Quick Chat 22: Do you speak meme?

The A to Z English Podcast

In this episode, Kevin, Jack, and Xochitl talk about memes on the internet. Do you speak meme? How do you use them? What are your favorites? How are they different in your country?

Share your answers to the discussion questions in our WhatsApp group chat! https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7

Website: https://atozenglishpodcast.com/?p=1855

If you could take a minute and complete a short survey about the podcast, we would be very appreciative. You can find the survey here: https://forms.gle/HHNnnqU6U8W3DodK8

We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

Intro/Outro Music by Eaters: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/eaters/the-astronomers-office/agents-in-coffee-shops/

Discussion Questions:

1. What is a meme?
2. Have you ever created a meme? If yes, what was the meme?
3. Do you enjoy looking at and reading memes? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Full Transcript:

00:00:02o

You are listening to the A-Z English podcast.

00:00:09Kevin

Welcome to an A-Z English quick chat. Today we're going to surprise each other with a topic and see where the conversation goes.

00:00:16Kevin

Remember, you can check our website for a study guide with vocabulary notes, discussion questions as more, as well as links to our WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media so you can join in the convo.

00:00:26Kevin

Patience and today, for the first time, as many of you saw or listened to in our live stream, we are joined by socho, our new third and amazing host.

00:00:38Kevin

So we're going to let her introduce a topic.

00:00:40Kevin

For today and see.

00:00:42Kevin

See what the youth of the?

00:00:43Kevin

World want to talk about?

00:00:46발표자 1

OK.

00:00:46Xochitl

OK, so the topic I thought about.

00:00:48Xochitl

Is means and I think I'm sure you guys were around Internet called design.

00:00:54Xochitl

You know, Internet culture wings were first emerging.

00:00:57Kevin

Yeah, I I remember some very old means.

00:00:57Xochitl

You know what I mean?

00:01:01Kevin

I'm on.

00:01:01Kevin

I'm on Reddit a lot.

00:01:03Kevin

Like probably too much.

00:01:05Kevin

And so that's where I get most of my memes.

00:01:08Kevin

I don't do a lot of Facebook or other social media, but but read it's a meme culture as well.

00:01:13Kevin

And so, yeah, that's where I get a lot of mine.

00:01:16Kevin

And I was.

00:01:16Kevin

Definitely around at.

00:01:18Kevin

The beginning of the Internet, the dawn of time.

00:01:21Jack

Yeah, I'm pretty Internet.

00:01:23Jack

I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm a dinosaur, you know, when it comes to this stuff.

00:01:29발표자 1

So, so I'm curious.

00:01:30Kevin

For me means, although I see them online, a lot of people just post them on Reddit as you know this is the thought or whatever and then people comment on them.

00:01:41Kevin

I use memes as as a reply mostly I I don't like create my own means too much, but like if I'm in a chat with a friend, I have a small library of memes that I have saved on my phone, just the ones that I like the best.

00:01:58Kevin

And and I use them to reply.

00:02:00Kevin

So if a friend like Jack not too long ago asked me if I was able to do something to help him and I like Rick and Morty, and there's the the Oh yeah can do meeseeks meme.

00:02:12Kevin

And so I replied with that meme to him instead of, you know, typing out yeah, yeah, I can do that.

00:02:18Kevin

I replied with the meme.

00:02:19Kevin

How do you use memes?

00:02:23Xochitl

I think also like in conversations or sometimes like, I think we make our own names and post them on our Facebook or Instagram or our stories.

00:02:24Kevin

With the same.

00:02:33Xochitl

Like, I'm sorry.

00:02:34Xochitl

Facebook stories, but I do.

00:02:36Xochitl

Use a lot in conversations, but I do tend to make my own for a while.

00:02:39Xochitl

My friends and I had a picture of me.

00:02:42Xochitl

Where I looked like I was giving like I was like what the heck like this like what the heck look on my face and.

00:02:49Xochitl

We would use it.

00:02:50Xochitl

For like Redis is mean of me ever like weird happened so like please.

00:02:53발표자

No, no.

00:02:56Xochitl

Use our own face.

00:02:58Xochitl

Sometimes we just make.

00:02:59Xochitl

Their own names and then also.

00:03:00Kevin

And do you still put text on them like you often see with with more traditional Internet means?

00:03:05Kevin

Or is it just the image of you?

00:03:06Kevin

Was that itself the mean?

00:03:09Xochitl

I think they just the.

