4 ms·

The NPC meme resonates because it's true that a lot of people respond to keywords with the same phrases. And they update The Current Thing in unison. Once you s

The NPC meme resonates because it's true that a lot of people respond to keywords with the same phrases. And they update The Current Thing in unison. Once you see that, you can't unsee it.

seattle_spring 4y ago
Can you provide some examples?
- woopwoop 4y ago
  One example I can think of is the use of the phrase "current thing" to pejoratively describe when a certain political issue that no two reasonable people could disagree about, such as a dictatorship waging a brutal war of imperial conquest on a burgeoning democracy, develops high salience.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - scifibestfi 4y ago
    Those are mirror image NPCs.
  - vba616 4y ago
    The intellectual geopolitical reasons for supporting Ukraine are one thing and the apparent emotional reactions are another. Questioning the latter doesn't necessarily mean attacking the former. When people say "current thing", I doubt that they are scoffing at the realpolitik calculations of the US and NATO that now is the time to make a stand or criticizing the arms shipments. Maybe they are, but there is definitely something about the situation that has nothing to do with public policy. I thought about how to quantify the peculiarity without making vague statements about what I feel. 1. "Everybody is a Ukrainian" but not a Syrian, Chechen, Armenian, as evidenced by flags in real life in my area and on social media. Also comments by acquaintances that they know someone from Ukraine, as if it's supposed to be shocking, you know, this is real, this is serious. There are Armenians in this town! I have a cousin who lives in Boston, and most likely he knows some Chechens... 2. Some people spoke out and said "what about the Palestinians and the Israelis?" Including people I'm acquainted with offline/real life. I don't think you have to be particularly pro-Palestinian or agree that the Israeli actions are the moral equivalent of Russia's to observe an unexplained lack of public emotion in favor of Palestinians compared to Ukrainians. Empathy isn't something that hinges on complicated technical considerations. This is only one possible example of its absence, but more than one person called it out, and it's hard to call them apologists for Russia. 3. Online comments that presume that this conflict is/has been the only, or the only significant, brutal conflict involving the Russian Federation. That seems like weak evidence that the general atmosphere and media coverage is extracting Ukraine from all context. Grozny! Of course, you can find coverage of anything, so what I'm saying is not that the media "ignores" anything, which is often accused but never true, but that if enough people are misinformed in a particular way then it suggests some sort of pattern in the media (or social media) climate.
- yucky 4y ago
  You know how in unison a huge chunk of people on social update their profile pics to "cause of the day" images and profile pics? And then move on to the next thing and repeat, And then again.. That.
- robswc 4y ago
  Easy, just look at what Facebook offers as a “profile border” ;)
- kirbys-memeteam 4y ago
- mjfl 4y ago
  BLM, Ukraine
RichardCNormos 4y ago
Excuse me, are you disparaging The Current Thing? Clearly, you have deep-seated issues or traumas that have ruined your moral compass. The Current Thing is so plainly and obviously virtuous, and people who do not support The Current Thing need to be fired from their jobs, lose their homes, lose their social standing, and become permanently unemployable. If Politician gets elected, then he will finally throw all those who don't support The Current Thing into jail, where they belong. Support The Current Thing. It's the right thing to do.
- gilmore606 4y ago
  I like to shorten this to "Yikes. Not a good look."
TMWNN 4y ago
>The NPC meme resonates because it's true that a lot of people respond to keywords with the same phrases. A popular example of the last six months being "Slava Ukraine". Repeating the phrase like a 2022 rosary prayer isn't going to do a single thing toward causing Ukraine to defeat Russia, any more than adding a Ukrainian flag to one's social media profiles will. >And they update The Current Thing in unison. I saw a good description (on /r/4chan, no less) of this: People who constantly check in on each other to see what the latest things are to embrace/avoid. What a miserable way to live.
- throwawaylinux 4y ago
  > Repeating the phrase like a 2022 rosary prayer isn't going to do a single thing toward causing Ukraine to defeat Russia, any more than adding a Ukrainian flag to one's social media profiles will. Well I think this misses the point of the phrase entirely. It's not to help Ukraine defeat Russia, it is to advertise adherence to an ideology. It functions the same way as any other overt religious symbolism and sloganism.
Jordrok 4y ago
There really is nothing more ironic than using a meme to disparage other people who share a certain idea (aka. a meme).

