Hillary Clinton's Meme Takedown Of Donald Trump Is 2016's "Miley What's Good"
10 June 2016, 16:44 | Updated: 8 May 2017, 17:09
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
I'm sure everyone remembers the iconic moment at last year's MTV VMAs when Nicki Minaj expertly demolished a smart talking Miley Cyrus with three words: "Miley, what's good?"
It was the moment that launched a thousand memes and solidified Nicki Minaj's place as holder of the best tea spilling, shade throwing moment of 2015. Truly an event for the meme annals.
Fast forward to 2016, however, and something has happened to shift the world order of internet memes and it's all to do with this tweet:
Delete your account. https://t.co/Oa92sncRQY
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, former Senator of New York, and former First Lady of The United States not only became the first woman in US History to receive a major party nomination for the Presidency, but also the first to tweet the words "delete your account".
No, I'm not under the illusion that it was actual Hillary Clinton who tweeted those words. More likely a millennial member of the social media team who had been waiting to tweet this for some time.
In case you needed the run down, here's what "delete your account" means in internet speak.
Since then, the internet has been ablaze with responses to Secretary Clinton's (social media team's) tweet to Trump.
I'm sorry, but it was too good. Too quick. Savage AF. #DeleteYourAccount
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) June 9, 2016
damn everyone is jumping on the wagon now... #deleteyouraccount #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/LVKDl8i56z
— David Rosove (@DavidRosove) June 9, 2016
Mom: clean your room
— Ella Mielniczenko (@heyyyella) June 9, 2016
Me: delete your account
HRC social media manager: We just tweeted 'delete your account.'
— Caro (@socarolinesays) June 9, 2016
Hillary: mom
Hillary: yas
Hillary: drag him
It was cute, well timed, and the 2016 equivalent of the old saying, 'brevity is the soul of wit'. Donald Trump should delete his account and it was only fair that Hillary be the one to tell him to do so.
Like, "Miley, what's good", "Delete your account" is precisely three words and manages to offer an effective takedown without delving too deeply into wider context. In fact, in both situations, a wider context is implied but asks the reader to do some heavy lifting when it comes to background.
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I guess the wider conversation here is about what role internet culture is starting to play in political contests. The proliferation of hashtags has helped reshape certain political conversations and become an apparatus for gauging social reaction. It's clear now that the meme has officially made its way into mainstream politics and I for one embrace this. Like I embrace death, with my arms stretched forward as I receive the reaper's cold kiss.
No doubt Hillary has struggled with millennial audiences but it's hard to be bitter about something like this. It was a good joke.
FINAL SCORES
Hillary Clinton - 1
Donald Trump - Delete your account.