00:03:10Xochitl

Image was in teams, yeah?

00:03:10Kevin

It was just the.

00:03:11Kevin

Image so just confused right?

00:03:14Xochitl

Like, yeah, so yeah, and.

00:03:17Xochitl

Then we do often, just like take.

00:03:19Xochitl

Names from the Internet like download it on her phone.

00:03:23Xochitl

And then I'm sure you see this a lot, but you black out like the word.

00:03:25Xochitl

And put a new one on top of it.

00:03:27Jack

Sure. Yeah, kind of building.

00:03:28Kevin

Oh, OK.

00:03:29Kevin

So it's not like it's like subtitles.

00:03:30Jack

On an idea, right, like, yeah.

00:03:33Xochitl

Like the famous bringing words like I am once again asking for financial support and we would like blacking out.

00:03:40Xochitl

But I am once again asking for your emotional support and once again asking.

00:03:44Xochitl

For whatever, like, yeah, yeah.

00:03:47Kevin

Yeah, OK.

00:03:48Kevin

I've I've seen those, though.

00:03:49Kevin

Mean there's so many meme.

00:03:50Kevin

Generators online as well.

00:03:53Kevin

I have made some of my own as well, like just copying the format of 1 but you know changing it to fit the context and sending it over.

00:04:02Kevin

Yeah, means are a cool part of Internet culture.

00:04:06Jack

When when do you think that they started like when did when was the first?

00:04:10Jack

Because I know the first meeting was like the one of the first means.

00:04:15Jack

Is like the kind of dirtbag guy, you know, he's had these sideways and he's kind of a a scumbag, you know?

00:04:24Jack

So anytime, is that what it is that you?

00:04:24Kevin

Scumbag Steve.

00:04:26발표자 1

Yeah, yeah.

00:04:26Jack

Is that him?

00:04:28Kevin

That you ask.

00:04:29Xochitl

So something like that.

00:04:30Kevin

It's scumbag, scumbag Steve.

00:04:30Jack

Yeah, so like what would be like a situation where you would use scumbag?

00:04:35Jack

He would be like if somebody.

00:04:37Jack

Did something kind of rude to you or whatever.

00:04:41Jack

You would reply with a picture of scumbag Steve and that would that.

00:04:46Jack

I mean essentially that's is that I mean, how right?

00:04:49Jack

Am I using the memes correctly?

00:04:50Jack

I'm I'm I'm not really sure.

00:04:52Kevin

You know what I would see a lot of times is like for those memes because they usually have text.

00:04:58Kevin

On them, and you can put your own text on them as well.

00:05:01Kevin

And So what would be an example of a a scumbag Steve thing?

00:05:05Xochitl

I remember 1 words like.

00:05:08Xochitl

There's hand towels in the bathroom, but he uses your, she told.

00:05:12Xochitl

Like, wipe his hands and I remember that it.

00:05:15Xochitl

Was just like scumbag Steve.

00:05:16Kevin

Yes, that's great.

00:05:18Kevin

So so maybe Jack you come over to my house and you use.

00:05:21Kevin

The wrong towel.

00:05:23Kevin

And so then, like in our group chat, you know of, of everyone, you come over and I reply later with that.

00:05:29Kevin

Like Jack comes over to my house and uses the wrong towel and I use this scumbag Steve meme and I and I post that.

00:05:32Jack

Or I drank your last beer or something like that.

00:05:36Jack

Like I take the last beer out of your fridge and then you go to get your beer and I'm already drank.

00:05:41Jack

It so I'm scumbag Steve, you know?

00:05:46Kevin

Yeah, those are, yes.

00:05:47Kevin

Kind like Steve is definitely one of the older means not not super old, but it's one of the older, older memes for sure.

00:05:54Xochitl

That was one of the first means because that was like the first one that is exposed to that one in awkward Penguin and the little kid that does like.

00:06:02Xochitl

The fish thing.

00:06:02Xochitl

Like, yeah.

00:06:03Jack

Yeah, that's right. I.

00:06:04Kevin

Awkward Penguin.

00:06:05Kevin

An awesome Penguin.

00:06:06Kevin

Remember like where they switched the colors and switched the sides?

00:06:08Kevin

Yeah, those are definitely older and it it's really fun seeing memes.

00:06:13Kevin

Come back because.

00:06:15Kevin

Scumbag Steve, awkward Penguin.

00:06:17Kevin

You don't see those too often these days, actually, but you know, ten years ago that was.

