A Meme is Worth a Thousand Words, or $1.8 Million
The latest Bernie meme has taken the internet by storm.
Although this isn’t Sanders’ first time in the meme spotlight, this time he’s using his ‘memeable’ personality for good.
By Madeleine Kriech
Jan. 20 will surely be remembered. It proved to be a comeback from the Capitol being attacked. It gave the United States its first female vice president. It served jaw-dropping looks from strong women (*cough* Michelle Obama). It gave us emotion-filled poetry from an outstanding young artist, Amanda Gorman, and speeches to heal our divided nation. And it gave us another Bernie Sanders meme.
If you have no idea what this Bernie meme is, you’re probably living like Chris McCandless—off the grid. If you’re like those who use social media to pass time, you know exactly what this meme is: Sanders, bundled in his trademark Burton jacket with crossed arms ending in wool mittens, looking like he had better things to do than be at the inauguration.
Since Brendan Smialowksi snapped the image, the internet exploded with photoshopped images of Sanders into famous movie scenes, album covers and artwork.
“It’s another still-image of [Sanders’] ‘average-joeness’ that he puts out there,” said Steven Frost, an instructor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Bernie has an aesthetic that’s very much a part of who he is as a person.”
This “aesthetic” includes no caring what he looks like and worrying more about staying warm than how he looks. Although Frost admits Sanders’ style may come from Vermont, he also attributes it to Sanders’ belief in grassroots movements and social programs.
Regarding social programs, Sanders, the meme legend, used this new round of internet fame to sell merchandise with the image on his campaign’s website. All proceeds, so far at $1.8 million, from the “Chairmen Sanders” items have been donated to many charities across Vermont, including Meals on Wheels and The Chill Foundation. Getty Images, who holds the rights to the image, also made a deal with Sanders’ office to donate their proceeds to Wheels on Meals America.
“[Sanders] created a new template for ways the public can act to use these ‘mematic’ moments,” said Frost. “He’s leveraging [his publicity from the meme] in a way that’s really positive for the world,” like changing the topic from the meme to his COVID-19 relief package during interviews.
Though the meme can make a good laugh, there has been some backlash too. Some critics say Sanders can get away with dressing like he did at the inauguration because of white privilege. And this isn’t the first time a meme tied to Sanders has faced backlash. The so-called “Bernie Bros” have been called out for using memes and the internet to bully Sanders’ political opponents.
“After the fallout of 2016,” Frost said about the Bernie Bros backlash, “[Sanders] became very aware of his ability to influence his followers and be a leader in the social media realm.”
Since the meme first hit the internet, it seems Sanders has been successful in altering his response to internet fame. Even after two weeks since the inauguration of Joe Biden, new images with “Chairmen Sanders” continue to surface on the internet. To use Frost’s words, who knows how long we’ll be seeing the “grandpaness” of Sanders on our phone screens.
