Lame Meme Reemerging

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http://www.salon.com/ent/wire/2003/07/07/middle/index.html

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:35 (twenty years ago) link

"We think that Middle America has fantastic stories to tell, and we're going to go out there and get them," said Doron Gorshein, chairman and chief executive officer of The America Channel.

Like a Simpsons parody of the Hollywood type, only with increased face-smashability factor.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:36 (twenty years ago) link

Although admittedly this show:

"America from Afar" will examine what foreign media are reporting about American leaders, events and people.

seems worth watching - my favorite magazine, the World Press Review, does the same thing & it's a a great read.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:37 (twenty years ago) link

LAMAMEME RE-EMERGING sounds like a movie by kenneth anger!!

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:40 (twenty years ago) link

I think I prefer their blithe contempt, thanks.

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:55 (twenty years ago) link

It's a mystery anagram for "how to piss John off in 250 words or less"!

(xpost with Mark)

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 7 July 2003 12:56 (twenty years ago) link

Well, I think they've got it half right. I mean, I'm frequently amused by some of my friends' assumptions about the "red states" -- just as amused as I am by some red-state assumptions about the "big cities". America is a hugely interesting place, and there are all sorts of cultural currents and cross-currents going on out there in "Middle America". Otoh, this channel doesn't sound any more likely to document and showcase the interesting stuff than any of the other cable boutiques. I assume they're intending to have lots of "inspirational" stories about jes' plain folks helping each other out, coping with floods and tornados, cheering for the home team, etc. Multicultural when possible, of course, but maybe not taking too close a look at, say, the living conditions of your average migrant worker or the pathetic state of public schools, or even a profile of some small-city or suburban punk-rock scene. You're not gonna sell much Downy with that stuff.

― JesseFox (JesseFox), Monday, 7 July 2003 15:56 (twenty years ago) link

And yeah, America From Afar sounds interesting. I just hope they don't get, like, Sean Hannity or someone to host it: "And here's what the surrender monkeys are saying about us this week..."

― JesseFox (JesseFox), Monday, 7 July 2003 15:58 (twenty years ago) link

I eagerly await the stories about small-town kids shooting each other in the face because they're bored, or electrocuting each other because they're bored, or getting maimed because of stupid things, or the copious drunk-driving accidents, or the rampant sluttery, or the jealousy pregnancies, or the meth abuse, etc etc etc.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:45 (twenty years ago) link

That would be cool, but I suspect it will be "inspiring stories of faith and endurance from the Heartland", etc.

― Nicole (Nicole), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:50 (twenty years ago) link

That isn't any fucking Heartland I know. The only reason it's easier to find more fucked-up people in cities than in towns is because of population density.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:54 (twenty years ago) link

NOTE TO AMERICA: STOP FETISHIZING SMALL-TOWN AMERICA, YOU STUPID TWATS.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:55 (twenty years ago) link

(I am obviously trying to generate datapoints for the vulgarity thread.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 16:59 (twenty years ago) link

inspiring stories of faith and endurance from the Heartland

Well, after everything Dan described, you'd have to have both endurance and faith in yourself to continue on if you were in the middle of all that, so it can be about the survivors. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 July 2003 17:52 (twenty years ago) link

Middle America Exposed : How One Man Survived An Entire Day of Taco John's

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 7 July 2003 17:56 (twenty years ago) link

"It was a little dicey at first, but then I opened a window and things were cool. It's too bad about the cat, though."

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 17:58 (twenty years ago) link

aka, the opening line to Dan's novel.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 July 2003 18:09 (twenty years ago) link

NaNoWriMo HERE I COME!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 July 2003 18:13 (twenty years ago) link

Beautiful.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 July 2003 18:17 (twenty years ago) link

Isn't Jerry Springer already filling this niche?

I thought Texas and Florida were middle America, only to find out they are, in fact, meta-America.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:00 (twenty years ago) link

A new cable channel aimed at showing real American life between the East and West coasts is planned for launch next year, its top executive said.

I like how they imply that I'm not a real American.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:05 (twenty years ago) link

Yay frauds! Besides which, I have a feeling that if they filmed in Delaware south of Dover or the most northerly hundred miles of the California coast that they'd get real all right...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:06 (twenty years ago) link

I've been saying for years we need more music videos like the kind Johnny Cougar used to make. THIS is what happens when rock bands slack off on showing images of midwest life (Nelly really should do more videos in the sticks).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:06 (twenty years ago) link

David Banner's taking up the slack

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:16 (twenty years ago) link

anyone read the similarly themed anthology compiled by paul auster?

― robin (robin), Monday, 7 July 2003 22:18 (twenty years ago) link

four years pass...

FSVO. so not gonna happen.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 13:51 (sixteen years ago) link

hen fap

― ken c, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 14:59 (sixteen years ago) link

a bit about hats

― wanko ergo sum, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:03 (sixteen years ago) link

what are jealousy pregnancies

― Embarchie, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:08 (sixteen years ago) link

halol

― am0n, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:25 (sixteen years ago) link

halol shipman

― ken c, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:27 (sixteen years ago) link

what are jealousy pregnancies

When a teenage girl gets preagnant and all of her friends say, "Oooh, I want a baby, too!" so they go out and get pregnant, the follow-on preganancies are jealousy pregnancies.

This happened in my high school two years after I graduated.

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:35 (sixteen years ago) link

No wonder you left town.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:36 (sixteen years ago) link

'Hen fap' has never been funny.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:40 (sixteen years ago) link

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 15:42 (sixteen years ago) link

So is it the meme that's lame? e.g. "That meme is so lame." ...or is the meme about lameness? i.e. The "Lame" meme.

Anyway, fucking TV.

― dave 2¼, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 16:09 (sixteen years ago) link

http://www.slipups.com/items/7664.html

― Jarlrmai, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 16:16 (sixteen years ago) link

wait, i thought "lame meme reemerging" assumes that the meme was lame in the first place i.e. was never funny??? (hence hen fap)

― ken c, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 16:23 (sixteen years ago) link

"America from Afar"

FFS. Sigh.

― Casuistry, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:22 (sixteen years ago) link

is the word meme pronounced "me-me" or "meem".

hmm.

― The Brainwasher, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:23 (sixteen years ago) link

it's with a grave accent on the first 'e' -- more like 'mem'.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:24 (sixteen years ago) link

I feel like I was being made fun of in advance on this thread, even though I didn't quite do what was being described here, I hope.

― Casuistry, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:24 (sixteen years ago) link

ah interesting

― The Brainwasher, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:24 (sixteen years ago) link

Also, if you're going to make that joke, it's a circumflex on the first 'e'.

― Casuistry, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 17:25 (sixteen years ago) link

six months pass...

I was watching some MSNBC news show earlier and they cheerfully played a *satirical* "Leave Barry (Obama) Alone" clip, after which one of the anchors proceeded to do a "Leave (the other anchor) Alone" performance.

God help us.

― Hurting 2, Saturday, 2 August 2008 01:15 (fifteen years ago) link

Don't go out tonight
it's bound to take your life
there's a bad meme on the rise

― Hurting 2, Saturday, 2 August 2008 03:52 (fifteen years ago) link

two years pass...

a forgotten ilx meme: "gay gay buttfucking gay"

true story

― i am legernd (history mayne), Thursday, 2 September 2010 22:39 (thirteen years ago) link

three years pass...

"They allegedly wanted to please an Internet meme known as the Slender Man."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/fantasy-slender-man-meme-inspires-horrific-wisconsin-stabbing-n121311

― am0n, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 18:45 (nine years ago) link

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