A few short months ago, in May 2016, an event occurred that nobody knew would turn into the meme that it is today. That meme is, of course, about Harambe, the gorilla killed in a Cincinnati zoo.

This meme has been taking over the internet, making it so that everywhere you turn there’s something related to gorillas. However, since students have returned to campus, the real effect of this meme has been shown. While many students have done sticky note art in the past, this has gone to a whole new level.

Every day on my way to or from classes or even just getting a simple meal, I am faced with several windows around campus stating “RIP Harambe,” “d**** out for Harambe,” etc. I have even had someone yell out their window at me just about Harambe.

And, it doesn’t stop there. People have been writing things about Harambe on peoples’ whiteboards on their doors. During move in day, I saw Harambe jokes written on several peoples’ white boards on snapchat stories. And, if this wasn’t bad enough, people have even names their fish or other pets Harambe, furthering the joke.

I personally do not understand the big Harambe hype. I understand that what happened to the gorilla was terrible, but turning it into a meme is not a way to make a change. If we want to rectify the shooting of Harambe, we shouldn’t be making jokes about a monkey on our facebook walls or snapchat stories, but we should be advocating for non-lethal procedures of subduing animal threats. By turning this tragic event into a meme rather than into a movement, we further the stereotype of the apathetic laziness of our generation.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love memes as much as anyone, but this meme isn’t right. We are literally turning into a horrific shooting of an innocent animal into a joke and that’s just not right. I hope that one day our generation will stop turning everything of meaning into a joke and that we will find a way to better the world.
As is true with any meme, however, Harambe will soon die down and our campus will be peaceful for a short while until the next meme plagues our campus.