Splicetoday

Pop Culture
Nov 20, 2008, 05:03AM

Salon coughs up a harbl

LOLcats are as ubiquitous as Internet memes get. They're out there; you either love them or hate them and even use them as a pop culture reference while making small talk at the keg. And yet, there is a case for their legitimacty. (I mean, come on, Dixit gets the New Yorker's cartoon editor to wax philosphical over them.)

Funny pictures bird and mouse have friendship.jpg?ixlib=rails 2.1

Thank you, Jay.

This is all funny stuff. But I submit that the true genius of lolcats lies in their tragedy.

In one classic example, one cat is crying, and another is hugging it and saying, "Don't crai. We'll get cheezburger someday." It's sweet and poignant and wistful all at the same time. Life can be hard, it says, and we don't always get what we want, but even as we long for things we may never have, we draw succor from the reassurances of those we love. Sure, it's ridiculous that what the cat is yearning for is a cheeseburger. But the cheeseburger is not really a cheeseburger -- it's a symbol.

Discussion

Register or Login to leave a comment