A Dirty Stinking Batch of Memes

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 24, 2023 10:00 PM EDT

Let's be real. By the time the average meme chooses to grace our presence, it has been around the block once or twice. It's to a point where we all consider it to be a badge of honor for us to see a popular meme before it really hits the big time.

By nature, meme culture is pretty messy and dog-eared. In theory, these things have a finite shelf life, but they often get screenshotted until they become so deep fried we can barely make out the words.

Memes are the definition of used goods, but that's part of what makes them so great. That many people have enjoyed them and/or related to them that they want them to be passed on to even more of us. OK, so they might smell a bit weird and have some mysterious stains by the time it's our turn. It doesn't detract from the entertainment, though.