A number of stars rushed to support Kamala Harris when she was chosen as the new Democrat party nominee, but one has attracted much more media interest than the others. Charli XCX, a song, endorsed Harris in her personal minimalistic post on X, saying that “kamala IS a brat.”
The article went viral about suddenly, with millions of views, and Harris’s personal X accounts switching its colors to bright wallpaper – the color of the album cover for Charli’s new album, Brat.
The internet is thriving on innovation and inside quips. That’s partly why cartoons – a pretty middle-aged sensation that initially originated in the 1990s – are still going strong, while we’ve long seen the rear of Bebo, Vine and Clubhouse. ( What are those, you ask? My point precisely ).
Cartoons have grown to be a significant tool for political contact because of their popularity. In my research, I have identified four functions of cartoons: social mindbombs, fast-food media, daily jargon and a calm system. Kamala Harris ‘ support by Charlie XCX is the epitome of “political mindbomb.”
The word “political mindbomb” was coined by the co-founder of Greenpeace, Bob Hunter, who claimed that a strong visual communication can slice through the noise and change the minds of people – not quickly, but in the long run.
He cited a photo of a bleeding whale attempting to flee a hunting ship as an illustration. He sent the heartbreaking image to media outlets, where readers from all over the world can be affected, and he hopes to inspire them to vote or protest whaling one day.
When Kamala Harris was announced as “brat”, the suit-wearing, experienced and sharp vice-president received a gift of vibes, rather than something concrete. The seriousness of Charli XCX’s statement explaining Harris ‘ suitability for the top position in the nation would not have had the same impact as viral potency.
The three words, written by a 31-year-old British pop singer, are cryptic for some internet users. You must have been keeping an eye on Charli’s album’s recent coverage and the coveted brat aesthetic in publications like Vogue this July to fully comprehend what is actually being discussed. But as with any good meme, “brat” is defined by incompleteness.
When I explain memes to my students, I often use the metaphor of a half-baked joke. The reader must finish the sentence and understand why the creation of an image with excessive text, such as a good meme, is intended to be funny, irreverent, or sarcastic.
You need to know some context, some popular culture, some internet or lifestyle slang. A good meme is not for everyone, and this closed-community feel makes them precious.
As Charli XCX’s definition of “brat,” a bold move that attempts to make fun of and relatability work with one of the most powerful women in the US today.
Because of the complex effects memes and viral culture had on political candidates in the past, Harris ‘ team may be embracing memes.
In 2016, the treatment of memes by the Democrats could have been called heavy-handed. Many now associate the” Pepe the Frog” meme – a laid-back green cartoon frog known for the speech bubble “feels good man” – with right-wing nationalism.
However, it was a startling meme about social awkwardness before becoming famous when Hillary Clinton’s office posted about Pepe the Frog’s connection to the alt-right movement, cementing its cultural significance.
In another instance, UK Labor politician Ed Miliband’s awkward eating of a bacon sarnie, generally associated with working-class cafes, generated a whirlpool of memes that questioned his relatability to the general public and may have cost him the election.
A word of caution, though: Memes are always subversive, they cannot communicate complex and progressive ideas with consistency. Their very nature of sarcasm, irony and jester-like playfulness makes them a dangerous tool for a politician.
A person who believed memes would benefit them can quickly be turned against them. Despite what you might think, riding a bit of a viral wave of awe and surprise and exploring the hidden playfulness of a serious political candidate does feel somewhat “brat” in any way.
Anastasia Denisova is a University of Westminster senior lecturer in journalism.
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