Weekly Internet Roundup: The Andrew Tate Vs. Greta Thunberg Pizza Box Arrest Special

Have a moment, take a deep breath, and enjoy the sense of anticipation in the air. We're in the middle of 2022's season finale, and things have definitely ended with a bang on social media. After twelve months of ridiculous memes and even more ridiculous discourse, we're all fed up, frazzled, and probably not at all ready for another year of the same things in slightly different packages. We don't have much time for a break, either, because it's been a busy week on the internet. Read on for a recap of online events that rocked the boat. 

Andrew Tate and the Biggest Self Own Ever

The 2022 prize for the individual taking the most public Ls was a close call. After all, Elon Musk was part of that race. However, without question, it now has to go to Andrew Tate — with a special mention to Elon for helping to make it all happen. The toxic masculinity defender/suspected human trafficker had only just got Twitter privileges back when they snowballed into his personal liberties being revoked. 

Things started boringly enough for the noted troll, as he flexed his re-found voice by provoking environmental activist Greta Thunberg with his extensive vehicle collection. Her ice cold response quickly became the stuff of internet legend, and sits at number 6 in the list of most-liked tweets ever (at time of writing).

Naturally, Tate wasn't going to accept losing the battle. After trying to mock her famous UN speech and everybody declining to get the joke, he took his time to launch a more crafted reply to her insult. Hours later, he came out with an official response tweet and video, which continued the mockery thanks to his playground style "I know you are, but what am I?” move. 

It was getting to the point where some were voicing concerns that this exchange had amplified a man who promoted terrible things, and was accused of terrible crimes. They were yet to see the astonishing, last minute twist: his home in Bucharest, Romania got raided and he and his brother were arrested on charges of human trafficking and rape. 

Rumors swiftly began that police had been able to find their suspects because Tate had a box from Romanian food chain Jerry's Pizza sat in front of him when he filmed his comeback. This being Twitter, users didn't make a fuss about this tenuous connection to some gravely serious crimes. No, they turned it into a full-blown, ongoing meme cycle. 

The likelihood is that Romanian police were not going on takeout packaging alone. Tate had been under investigation since April, and had posted about being in the country in weeks previous. Still, we all like a neat little narrative detail to tie things together, so the seesaw of people perpetuating the myth and then more people correcting them will probably continue for some time. All while the protagonist whines about being trapped in the Matrix. Can't wait!

If Only Life Was an Endless Fitzroy Garage Party

In another part of the world and at a far more innocuous end of the douchebaggery scale, a group of guys had a garage party in a gentrified suburb in Melbourne, Australia.

A couple of them put together TikToks of this event, and that pesky algorithm seemed to like this a lot. So much so, in fact, that the shindig went viral a few days ago, reaching the FYPs of people who had no desire to be exposed to these unbearable, cheeky sesh-head antics.

Soon enough, TikTokers were mocking the attendees for their cringey attempts at forced fun, and conforming to a few stereotypes about Australian private school boys. Remember, we're not allowed to enjoy ourselves unless the camera's there. 

Your Boomer Relatives Deserved a Prank for Christmas

The holidays can be a trying time. Even if you get on with your family, spending extended periods with them has a tendency to bring out the worst in all involved. If you're the devious kind, you might even try to start a few arguments out of sheer boredom. 

Should the political debate get boring, though, TikTok gave family troublemakers a more creative way to annoy parents and other older relatives. This holiday season, it was all the rage to prank them by claiming that their favorite famous person had died.

Gen Z might get trashed for looking up to influencers, but celebrity worship strikes all ages. If you want to argue about the cultural merit of rock stars versus niche internet microcelebrities, save it for the dinner table.

Waffle House Employees Might Be Braver Than the Marines

Waffle House may be one of America's biggest breakfast chains, but it hasn't just made a name for itself with the food. What happens between the four walls of the average branch is enough to make a grown man weep on a slow day. The internet was given a welcome reminder of this recently when footage of a Christmas brawl at one of their restaurants in Austin, Texas went viral. 

While those employees might not have been skilled in de-escalation, there is no denying that they knew how to fight. In particular, one woman caught the eye of the internet for her effortless discarding of a chair thrown across the counter. The beauty of Ultra Instinct in action.

So ends the last internet roundup of 2022. I'd say it's been fun, but mostly it's acted as a reminder of how social media access makes us all really, really annoying. At least the finale has had its good points. See you on the other side.