I’ve chuckled at least a dozen times now at iterations of a popular cartoon meme.
On one side is the outline of an enraged and weepy progressive shouting hysterically about a perceived ideological heresy. On the other is a brawny and bearded Viking who stoically absorbs the inanity of his counterpart. His countenance remains steady no matter how aggressive the other becomes. He regards the leftist as if he were an overagitated zoo animal.
The Viking’s retorts are always devastating in their understatement.
In one popular iteration, the leftist sports a heartbreakingly well-sculpted beard, a man-bun, and thick-framed glasses. (You can’t see the rolled-up yoga mat, but you know it’s under his arm.) He shouts: “If you homeschool your kids they won’t fit into society!”
The Viking pauses a moment and then responds, “Correct.”
As a member of the tiny and oft-overlooked Generation Y (i.e. the last born people who can clearly recall a time before the internet), most aspects of internet culture baffle me. Mostly, I’m amazed at how much time people waste pestering one another.
But I do believe that these user-generated “memes” have value beyond their ability to entertain. Increasingly, our culture is molded by myriad images that leave shallow impressions. A single clever meme that instantly reaches millions exerts more influence over the direction of culture than a single novel or collection of essays.
As a result, cartoon memes have become the front lines of the larger cultural struggle unfolding across Western civilization. It’s not exactly what Plato envisioned when he penned The Republic, but it’s the system we’ve got.
Consequently, it’s necessary to analyze and interpret memes that appear to move the cultural needle in order to craft and implement effective political messaging. When it becomes clear that a particular meme successfully advances the arguments and interests of a given cause, efforts should be made to understand why.
The meme detailed above, which is called “Chad vs. Wojak” after its two main characters, teems with valuable cultural data for an American conservative movement attempting to rebrand and revivify itself following the “red puddle” debacle of the 2022 midterm elections. For a movement that has long struggled to assert itself as an attractive force in popular culture, the virality of Chad vs. Wojak is instructive.
Even before dialogue comes into play, the meme effectively contrasts the most unappealing aspects of the cultural Left with the most appealing aspects of the cultural Right. In terms of raw optics, it’s a grand slam for conservatives.
Wojak the leftist is portrayed as perpetually aggrieved and dour. He spends his time tediously complaining about life’s many injustices. He is fixated on controlling the behavior and speech of others while neglecting self-care, as reflected in his bedraggled appearance and anxious facial expression. He is the quintessential product of a perfect–just-the-way-you-are culture, as expressed on a loop throughout corporate advertising and Hollywood.
On the other hand, Chad radiates self-possession, self-reliance, and a healthy skepticism of popular norms. Whereas Wojak appears to spend his life staring at screens with an open bag of Cheetos, Chad appears sun-worn and sturdy. He does not rise to Wojak’s expletive-laden bait by responding in kind. He is intellectually and emotionally secure and does not need the world’s approval. He doesn’t fret over his number of Twitter followers.
As the presidential primary season unfolds, Republican voters would do well to separate the Wojaks from the Chads within their ranks. As we just learned in the midterm elections, candidate quality matters, and what defines “quality” changes with the times. It is vital to read the zeitgeist for clues, and there is no more direct line to its heart than meme culture.
Recreating the Chad vs. Wojak dynamic between Republicans and Democrats should be the work of every GOP political consultant and press secretary from now until Election Day. This strategy doesn’t even need to be focus group-tested since millions of Twitter and Reddit users have already confirmed its efficacy.
It is important to note that simply declaring oneself a Republican or a conservative does not a Chad make. In fact, former President Donald Trump, who is the most prominent Republican of the 21st century (and, incidentally, who is the “face” of three consecutive failed election cycles), is decidedly more of a Wojak than a Chad in both behavior and appearance.
Aggrieved and dour? Check and check. In Trump’s presidential campaign announcement speech just a few weeks ago, he said, “I’m a victim,” not once, but twice. Hyperjudgemental of others? Check. Enraged and weepy, shouting hysterically about perceived injustices? Don’t even get him started.
If the popularity and virality of Chad vs. Wojak is any indication, American voters long for the quiet and humble strength of a bygone age. While the cultural Left has thoroughly demonized traditional virtues as anathema to social progress, the Republican Party of recent memory has produced a surplus of unvirtuous and angry little men who throw fits and call names. They are, in many ways, parodies of manliness.
But this isn’t to say that a female candidate can’t also be a Chad. A couple of female Republican governors, a former national security adviser, and a former U.N. ambassador with self-possession and emotional security to spare could give any man a run for his money on the political stage. Indeed, put any of them on a debate stage next to a little whiny Republican Wojak and watch the latter shrink like George Costanza in a bathing suit.
Meme culture might seem silly and unrelatable, but its ability to convey important messages with very few words shouldn’t be underestimated. Republicans should take note and work to rustle up a few “strong and silent” types as candidates or else suffer another disappointing election cycle.
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Peter Laffin is a writer in New England. Follow him on Twitter at @Laffin_Out_Loud.
