LOLBAMA

Posted by Kieran Healy

Well I thought it was funny.

posted on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 4:57 am
comments

  1. I think it’s pretty damn funny too. But on a more serious note, I understand that Obama’s cheezburger plan doesn’t have any mandates, and that a purely voluntary “I can has cheezburger” policy will wind up being more expensive and less efficient than the universal cheezburger policy promoted by Edwards.

    Though why none of the major Democratic candidates has endorsed a single-fryer cheezburger policy is another question.

    Posted by Michael Bérubé · February 14th, 2008 at 5:06 am

  2. I see all kinds of possibilities. How about a shot of McCain with “I made u a no torcher plan, but I eated it.”
    Or a shot of Hannity, Coulter and Limbaugh: DO NOT WANT!

    Posted by alwsdad · February 14th, 2008 at 5:45 am

  3. I think DO NOT WANT has to be reserved for Giuliani.
    Ron Paul: INVISIBLE HAND.
    Romney: O HALP I IZ LOST.

    Posted by Cala · February 14th, 2008 at 5:54 am

  4. I guess everyone wants to play with the ‘wandered here from unfogged by mistake’ tag.

    Posted by Delicious Pundit · February 14th, 2008 at 5:55 am

  5. I CAN HAZ SILVER MEDDLE?

    Posted by Cala · February 14th, 2008 at 5:55 am

  6. O HAI I DONUT LIKE CAUCUSES

    Posted by Cala · February 14th, 2008 at 5:59 am

  7. I’z in ur votun boothz choozin Obama. ;-)

    Posted by Backword Dave · February 14th, 2008 at 6:21 am

  8. WE HAS BEEN TOLD WE CANT DO DIS BY CHORUS OV CYNICS…THEY WILL ONLY GROW LOUDR AN MOAR DISONANT ……….. WEVE BEEN ASKD 2 PAUSE 4 REALITY CHECK. WEVE BEEN WARND AGAINST OFFERIN TEH PEEPS OV DIS NASHUN FALSE HOPE.

    BUT IN DA UNLIKELY STORY DAT IZ AMERICA, THAR HAS NEVR BEEN ANYTHIN FALSE BOUT HOPE.

    NAO TEH HOPEZ OV TEH LIL GURL HOO GOEZ 2 CRUMBLIN SKOOL IN DILLON R TEH SAME AS TEH DREAMS OV TEH BOI HOO LERNS ON TEH STREETS OV LA; WE WILL REMEMBR DAT THAR IZ SOMETHIN HAPPENIN IN AMERICA; DAT WE R NOT AS DIVIDD AS R POLITICS SUGGESTS; DAT WE R WAN PEEPS; WE R WAN NASHUN; AN TOGETHR, WE WILL BEGIN TEH NEXT GREAT CHAPTR IN DA AMERICAN STORY WIF 4 WERDZ DAT WILL RING FRUM COAST 2 COAST; FRUM SEA 2 SHININ SEA —
    YES. WE. CAN. HAS.

    Posted by joejoejoe · February 14th, 2008 at 6:54 am

  9. [...] to Crooked Timber for the [...]

    Posted by LOLCATS for Obama « Debris · February 14th, 2008 at 7:23 am

  10. [...] fevereiro 14, 2008 in have fun Do Crooked Timber: [...]

    Posted by Uh, Lolbama. « · February 14th, 2008 at 9:15 am

  11. ¿Porque no?

    Posted by bad Jim · February 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am

  12. I R IN UR NUCULER WEPONZ LOOKIN FER MEZZ DISTRUCTION

    Posted by bi · February 14th, 2008 at 9:27 am

  13. More generally, we Obamans (Obanimals, Obamanables?) ask “WE CAN HAZ X?” where X is {yo mama, universal health care, withdrawal from Iraq, castration of conservative males, blueberry pancakes for breakfast, free wireless broadband access}. Such is the politics of joy that we look forward to 3 out of 4.

    Posted by bad Jim · February 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am

  14. I don’t get it? Is it a play on black lingo? What? Bear with me, I am woefully not American.

    Posted by stostosto · February 14th, 2008 at 9:48 am

  15. 12: it’s an internet joke that has spread with the speed of wildfire. Look up “Lolcat” on Wikipedia.

