![]() Harambe’s meme origins are important to understanding what kind of meme Harambe became That is, the Harambe situation quickly reached the point at which the anger over the Harambe situation was more draining than the actual Harambe situation itself. But whether it was coming from advocates for Harambe or for child safety, or advocates for animals never being kept in zoos in the first place, the anger over the issue quickly seemed to cause outrage fatigue. ![]() The situation was always going to be controversial. So Harambe’s death was inherently a complicated, polarizing subject. Cosmopolitan called the public’s reaction "sexist and racist," noting along with other outlets that the public seemed to value the life of a gorilla more than the life of the endangered child or the safety of his mother, both of whom are black.Ī photo posted by The Filtr on at 1:36pm PDT ![]() Given that the gorilla’s death largely overshadowed the conversation about actual human life, backlash to the backlash was swift to follow. Harambe’s death occurred the same week in which 1,000 people died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to immigrate safely into Europe. Many believed killing the gorilla was unnecessary, though numerous wildlife experts insisted it was the only safe option still others believed the entire incident spoke to the inherent cruelty of raising wild animals in captivity. Protesters angry about Harambe’s death were upset for a number of reasons. Harambe was always about more than a single gorilla Media outlets reported days of protests and candlelight vigils at the Cincinnati Zoo and other zoos around the country, while #Justice4Harambe trended online. The internet hysteria over Harambe was initially pretty over the top, resulting in major public criticism of zoo officials for making the decision to kill the gorilla instead of tranquilizing him, and an onslaught of harassment directed toward the child’s mother for her perceived negligence. Ultimately, zoo officials shot Harambe, killing him instantly, opting to use real bullets instead of a tranquilizer dart in order to protect the child if Harambe reacted badly to the tranquilizers before the drugs took effect. While zoo officials clearly believed the child was in danger, other onlookers believed Harambe was just as clearly protecting the child. Interpretations of what happened next differ wildly depending on who was telling the story, but Harambe the gorilla proceeded to strut about the child, drag him out of the moat, and stand over him. On May 28, an unsupervised 4-year-old child determinedly climbed into the zoo’s gorilla enclosure and fell into the moat. On May 27, Harambe celebrated his 17th birthday in the Cincinnati Zoo. In case you missed it, here’s what happened to Harambe Cincinnati Zoo But like every great meme, this dead gorilla combines several traits of internet culture - including the best and the worst of us. It’s easy to boggle at the popularity and persistence of the Harambe meme. In 2014, we were all pouring ice buckets on ourselves last year, we were arguing over a dress this year, we’re (irreverently) mourning Harambe. Harambe has been declared the "meme of the summer," and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment. ![]() He’s been spotted on T-shirts and at the Republican National Convention, and at QuakeCon, a popular gaming convention, this shrine for Harambe quickly filled up with irreverent tributes to our dead ape cousin. Online petitions have abounded to erect a White House statue of Harambe, make him a Pokémon, put his face on the $50 bill, and change the name of Cincinnati - the Cincinnati Zoo was Harambe’s home until his untimely demise - to "Harambe City." A Texas-based presidential poll indicated Harambe getting 2 percent of the popular vote (with last year’s meme, Deez Nuts, one point ahead). On Reddit, forums memorializing him, like r/Harambe and r/dicksoutforharambe, have gained thousands of readers since Harambe’s death. The "Harambe" meme takes myriad forms, including popular sub-memes like over-the-top parody memorials and the popular viral slogan "dicks out for Harambe." It has also been decried for its racist undercurrent, despite the fact that black communities played a part in creating the meme and popularizing its initial spread on social media. In his afterlife, he has become a superhero, a mega-meme, the internet’s gorilla. Since he was tragically killed on May 28, Harambe the gorilla has transcended his lowly origins as some random zoo gorilla.
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