The NPC meme resonates because it's true that a lot of people respond to keywords with the same phrases. And they update The Current Thing in unison. Once you see that, you can't unsee it.

seattle_spring 4y ago

Can you provide some examples?

woopwoop 4y ago
One example I can think of is the use of the phrase "current thing" to pejoratively describe when a certain political issue that no two reasonable people could disagree about, such as a dictatorship waging a brutal war of imperial conquest on a burgeoning democracy, develops high salience.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- scifibestfi 4y ago
  Those are mirror image NPCs.
- vba616 4y ago
  The intellectual geopolitical reasons for supporting Ukraine are one thing and the apparent emotional reactions are another. Questioning the latter doesn't necessarily mean attacking the former. When people say "current thing", I doubt that they are scoffing at the realpolitik calculations of the US and NATO that now is the time to make a stand or criticizing the arms shipments. Maybe they are, but there is definitely something about the situation that has nothing to do with public policy. I thought about how to quantify the peculiarity without making vague statements about what I feel. 1. "Everybody is a Ukrainian" but not a Syrian, Chechen, Armenian, as evidenced by flags in real life in my area and on social media. Also comments by acquaintances that they know someone from Ukraine, as if it's supposed to be shocking, you know, this is real, this is serious. There are Armenians in this town! I have a cousin who lives in Boston, and most likely he knows some Chechens... 2. Some people spoke out and said "what about the Palestinians and the Israelis?" Including people I'm acquainted with offline/real life. I don't think you have to be particularly pro-Palestinian or agree that the Israeli actions are the moral equivalent of Russia's to observe an unexplained lack of public emotion in favor of Palestinians compared to Ukrainians. Empathy isn't something that hinges on complicated technical considerations. This is only one possible example of its absence, but more than one person called it out, and it's hard to call them apologists for Russia. 3. Online comments that presume that this conflict is/has been the only, or the only significant, brutal conflict involving the Russian Federation. That seems like weak evidence that the general atmosphere and media coverage is extracting Ukraine from all context. Grozny! Of course, you can find coverage of anything, so what I'm saying is not that the media "ignores" anything, which is often accused but never true, but that if enough people are misinformed in a particular way then it suggests some sort of pattern in the media (or social media) climate.
yucky 4y ago
You know how in unison a huge chunk of people on social update their profile pics to "cause of the day" images and profile pics? And then move on to the next thing and repeat, And then again.. That.
robswc 4y ago
Easy, just look at what Facebook offers as a “profile border” ;)
kirbys-memeteam 4y ago
mjfl 4y ago
BLM, Ukraine

RichardCNormos 4y ago

Excuse me, are you disparaging The Current Thing? Clearly, you have deep-seated issues or traumas that have ruined your moral compass. The Current Thing is so plainly and obviously virtuous, and people who do not support The Current Thing need to be fired from their jobs, lose their homes, lose their social standing, and become permanently unemployable. If Politician gets elected, then he will finally throw all those who don't support The Current Thing into jail, where they belong. Support The Current Thing. It's the right thing to do.

gilmore606 4y ago
I like to shorten this to "Yikes. Not a good look."

TMWNN 4y ago

>The NPC meme resonates because it's true that a lot of people respond to keywords with the same phrases. A popular example of the last six months being "Slava Ukraine". Repeating the phrase like a 2022 rosary prayer isn't going to do a single thing toward causing Ukraine to defeat Russia, any more than adding a Ukrainian flag to one's social media profiles will. >And they update The Current Thing in unison. I saw a good description (on /r/4chan, no less) of this: People who constantly check in on each other to see what the latest things are to embrace/avoid. What a miserable way to live.

throwawaylinux 4y ago
> Repeating the phrase like a 2022 rosary prayer isn't going to do a single thing toward causing Ukraine to defeat Russia, any more than adding a Ukrainian flag to one's social media profiles will. Well I think this misses the point of the phrase entirely. It's not to help Ukraine defeat Russia, it is to advertise adherence to an ideology. It functions the same way as any other overt religious symbolism and sloganism.

Jordrok 4y ago

There really is nothing more ironic than using a meme to disparage other people who share a certain idea (aka. a meme).