Post 2- Memes as Resistance- Iris. G

 Memes As Resistance

McTiernan, John, director. Predator.1987

    The first meme I made is using the "Epic Handshake" format from the 1987 Predator Movie. The format consists of characters Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Dillion (Carl Weathers) coming together and strongly shaking hands. This meme is commonly used to portray two things that may seem like unlikely allies coming together in their similarities. 

    I used this format to show the alliance between Black and White Patriarchy in devaluing and controlling the lives and bodies of black women, and feminine people of color. In making this meme I came across the term "Misogynoir", the word combines misogyny with the French word noir which means black, so the word literally means "black misogyny". Misogynoir describes the intersection of racism and sexism as it is experienced by black women. The term was coined by, Moya Bailey, a scholar, writer, and Associate Professor at Northwestern University.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp,
1632. Oil on canvas

    This meme was created by using Rembrandt's painting, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp. In the painting you can see a group of men crowding around a cadaver while its being dissected by another man, named Dr. Tulp.

   I decided to make the crowd of men watching the dissection the representation of the men and people who act and pretend to be open minded and progressive, yet do nothing and say nothing when Patriarchal systems threaten human rights. These people will ideally stare or stand by and watch as people face social injustices, and some even enable or defend it. I made Dr. Tulp the representation of Patriarchal legislative systems and authority figures, carving into the the corpse, which I made to represent human rights and social justice, dead on a table being carved into with the clinical gaze of people who view the human rights of others as an object to be taken apart and questioned. Just like the corpse, these systems dehumanize marginalized communities and people who were decided by Patriarchy to be inferior.

Patriarchy and Memes as Protest

    Patriarchy as bell hooks explained it, is a system that insists that cisgender heterosexual men are inherently dominant over everyone they consider inferior or weak. This includes, women and feminine people, minors, and even other men who don't meet the standards that Patriarchy created to keep men in control. These standards create a "culture of violence" as hooks put it, where men not only harm others, but also themselves by rejecting their emotions and humanity to maintain power. However, this all ultimately relies on the subjugation and control over the "lesser" sex and gender (women and feminine people).

    For my generation, memes started to become a way to protest and call out hypocrisies and social injustices in a comedic and relatable way. While traditional protests happen outside on the streets with signs and chants, memes provide a safer, easier, and more accessible alternative that can still have just as big of an effect on people who interact with them. Also because memes are so easy to make and often relatable, it's easier to understand the messages they spread and more people to interact and engage with political discourse.