    Posted by ajay · February 14th, 2008 at 10:08 am

  16. The internet is a strange muscle.

    Posted by stostosto · February 14th, 2008 at 11:22 am

  17. I can haz teh votez?

    Posted by a very public sociologist · February 14th, 2008 at 11:53 am

  18. That last one’s probably more suited for the Clinton camp.

    Posted by a very public sociologist · February 14th, 2008 at 11:53 am

  19. Am I (non-native speaker) the only one who doesn’t understand the joke?

    Posted by Roland · February 14th, 2008 at 12:01 pm

  20. Though why none of the major Democratic candidates has endorsed a single-fryer cheezburger policy is another question.

    Which is why it’s a good thing Huckabee won’t win the Republican nomination- the Democrats would have to find a way to compete with his single-fryer squirrel policy.

    Posted by Steve LaBonne · February 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

  21. why none of the major Democratic candidates has endorsed a single-fryer cheezburger policy

    I saw a t-shirt the other day that read “Jesus is my Healthcare.”

    Posted by Kieran Healy · February 14th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

  22. This might be the apotheosis of lolcat; in any event, it raises it to a level that justifies the whole enterprise, but now allows us to retire it.

    Posted by Jacob T. Levy · February 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

  23. Im in ur distrikt. Gettin ur votes.

    Posted by Martin G. · February 14th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

  24. This might be the apotheosis of lolcat; in any event, it raises it to a level that justifies the whole enterprise, but now allows us to retire it.

    yeah, good luck with that.

    don’t worry, these things have a pretty short life span – it will die on its own eventually. [“ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!”]

    Posted by r@d@r · February 14th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

  25. This might be the apotheosis of lolcat; in any event, it raises it to a level that justifies the whole enterprise, but now allows us to retire it.

    Oh please, please, please God: let Jacob’s words be prophecy just this once.

    Posted by Russell Arben Fox · February 14th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

  26. I’d love to believe you r@d@r, but one of my students just made an “all your base are belong to us” joke only yesterday. Granted, I live in Kansas, so we’re behind the curve a little, but still.

    Posted by Russell Arben Fox · February 14th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

  27. I saw a t-shirt the other day that read “Jesus is my Healthcare.”

    Great, now we’re one vector away from the Jews killed my healthcare..

    Posted by Peter · February 14th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

  28. I can has in poster size, pls? kthxbai.

    Posted by nick s · February 14th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

  29. re: Jesus is my Healthcare.

    Mary must so be proud: “My son, the doctor.”

    Posted by marcel · February 14th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

  30. I KISS YOU!

    I have many musical instruments my home I can play.

    Posted by stostosto · February 14th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  31. CULT

    I HAS IT
    .

    Posted by Grand Moff Texan · February 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm

  32. moar funny pictures

    Posted by Greg Reed · February 14th, 2008 at 4:09 pm

  33. roland—for some explanation, look at the link in comment 7, then this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolcats.

    Speaking English is not the problem, one must also speak pop culture.

    Posted by David in NY · February 14th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

  34. I saw a t-shirt the other day that read “Jesus is my Healthcare.”
    My doctor is a Jewish carpenter!

    Posted by Steve LaBonne · February 14th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

  35. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolcats

    Period got in the way of my link above. This works.

    Posted by David in NY · February 14th, 2008 at 4:26 pm

  36. Via David’s link, The Lolcat Bible. Lee Siegel will not be amused.

    Posted by lemuel pitkin · February 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

  37. This might be helpful background as well. Lolcats might be an internet meme, but this meme started with wheatpaste.

    Posted by ignoblus · February 14th, 2008 at 6:56 pm

  38. (or half the meme)

    Posted by ignoblus · February 14th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

  39. Meta attempt: I CAN DIE A WELL-DESERVD DETH CUZ I IZ TIRED AZ SHIT??

    Posted by norbizness · February 14th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

  40. I don’t get it? Is it a play on black lingo?

    The “ebonics” angle is definitely a risk. I would be very leery of the general public’s reaction, to say nothing of the litigious public’s reaction.

    Posted by Anderson · February 14th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

  41. I wouldn’t be too confident that this will die quickly… it had been a fad in the ultimate internet subculture for at least three years before it went mainstream.

