Title: Trump Deals Meme
General Information about Item:
- Material and Verbal: Joke
- English
- USA
Informant Data:
- Luke Cuomo is a Government major in the Dartmouth class of 2020. He is 19 years old and originally from Long Island. Luke began making memes the summer before his freshman year in college, and he is the creator of the Dartmouth Meme page.
Contextual Data:
- Social Context:
- This meme and its information were collected during a one on one interview in a study room in Baker Berry Library at Dartmouth College. Luke described how he made the meme on his computer as well as how this meme has since been spread around Dartmouth’s student population by way of the meme page, text messages, and email. This meme is meant to be enjoyed by Dartmouth students, but others might find it funny as well even if they don’t understand the Dartmouth part because Donald Trump’s tweet is funny on its own.
- Cultural Context
- The cultural context of this meme reflects the difficulty that Dartmouth students face when trying to use a meal swipe anywhere other than the 1953 Commons. Most Dartmouth Dining Services food is priced rather high, and a lunch swipe is only worth $7.75. Thus, students have difficulty purchasing enough food without spending more money than their meal swipe is worth. Moreover, many students become excited if they spend the exact amount of money allotted by their meal swipe without going over.
Item:
Informant’s Comments:
- Luke noted that there is a Donald Trump tweet that is applicable to just about anything or any situation, and as a result, it is particularly easy to make memes using President Trump’s tweets. He also noted that President Trump’s tweets are oftentimes funny even without being turned into a meme. Luke believes this meme highlights some of the issues that Dartmouth Dining Service faces, such as high food prices.
Collector’s Comments:
- I am a big fan of this meme because it uses an element that anyone in the United States would be familiar with—a Donald Trump tweet—but also ties that well known element into a joke that is specific to Dartmouth. Thus, this meme has been heavily circulated throughout Dartmouth’s campus.
Collector’s Name: Bryce Killian
Tags/Keywords: Dartmouth. Dartmouth Dining Services. Meme. Donald Trump.