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Writer's pictureLauren-Marie Kennedy

Memes: One Does Not Simply... Abuse Animals For Entertainment

We live in a culture where memes are generated, shared and loved every minute of every day, but do they cross a line when nonconsenting animals are the butt of the joke being made? Cats are amongst the most 'meme-able' animals, which possibly stems from the ever popular 'cat videos' on YouTube before the days of memes (or means as I call them). Cats of course have a privilege in that they are a companion animal and therefore treated significantly better than other animals which humans use and abuse for their own satisfaction (through food, clothing, etc), nonetheless it is surprising that a nation of animal (more accurately pet) lovers, would subject animals they supposedly care for to something so degrading for a cheap laugh. Cats are not alone of course, a simple web search for 'animal memes' will land you in a shit tonne of dog images too, of course. I should disclaim here that I am not anti-photography, you may of course wish to take images of animals, and that is totally fair, but consideration is seriously lacking from meme culture. Animals, of all kinds, but especially those we have domesticated (cats, dogs, rabbits, even some lizards and birds) and other small animals (rats, guinea pigs, etc) which can be easily controlled, are subjected to truly unkind and unfair ordeals in order to make a 'funny' animal meme.


Here are just 2 examples, one where a cat is wearing a tie collar, which in all honesty appears to be quite tight as their fur is bulging out at the neck and shoulder. If we look beyond the text, we are faced with the truth of the image. Perhaps more cruelly, is the image on the right, showing a dog with makeup (lipstick?) smeared across their snout, mouth (never pleasant, have you ever accidentally tasted lipstick?), eyes, and ears. These are some of the most sensitive and delicate areas on dogs and again, if we ignore the text, the look in the face of this animal, and in fact, both animals, is not one of a mutual enjoyment. Some may argue that the fact the animals allowed someone to do this to them is enough, but we didn't see the struggle, the confusion, that could have taken place behind the lens. Companion animals develop a relationship with humans that is unhealthy in dynamic and we know this by the language used - 'owner'. Animals may feel obliged to sit still for a human to do this to them because they dictate their entire life schedule - when they eat, sleep, leave the confines of the house (if they are so lucky), go to the loo, everything. Who are they to defy the mighty human, huh? I myself used to enjoy an animal meme and would use them as a tool to express a feeling, or get a cheap laugh in presentations. I'd share them with my friends and we would say how much it reminded us of one of us, or how relatable it was. We never looked past the text. The animal, an unnecessary stand-in for a visual representation of the joke. I have since stopped contributing to this cruelty, as I don't believe it aligns with my morals as a vegan - we distinctively say we do not condone animals being used for entertainment, and what is a meme but exactly that? Surely, in 2022, we can share in moments of amusement without animals being oppressed in the process. Pop culture dictates so much of what is socially acceptable and so I know this idea may be seen as 'extreme' or 'fringe' - but our anthropocentrism runs deep and it's about time we evaluated such cruel practices as making animals perform for our benefit. LMK

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