there is action from student government or a grievance all UF students share. When our former Student Body President got arrested over spring break for drunkenness, the page was abuzz. When the UF Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) does not have enough staff to adequately serve the student body, the page reacts. When UF did not cancel class during Hurricane Michael (although Gainesville was not in the direct path and received little more than a bad thunderstorm), student meme-creators went off. The memes that are not only funny, but also drive home a point, are the best. I can’t help but relate these memes to something I learned a lot about in AP US History class in high school: political cartoons.
Created by Laurel Swiderski
A history lesson
Do you remember the “Join or Die” cartoon from US history class? In this work, a snake is shown all chopped up, and each piece has an initial next to it. Created by Benjamin Franklin (a Founding Father and famous inventor), the severed snake represents the fate of the English colonies if they did not band together to deal with the Iroquois, the neighboring native American group. “Join or Die” is regarded as one of the first American political cartoons, published before America even came to be. The cartoon was wildly popular, leading to many other political cartoons drawn to address American issues. For more information on the origins of the political cartoon, read this essay written by Dan Backer from the University of Virginia.
Political cartoons continued past the American Revolution and were not contained to just the United States. Artists in other countries employ cartoons to make a statement. To learn more about political cartoons, check out the Cartoon America exhibit from The Library of Congress here. For a more international list, try this “15 Historic Cartoons that Changed the World” article from Buzzfeed. But enough of this history lesson. Let’s return to the memes.
What do political cartoons and swampy memes have in common?
One of the most obvious comparisons is visual quality. What draws your attention to a meme, and also a cartoon, is the picture. That’s what the picture is there for. We don’t look at a meme for the caption, we look at it if there’s an interesting visual. Cartoonists have the ability to draw whatever would support their argument the best and in whatever style they would like. Memeists, thanks to 21st-century technology, can screenshot any moment from a TV show, a movie or maybe a Vine to illustrate their point.
Another major similarity is the political nature to the art forms. Obviously, political cartoons are going to be political, but memes also offer a medium to voice opinions and thoughts. Despite the laughs swampy memes cause, they are surprisingly poignant. Maybe it’s one of those “I’m laughing because this is disappointing yet relatable” laughs. Just as cartoonists use their work to illustrate their opinion about an issue facing America, memeists use their Friends or John Mulaney scenes to illustrate their opinion on an issue facing UF. Visual art can go places where writing cannot.
We are living in a world where the Internet is quickly replacing the newspaper, the primary home of political cartoons. Maybe years from now, The New York Times or Huffington Post will be sharing memes as part of their content on politics. It wouldn’t be the first time UF has been a trailblazer.