![]() Part of the ironic fun of Milkshake Duck is that it kind of sounds like a worrywart parent who’s showing up to ruin all your fun. It can be difficult to square the fact that this very bleak idea is encapsulated in a concept as Dadaist and ridiculous as a Milkshake Duck, which makes the whole meme a peak example of millennial humor. (Ask an older coworker to explain that reference.)- John Siracusa November 20, 2019 The Test Kitchen crew on YouTube is so adorable and fun and I will be crushed if I ever find out that they all hate each other or one of them milkshake ducks or something. What’s typical of the Milkshake Duck trajectory in Karp’s case is that the broader public remained in the dark about the duck du jour’s dark history. The Jensen Karp scenario crosses over from “overnight internet sensation that turned out to be bad” into “problematic public figure accused of abuse.” As a comedian, he’s fairly well-known in the Los Angeles comedy community, and the rapidity with which Stetten outed him seemed to be about self-care, self-protection, and alerting the public before it began glorifying an alleged abuser. The Milkshake Duck, then, is probably more accurately akin to “this is why we can’t have nice things.” ![]() The phrase implies a sort of grim recognition: Everyone has said and done stupid shit on the internet, and thus anyone could become a Milkshake Duck at any moment. The viral component means anyone can become a public figure overnight - but it also means an increased likelihood of discovering that a new favorite has a checkered past. The Milkshake Duck is more about instant virality in the age of social media, as well as the growing polarization of publicly professed ideologies. Think about the way Joss Whedon has evolved from a geek cult hero to persona non grata as we learn more about his alleged history as an abusive director, or the many public figures accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the Me Too movement. The saying “your fave is problematic” is a Tumblr-born phrase that captures our loss of faith in our heroes over time, as we grow and evolve and they don’t always say or do the right things, and sometimes turn into creatures we don’t recognize. There have been so many other accounts of prominent Milkshake Ducks that over the years some media outlets have compiled best-of lists, because why not turn surprise toxicity into a competition? Is that Milkshake Ducking the entire concept of Milkshake Ducks? Perhaps! So is Milkshake Duck just another term for a problematic fave? Ultimately, Rosey Blair, who started out seeming like an innocent and entertaining matchmaker, quickly started to seem like a fame-hungry attention-seeker and wound up having to apologize. Or perhaps you were a fan of the Tripps, a.k.a Curvy Wife Guy and his wife Sarah, the super-romantic couple who went viral in the summer of 2017 for their proudly body-positive comments - until a closer look at their social media dug up a number of racist and transphobic remarks.Īnd who could forget the adorable-turned-hellish saga of “Plane Bae” in 2018? What began as a fun live-tweet of a couple’s in-flight meet-cute by a Twitter user named Rosey Blair quickly devolved into a nightmare, as the unwitting female half of the couple - who didn’t know they were being put on blast to all of Twitter - found herself doxxed, stalked, and harassed by onlookers who found out her identity and hunted down her private information. The epitome of a Milkshake Duck is probably Ken Bone, the frumpy white guy who charmed America during a 2016 presidential debate but then turned out to have a seriously sketchy Reddit comment history. What are notable examples of Milkshake Ducks? The gaming community began to refer to the developer as a “Milkshake Duck,” and a meme was born. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Milkshake Duck tweet hung out for a while, steadily accruing hearts, until exactly one year after it was posted, when the developer of a buzzy new game was revealed to have been a Gamergate supporter. Ward was spoofing social media’s tendency to immediately comb through the backstories of the newly famous, digging up all their dirty secrets, and the whiplash-inducing speed with which the trajectory from “here’s this nice thing!” to “ your (new) fave is problematic” happens. “The whole internet loves Milkshake Duck, a lovely duck that drinks milkshakes!” Ward wrote, characterizing the typical response to seemingly harmless viral memes that invite social media users to identify with a fun, accidentally famous person (or duck) who’s gotten their attention.Īlas, the internet steals joy as quickly as it provides: “*5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the duck is racist,” Ward added. The whole internet loves Milkshake Duck, a lovely duck that drinks milkshakes! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the duck is racist- Pixelated Ho Ho Hoat June 12, 2016 ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |