“What it was trying to do” - ouch lol (but I agree with the verdict!). Insightful and relevant piece, as always! I’m also fascinated by the “memeification” of language. When I saw a NYT article about the “bad vibes” in the economy, I knew it was over…
Apparently there’s an “American Psycho” meme that’s popular. This led to one of my students either watching the movie or reading the book, so, hey, I’ll take that as a positive.
There's a difference though in that the GIRLS meme is literally just Driver's performance, so it could be taken as a judgment on him or his ability to treat it as an object of fun—essentially treating him as inherently humorous, I think, on the basis of his appearance and affect. Whereas the other meme derives its humor from the irony of having this intense, emotional speech placed in the mouth of a cartoon beaver, with no implications for the virtue of Chow's original performance.
One of my favorite Sopranos scenes that encapsulates that pre 2010’s attitude toward people who are online too much. I wish we could go back and it makes me feel like Tony whining about Gary Cooper lol. https://youtu.be/9ys6FZreXAI?si=cl1JEjeaxl8qAA9f
“What it was trying to do” - ouch lol (but I agree with the verdict!). Insightful and relevant piece, as always! I’m also fascinated by the “memeification” of language. When I saw a NYT article about the “bad vibes” in the economy, I knew it was over…
Thank you! And don't get me started on the Buzzteens taking over NYT (and WaPo and so on).
Apparently there’s an “American Psycho” meme that’s popular. This led to one of my students either watching the movie or reading the book, so, hey, I’ll take that as a positive.
I heard there's gonna be a remake? It will not end well.
There's a difference though in that the GIRLS meme is literally just Driver's performance, so it could be taken as a judgment on him or his ability to treat it as an object of fun—essentially treating him as inherently humorous, I think, on the basis of his appearance and affect. Whereas the other meme derives its humor from the irony of having this intense, emotional speech placed in the mouth of a cartoon beaver, with no implications for the virtue of Chow's original performance.
Interesting point. Also, most (non-Chinese) people won't understand what Chow is saying, so it's not so much a judgment on his talents and abilities.
I'm bullish IRL events these days for exactly this reason. It will be increasingly important for writers to be embodied in the literal sense.
One of my favorite Sopranos scenes that encapsulates that pre 2010’s attitude toward people who are online too much. I wish we could go back and it makes me feel like Tony whining about Gary Cooper lol. https://youtu.be/9ys6FZreXAI?si=cl1JEjeaxl8qAA9f
I'm always haunted by this scene when I laugh at something on my screen.