I thought I knew a lot about Internet culture, but maybe not? I'm still not sure why New Balance is the incel/ 4chan shoe; what makes the Neutral Milk Hotel album funny and "meme-able"; and why Joker (2019) was so singularly influential for the culture. Does anyone feel like they can't keep up? Should we want to keep up? This makes me wonder if there's an Internet savant out there who sits in the Aleph, the Jorge Borges invention where you can see everything in the universe, but in this case it's a couple decades of Internet drama. Maybe that would be KnowYourMeme, although whenever I've gone there it's riddled with so many ads that it's unreadable.
Neutral milk hotel is raw, experimental, and uses strange techniques. However, if you don't meet it where it is at it comes across as silly. Like, if you don't think hard about it, yesterday by the beetles is an okay song, maybe kinda sad but nothing to dislike. Beach Boys has nothing going on under hood, the music is what it is and is fine unless you dislike it in particular. Yes is a little goofy, but it's just fun and never seems too serious so if you laugh it's normal. King Crimson is deep and weird, but very aggressive and esoteric. If you don't like it it's an angry reaction to the noise. Pink Floyd is very raw, more focused on a feeling very often, the music is again okay if you aren't paying much attention. But neutral milk hotel is very raw, very introspective, and nothing without the words. And if they don't hit you, it's silly. It's a weird way to talk and sing. It makes people uncomfortable, but not profoundly. So, memes.
New Balance is very suburban. Great for walking short distances in, better than loafers, but not for hiking or serious physical activity. At best jogging. Can be used for the gym, as the wear isn't on the shoe like when running. Clean looking slightly expensive but affordable. Cannot be the only pair of shoes you have. They are the epitome of the American upper middle class dream. Channers are envious of that and want it, so these attainable symbols of that life are all right.
Joker spoke to white male disenfranchisement, masculine mental illness and self-harm, and the want to give into the violent desires men are told they have. Every man has wanted to go on TV and ridicule everyone who has been mean to them, especially when they've taken it in the face for a while. It never questions if other people have it worse than joker.
thanks for this. I appreciate the insight
Of course. I spend too much time online and trying understand a lot of memes or movements that are Ultimately pointless.