    Posted by andthenyoufall · February 14th, 2008 at 8:16 pm

  42. And it has nothing to do with “ebonics”. The cats are supposed to be talking like infants who use internet slang. Or… like cats. If cats could talk. (Paging Berube for a Wittgensteinian dissection of the lolcats phenomenon!)

    Posted by andthenyoufall · February 14th, 2008 at 8:20 pm

  43. The “ebonics” angle is definitely a risk. I would be very leery of the general public’s reaction, to say nothing of the litigious public’s reaction.

    A concern trolol.

    Posted by Kieran Healy · February 14th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

  44. Paging Berube for a Wittgensteinian dissection of the lolcats phenomenon!

    Reporting for duty, andthen! I believe this is what Wittgenstein called “language gone on loliday.”

    Well, you asked. At least no one can say this cheap line is beneath me.

    And while I’m here, can I ask Mr. Edenbaum not to talk about my genitalia any more? I feel so squicky when he does that.

    Posted by Michael Bérubé · February 14th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

  45. can I ask Mr. Edenbaum not to talk about my genitalia any more?

    But he raises a serious question, Michael—how did you lose Richard Rorty in a pee-wee hockey game?

    Posted by lemuel pitkin · February 14th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

  46. Well, first, Lemuel, the peewee league ages are 11-12, not 6. And second, I didn’t lose Rorty—he lost me. Not for nothing was he called “the Rocket.”

    Posted by Michael Bérubé · February 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

  47. Yes, but it is cheezburger you can believe in.

    Posted by Shane Taylor · February 14th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

  48. Shepard Fairey ripoff

    Posted by thompsaj · February 15th, 2008 at 1:33 am

  49. or, rather it is by Fairey

    Posted by thompsaj · February 15th, 2008 at 1:35 am

  50. If Barack Obama were a lion, we would not understand him. But he would still attract considerable support from wildebeeste.

    Posted by ajay · February 15th, 2008 at 10:31 am

  51. we Obamans (Obanimals, Obamanables?)

    Obamanauts? Obamalunkers

    BURIED THREAD COMMMENT ON UNAFILIATED BLOGZ

    WILL U CONDEM IT

    Posted by Jason · February 15th, 2008 at 12:16 pm

  52. Despite the above explanations, interpretations, and a trip to Wikipedia, I still don’t get the joke in reference to the Democratic front-runner.

    Posted by Danielle Day · February 15th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

  53. I still don’t get the joke in reference to the Democratic front-runner.

    These things collapse upon explanation, but…

    Imagine Obama’s not-quite illiterate id appealing to a crowd of self-interested LOLcats, the skeptical O RLY? owl and the panicked walrus looking for his bukkit.

    YES WE CAN HAS is perhaps the most broad and powerful appeal LOLcritters could ever hope for, easily beating out I BIN IN UR WHITE HOUSE ALREDDY and REPLUBBICANS DONE GRATE.

    Posted by Righteous Bubba · February 15th, 2008 at 5:35 pm

  54. I’m another one of those unAmericans (native English-speaker in my case) who doesn’t get this. Is Obama supposed to be a cat of some kind? Is the poster racist, or is “can has” black Internet slang? If this is humour, then either it’s extremely subtle or extremely shallow.

    Posted by mijnheer · February 15th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

  55. It’s utterly shallow and harmless, nothing to do with race. Follow the links.

    Posted by Righteous Bubba · February 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

  56. Following the links helps sometimes, and sometimes reading the comments helps. You never know.

    But yes, it’s a fine line between extremely subtle and extremely shallow.

    Posted by Michael Bérubé · February 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

  57. It may also be necessary to concede that those who don’t find this funny may have better things to think about. I do not.

    Posted by Righteous Bubba · February 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

  58. YES WE CAN HAS is perhaps the most broad and powerful appeal LOLcritters could ever hope for, easily beating out I BIN IN UR WHITE HOUSE ALREDDY and REPLUBBICANS DONE GRATE

    Anybody provide graphics for the latter two slogans?

    Really, just wanted to give righteous bubba credit for them. They’re great. Or GRATE. Or whatever.

    Posted by David in NY · February 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm