2024 The Year We Lived in a Meme

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The year was 2024, and America found itself gagging on the exhaust fumes of a garbage truck barreling down the freeway of collective cultural hysteria.

Somewhere between a viral "Hawk Tuah" and a bewildered baby demanding luxury vacations at the Four Seasons Orlando, it became clear—we were no longer in control. The memes had taken over. They weren’t just jokes anymore; they were prophecies, tribal chants, and occasionally—campaign strategies.

Politics of meme. El Presidente Trumpo roared into McDonalds to do a shift making fries to quote “Do one more shift at McDonald's than my opponent.”

Then in Nashville a woman with questionable dental hygiene appeared on a viral street interview to deliver the sermon of our times: "Hawk Tuah!" 

Hawk Tuah
Originating from a street interview, a woman's exaggerated pronunciation of 'Hawk Tuah' became a viral sensation, leading to widespread memes and even the creation of a cryptocurrency named after the phrase

With an exaggerated spit and the confidence of someone who’s just chugged three Monster energy drinks, she cemented her place in the Meme Hall of Fame. Entire cryptocurrency ecosystems were named after her.

Men wore Hawk Tuah tank tops to brunch. The line between irony and earnestness disappeared faster than a politician's campaign promise. Her final act was a rug pull memcoin to round out the year.

Chill Guy
An anthropomorphic dog character exuding a relaxed demeanor became popular for its 'laid-back' attitude, inspiring various memes and even a meme coin.

Kamala Harris's 'Coconut Tree' Meme
A resurfaced speech by Vice President Kamala Harris, where she used the phrase 'You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?', became a meme symbolizing awareness and was widely shared during the election period.

The Rizzler
A young boy in a Black Panther costume, dubbed 'The Rizzler', became a viral sensation, leading to widespread memes and even music releases.

The Rizzler emerged—a pint-sized Black Panther cosplayer oozing charisma while delivering Shakespearean-level pickup lines. TikTok exploded. DMs were sent. Hearts were broken. "Rizz" officially became part of the Oxford Dictionary, and somewhere in Silicon Valley, an AI chatbot was probably trained on the Rizzler's antics.

Willy’s Chocolate Experience
A failed Willy Wonka-inspired event in Glasgow led to numerous memes, especially featuring a forlorn Oompa Loompa actress, capturing the internet's imagination

Olympic Pistol Shooters

Images of South Korea’s Kim Yeji and Turkey’s Yusef Dikec punctuated the Robot vs Mankind future we all face

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What about the Garbage Truck Stunt. 

Donald J. Trump, the ever-willing circus ringleader, stood afront of a white garbage truck in Wisconsin, waving like a sunburned messiah of discarded dreams.

This was no ordinary garbage day. The symbolism was blindingly obvious even to those doped up on dollar-store vape pens. The garbage truck meme was born, with captions ranging from "Taking Out the Deep State Trash" to "MAGA Disposal Services: Now Offering Bulk Pickup."

But Trump wasn’t finished.

No, sir. The man danced. Oh, how he danced. His hips jerked with the enthusiasm of a malfunctioning animatronic at Chuck E. Cheese. “Y.M.C.A.” blared in the background while automated window displays at Aritzia stores in Manhattan mimicked his now-iconic fist-pump shuffle. People stopped mid-shopping spree to gawk, smartphones aloft, as capitalism involuntarily curtsied to meme culture.

And let us not forget Moo Deng, 

The pygmy hippo who, in her innocent eyes and playful splashes, held a mirror to humanity’s collective descent into memetic madness. Was she aware of her celebrity status? Did she know that her chubby little face would be pasted onto protest posters and digital graffiti? Probably not. But she was there, a pure soul in the meme inferno.

Some other memes for your consideration

On the flip side, Hollywood tried to contribute.

Madame Web, a Marvel movie that felt like it was written by an overcaffeinated AI, gave us a line so absurd it became eternal: "He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died." English teachers wept. Internet poets rejoiced.

In 2024, memes weren’t just jokes—they were the Rosetta Stone of modern communication.

They carried weight. They toppled reputations.

They built altars to nonsense and demanded sacrifice.

Somewhere out there, an exhausted social media intern is still trying to explain to their CEO why "We're Costco Guys" was worth $50,000 in influencer marketing budget.

We are living in a time when the President dances, hippos become icons, and a single phrase—"Hawk Tuah!"—can move financial markets.

God help us all. The meme revolution isn’t coming. It’s already here, riding a garbage truck and pumping its fists to Y.M.C.A.

End of Transmission.