Title: Touch the Fire Meme

General Information about item:

• Verbal and Material: Joke
• English
• USA

Informant Data:

• Orkan Sezer was born June 22, 1998.  He was born in Istanbul, Turkey, but currently studies at Dartmouth college.  Orkan is a sophomore and studies engineering.  Both of his parents are of Turkish descent.  In Orkan’s free-time he enjoys making memes and spending time with his friends.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context:
  • This data was collected during a one-on-one interview with Orkan in the Lobby of Baker Library.  Orkan described making the meme on his computer after being inspired by the bravery of the freshman who touched the fire.  Orkan stated that this meme subject was very popular during the time it was created due to the added attention around the homecoming bonfire.  Orkan stated that the meme had also spread to other campuses, but they had not understood it due to its Dartmouth specific traditions.  This meme has 286 “likes” in a little over a month since its posting.
• Cultural Context:
  • At Dartmouth College one of the motto’s is “lest the old traditions fail”.  Freshman students running around the bonfire has been an age-old tradition.  Students have also made a tradition out of “touching the fire”, where only the bravest of students will venture close enough to the fire to touch it.  Due to the danger of this, the school administration has slowly built up security over the years to try and prevent Dartmouth students from accomplishing the feat.  Unfortunately, this has only added to the prestige of touching the fire among the students.  In the year the meme was created, Dartmouth went forward with its greatest security effort yet.  The College hired about 15 security guards, had the presence of the Hanover Police Department, and erected a 10-foot tall fence around the bonfire.  Due to these immense challenges associated with touching the fire, the persons who would risk it were considering very brave, hence the association with an immensely popular movie called “Braveheart”.  Thus, the meme compares the stereotypically brave character of “Braveheart” to the freshman who touched the fire.

Item:

Informant’s Comments:

•  Orkan stated that he loved the movie “Braveheart”, and in making this meme he was really saluting the freshman who was brave enough to touch the fire.  He also stated that due to the high number of shares and likes that others agreed with the sentiment.

Collector’s comments:

• Once again this meme is steeped in folklore on different layers.  The tradition of running around the fire (which this meme jokes about), is an initiation right that goes back generations at Dartmouth.

Collector’s name: Noah Sofio

Tags/Keywords: Joke. Initiation Rights. Verbal.