“Did you really think you popped out of a coconut tree?” Vice President Kamala Harris jests in a now viral snippet. The screen momentarily bursts with the neon green cover of Charli XCX’s album “Brat,” against a backdrop of “Von Dutch” remix tunes, as clips of Harris laughing uproariously and expressing her fondness for Venn diagrams escalate. (Harris, a well-documented Venn diagram enthusiast, has often remarked, “there’s something about those three circles.”)
Crafted by 22-year-old college goer Ryan Long, this unique “fan cam” edit of Harris, now with over 3.7 million views on X, was born from a night of boredom and innovation, pushing a meme filled with irony into the limelight.
In this evolved landscape, where President Joe Biden would soon vow only “the Lord Almighty” could deter his presidency, he quickly announced he wouldn’t run for re-election, backing Harris as his successor. Her campaign shattered records, amassing $81 million within the first 24 hours from 880,000 donors, 60% of whom were first-time contributors for the 2024 cycle. Now, educators are looking to dissect Long’s video in academic settings, and Jake Tapper proclaims on CNN, “I aspire to embody brat.”
“The prospect of a Harris presidency felt inherently appealing as I was editing, bringing someone who isn’t bound by age into office,” Long shared with TechCrunch. “Thanks to her famous quip about Venn diagrams, Kamala periodically becomes a viral sensation across queer social media, almost akin to a faux-gay icon.”
Indeed, Long’s early meme contribution on July 3 paved the way for Kamala-isms to symbolize support for her potential presidency, prompting followers to adopt coconut and palm tree emojis on their profiles in reference to a peculiar tale shared by Harris about her mother.
“Context is everything,” Harris articulated more than a year ago. “My mother […] would often chide us, ribbing ‘What’s gotten into you young ones? Do you think you simply fell out of a coconut tree?’ We are products of our environment and our ancestry.”
Indeed, our identities are carved by our predecessors. The weeks leading up to her campaign announcement saw a surge in memes that playfully encouraged support for the vice president, overlooking her political maneuvers for a glimmer of optimism that perhaps, we could champion a candidate less prone to faux pas.
Jess Rauchberg, a communications professor at Seton Hall University, noted to TechCrunch, “Before, perspectives on Harris mainly revolved around mockery of her prosecutorial past, like her stance on truancy laws. Now, that same meme-driven narrative translates to support.”
Alex Cohen, a UC Davis political science PhD candidate and prolific online humorist, finds himself amidst the Kamala meme frenzy, despite admitting to significant policy differences with the vice president.
“All this seems drenched in irony,” Cohen disclosed to TechCrunch. “My timeline has been flooded with Kamala memes lately, and it’s not necessarily because I see her as the ideal candidate. But, acknowledging she could clinch the election, that’s fundamentally what it boils down to at this moment.”
Despite Harris’ contentious background as a prosecutor alienating some on the left, her candidacy now ignites a sense of hope in a turbulent cycle marked by Biden’s mishaps and Donald Trump’s resurgence.
“This is humorous because we’re witnessing a shift,” Cohen remarked. “We’re observing a potentially younger candidate infusing fresh vigor and ideas into the scene, a welcome change given our recent streak of elderly political leadership. Yet, should she not deviate from some of the Biden administration’s unpopular policies, the humor might quickly dissipate.”
Brat summer
In a surprising turn of events, Charli XCX emerges as an unlikely advocate for Kamala Harris.
“kamala IS brat,” declared Charli XCX on X, attracting almost 300,000 likes. While it may sound critical, it’s essentially the most significant endorsement Harris could receive as she embarks on her presidential run. Even if Barack Obama were to endorse Harris, it would pale in comparison to this brief but powerful proclamation from the British pop sensation.
Charli XCX’s sixth studio release “Brat” has taken the pop world by storm. “Brat” season eclipses even last summer’s Barbie pink trend with its electrifying neon green. So, when the Biden campaign morphed into Kamala’s campaign, their X and Instagram aesthetics were immediately infused with “Brat” flair. Symbolically, a group of men on Fire Island had already crafted cropped Kamala “Brat” t-shirts within hours of Biden passing the baton.
Brat’s repertoire, a blend of profound club anthems and introspective ballads, mirrors the dual experience of escaping into the euphoria of a party only to be pulled back by lingering worries. Charli intentionally navigates through fun, anxiety, ego boosts, and remorse, reflecting the real struggles behind attempting to relish one’s “Brat” summer amidst an unfolding political drama.
“The excitement surrounding Charli XCX and the ‘Brat’ summer represents a diverse exploration of identity, mirroring the unpredictable atmosphere the 2024 election embodies,” Rauchberg added.
Rauchberg also highlighted the ongoing issue of racial representation in both music and politics, noting the shared mixed heritage of Charli and Harris as a potential bridge to young, racially mixed voters, seeking entertainment that challenges the traditional narrative.
Alongside her, Kamala HQ has welcomed the vibrant presence of emerging queer pop icon Chappell Roan. Even before Biden’s withdrawal, the title “Kamalanomenon” began trending, paralleling Roan’s track “Femininomenon.” Official campaign channels have since engaged in this playful narrative on platforms like TikTok.
In the immediate term, these Kamala memes have soared in popularity – the “Kamalanomenon” TikTok boasting 1.8 million likes. Yet, some political meme analysts warn against the campaign embracing these memes too fervently, risking the loss of their comedic appeal.
“It seems the campaign is lucky to have this spontaneous, lightheartedness emerge rather than delve into her less flattering campaign performance or policy positions,” Alex Turvy, a Tulane University sociology PhD candidate and social media expert, told TechCrunch. “Engaging with these memes is risky…they’re delicate, and handling them too much could break the spell.”
A precedent for political memes
As each election cycle passes, the internet’s role in politics intensifies, making political memes an ever more significant cultural touchstone. Turvy emphasizes that this trend towards humorous political expression is far from new.
“There’s a rich tradition on both sides of using humor to encapsulate political moments,” he commented. “Long before the advent of social media, from Al Gore’s ‘lockbox’ concept to George W. Bush’s malapropisms, political humor has thrived.”
Cohen reminisces about the 2004 primary, where Howard Dean’s exuberant yell was endlessly parodied, marking one of the first big political memes. Dean’s enthusiastic outburst, captured and remixed across the early web, became a defining moment of ridicule.
Moreover, Cohen was instrumental in the meme culture surrounding Jeb Bush’s 2016 “please clap” campaign, contributing to “Jeb! the Musical,” a popular parody that likened Jeb’s campaign to “Hamilton.”
Even the Biden campaign tried to harness meme power with the ‘Dark Brandon’ motif, depicting Biden with laser eyes, tackling adversaries. However, the meme largely failed to resonate as intended. “It felt forced and disingenuous, particularly given Biden’s real-world demeanor,” Cohen observed.
Conversely, Harris’ penchant for quirky remarks, like her coconut tree analogy, have lent themselves well to meme culture, enabling a spontaneous, almost anarchic support around her persona.
“There’s a nuanced interplay between sincerity and satire in political expression,” Turvy concluded. “The indistinguishable mix of genuine and ironic support through Kamalaposting engages with the existential angst surrounding Biden’s administration in a playful, yet cryptic manner.”
In essence, amidst a climate of disillusionment and irony, political memes like Kamalaposting offer not just comic relief but a novel form of political engagement, signifying both a critique and an affirmation of hope within a deeply polarized landscape.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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