MEMES!

An argument (opinion, position) is presented on top with a question mark that leads the reader to question its validity. The image, which is familiar from film and other memes, is of a person who is confident in their argument. Also, because this is a picture of the character Willy Wonka, many viewers will associate this image with greedy children and adults getting punished in hilarious ways. The sarcastic message at the bottom drives home to message that the image conveyed; also, it has the “last word” in the “debate.” The basic strength of memes like this one is that the creator (or whoever re-posts it) are not required to defend their claims with evidence; the authority of the argument is in the attitude conveyed, not in the logical strength of the support.

Other memes differ slightly in format and purpose, but the basic rhetorical strategy is the same: One does not simply… Why the fuck… So you’re telling me…

Project 1 Each member of your group will be finding one meme from the internet, and then using the same image to create your own meme that responds to the ideas from Freakonomics chapter 1 for example, Found: Created:

To summarize: Find a meme online – analyze its features (top, bottom, middle text; image, etc.) Find the same image without text – add in text that changes the meme to be about some part of Freakonomics chapter 5; your new meme should make a clear point. Put all the group’s memes on one file (Powerpoint or Google Slide) and present them to the class. Only analyze the memes you have found. The memes you create will be analyzed by other groups.