If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet in the past two weeks, chances are you have seen him. His posture is unmistakable, and his voice even more so. The young man is dressed in a while shirt, red bow tie, blue jeans, and boots, with a rugged cowboy belt buckle to top it all off. More striking than his appearance is his location. The boy appears in a Walmart with a single elderly onlooker, which wouldn’t be too strange if not for the fact that he is giving a legendary performance. With nothing but the tapping of his foot to accompany his voice, the young man yodels his rendition of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues”. When I first saw this meme I liked it. The singing was simultaneously sweet and grating, while the lack of context raised many compelling questions. However, my amusement with the meme faded quickly, and its constant reuploads and reiterations have begun to wear me out. The internet has taken things too far, and ruined something funny by shoving it in everyone’s faces 24/7. I don’t need to know his name. I don’t need to see him on Ellen. I don’t need to see him perform at Coachella, of all places. The meme should have just been left to fade as a pleasant memory, and not soullessly milked of all originality through the thousands of individuals and corporations who jump on every viral bandwagon that rolls through town. A lot of tired, worn out memes started out funny and original, but as the masses of pop culture consumers overtake the meme, it soon loses every shred of individuality, as parasite after parasite claws at it, trying to claim a morsel for themselves. My advice for those who want to cherish their memes is this; save it for yourself and for your friends, but DO NOT let the meme spread to those who won’t respect it the same way you do!
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