this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2024
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From https://bsky.app/profile/gingerbreadgolem.bsky.social/post/3kj6shj7q3z2r. There's also a blank template there to make your own.

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[–] [email protected] 87 points 1 year ago (1 children)

(Bluesky post is registration-walled and registration is invite only)

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks. I didn't realize Bluesky wouldn't show the images to unregistered viewers

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Some posts work, but you can limit your account visibility to logged in users.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 year ago

Nope, I won't be changing your mind because you are correct.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Crowder says stupid words specifically designed to provoke a reaction from people.

196ers react to it.

we had a phrase for how to respond to this type of person/provocation, back in the day. something about food and trolls... but it's long forgotten 😐️

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I always preferred the "bait" analogy when describing these tactics.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It's the same analogy originally. The verb "troll" means "To fish for by trailing a baited line from behind a slowly moving boat".

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

oh shit I never realised that. I always thought it meant like the ogre kind of troll

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

I can assure you he has genuine fans who don't see what he does as trolling

[–] quams69 2 points 1 year ago

Seriously, I grew up on sm forums where people would constantly say don't feed the trolls. Shame society at large didn't get the memo

[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The original meme was mocking him, but just like the Chuck Norris memes, people will be too stupid to realize that.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The vast majority of people have no idea who he is. That doesn't make them stupid.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

I, for one, encountered the meme before I learned it was Crowder. Now I'm glad to have a Calvin version.

[–] olutukko 8 points 1 year ago

Exactly. I read this meme and thought "who the fuck is he" googled his name, and saw the meme template I have seen million times without ever even stopping to think who the guy is

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They aren’t stupid. The people who think that this meme is pointing out how smart the person sitting at the table are stupid.

[–] quams69 3 points 1 year ago

It's not stupidity though right? It's poes law. People simply can't tell what is or isn't satire; is the funny looking guy at the desk smart? Dumb? Arrogant? There's no way to tell if you don't know who he is (most people don't pay attention to losers like crowder) so people have to make a base assumption based on their already existing perceptions.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Chuck Norris memes originated on SomethingAwful as Vin Diesel memes anyway but that was almost twenty years ago so nobody is going to remember that

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Plenty of people have stairs in their house

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago

This is better

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So that's what that guy's name is! Never knew before. Thanks!

Still don't really know who he is. Also don't care.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

A piece of shit who's right-wing grifter

[–] Nutteman 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also abused his ex-wife! Real classy, fella.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And has come out against the concept of divorce because his wife divorced him

[–] SkyezOpen 14 points 1 year ago

Also crossdresses to own the libs. Like a lot.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

He played Brain on Arthur, not sure what else he did after that tho

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago

Sold and saved.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

Neither does Drake. The Geordie LaForge one is just better, anyway.

[–] Donkter 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Isn't this still the meme format? Just without the original picture?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes it's an alternative for the same format, just minus Stephen Crowder. The post is saying that Stephen Crowder doesn't deserve to be the meme format and so uses Calvin instead

[–] Donkter 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, it says Steven Crowder doesn't deserve a meme format. His image doesn't have to be in a meme for it to be his format.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The title of the post is "Meme improvement rule," which implies that this format is improved when Crowder is replaced by Calvin. The OP also provides a template for the Calvin version of the meme.

This leads me to believe that the post is saying that this version is not Stephen Crowser's meme format. Stephen Crowder may have pioneered the format, but it has been reclaimed by Calvin, and this specific meme format with Calvin is no longer Stephen Crowder's

[–] Donkter 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I understand what the meme is trying to say. I'm saying that I don't think it succeeded. I don't think this is different enough to not still be the Stephen Crowder format.

[–] Syrc 2 points 1 year ago

Well, a lot of the commenters here didn’t even know his name. I read about him once but all my brain registered is “the change my mind guy is an asshole”, his actual name flew out of my mind almost immediately.

I think the people calling it “the Stephen Crowder meme format” are in the absolute minority.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Change my mind: $5

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is being a meme template a good thing?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How’s it feel?

But really: it’ll lead to “origin of [meme]” searches which will lead to some number of people consuming the guy’s content.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mid tbh.

But really: true. I guess I associate this meme with clowning on him but it doesn't get used that way as much now, and Calvin is probably better because of that.

[–] ook_the_librarian 1 points 1 year ago

The people clowning on him were posting "I have a bad idea I'm willing to defend."

This became indistinguishable from Chowder fans posting "I have a bad idea I'm willing to defend" but their shenanigans are cruel and tragic.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Using it like that will not help.

It gives a different meaning to the original, so it becomes a different meme.

[–] Mr_Blott 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

99% of the planet doesn't know who you're talking about and doesn't care, you can't change my mind cos it's true

[–] ook_the_librarian -2 points 1 year ago

So 99% shouldn't mind when we switch to this. The other 1% like Chrouder. This is easy.

[–] aaaa 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because the entire "Change my mind" thing came from a Crowder stunt, I don't feel like this is a whole lot better.

Don't get me wrong, Calvin in a Crowder meme is better than Crowder in a Crowder meme. But I think we should lose the "Change my Mind" bit entirely.

[–] ook_the_librarian 11 points 1 year ago

Good luck putting that genie in a bottle.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Nah, let's keep making fun of people for saying stupid shit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bill Waterson wouldn't like this so that's a pass from me.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Ehhhhhh. I won't follow you there.
A) what he didn't like was crass commercialization, something guaranteed to ultimately subvert his intent and integrity. Nobody's making money off of this and nobody would mistake it for coming from Watterson himself. I'd be against selling this on a t-shirt... but not a single-run personal-use silkscreen.
B) I'm not worried about this hurting his feelings.