00:06:25Kevin

You know, almost every everything on Reddit was one of those, one of those memes.

00:06:30Kevin

And sometimes people bring them back and fill them back, and it's always great when they're when they're used correctly.

00:06:36Jack

Yeah, I I remember another meme of is it like a nerdy kid named Brian or something and he's got braces?

00:06:45Jack

And he just has bad luck all the time.

00:06:48Jack

Like, you know you, Brad.

00:06:48Kevin

Bad luck, Brian. Yep, that's.

00:06:50Jack

Like Brian.

00:06:51Jack

Is that what he is?

00:06:51Jack

Is am I right?

00:06:52Xochitl

Yeah, good memory.

00:06:54Xochitl

Oh my God.

00:06:55Xochitl

Said that like Brian.

00:06:56Kevin

I'm, I'm.

00:06:56Kevin

I'm reading a lot.

00:06:57Jack

Brian he's got bad luck.

00:06:58Jack

What's his name again?

00:07:01Jack

Yeah, so like he he shows up at 10:30, but the test started at 9:30 or something like that, you know? So there's some some horrible luck situation. Yeah, bad luck, Brian. Scumbag Steve.

00:07:01발표자 1

Give it to me.

00:07:12Kevin

I think one of my favorites of the old names was overly attached girlfriend.

00:07:17Kevin

Do you remember that one?

00:07:17Xochitl

Oh yeah.

00:07:18Kevin

It was like the girlfriend who's like got this like this look up.

00:07:21Kevin

Just like I love you look.

00:07:22Kevin

And and it was always just, yeah, like everything you do, she's just overly attached to you.

00:07:29Kevin

She's an interesting example of of meme culture as well.

00:07:33Kevin

The the woman who was that because most of those means it was just some random.

00:07:38Kevin

It was like the picture of Socho.

00:07:39Kevin

That her friends use.

00:07:41Kevin

But then it.

00:07:41Kevin

Slowly just goes out into the actual Internet and people.

00:07:44Kevin

Just start to.

00:07:45Kevin

Use it.

00:07:46Kevin

And so it was like, oh, that's me.

00:07:47Kevin

Like there's there's confused social that yeah, so the the girl who did overly attached girlfriend, she actually used it to make a bit of a a social media presence.

00:07:49Jack

You're famous, it went, it goes viral, I mean, yeah.

00:08:00Kevin

She got a bit famous from it.

00:08:02Kevin

I think she had like a pretty famous Instagram account and Facebook page and things for for a while.

00:08:07Kevin

I think she's calmed down now.

00:08:08Kevin

I never really followed her, but I.

00:08:09Kevin

Just saw things occasionally.

00:08:11Kevin

Come up. Yeah, she yeah.

00:08:11발표자 1

She had a.

00:08:12Xochitl

GQ but I remember seeing YouTube video and then and it was just funny because like the the means are cultural too, right?

00:08:20Xochitl

And then so like a lot of the things that like she.

00:08:22Xochitl

Said like she would she?

00:08:24Xochitl

Would name herself as like examples of overly attached girlfriend and I'm thinking and this is confirmation I get into with my friends.

00:08:28Kevin

Right. OK.

00:08:32Xochitl

A lot.

00:08:32Xochitl

In Mexico, like, those things aren't considered like overly attached girlfriend. In the US, it's like.

00:08:37Xochitl

It's really weird.

00:08:38Xochitl

Like casual dating here is really formal compared to the US like US is really casual here. Like you could go on a casual date and the person will.

00:08:47Xochitl

Take you out to eat.

00:08:48Xochitl

And pay for.

00:08:49Xochitl

Everything involving and like in the US it's like.

00:08:51Xochitl

Hey, you wanna Netflix and chill?

00:08:53Xochitl

Like it's just it's weird to see the differences between like and.

00:08:57Xochitl

It just goes back to me.

00:08:58Xochitl

It's like the.

00:09:00Xochitl

There's means in Spanish language and names in Korea and using English.

00:09:05Kevin

Means definitely are very cultural.

00:09:08Kevin

Yeah, it's it's interesting to see how how the same thing.

00:09:12Kevin

It's like, this is funny, right?

00:09:13Kevin

And someone in other countries like, no, but what do you mean?

00:09:16Kevin

I don't, I don't understand.

00:09:18Jack

Yeah, what's the joke, right?

00:09:18Kevin

Like, I mean, this doesn't.

00:09:20Kevin

Yeah, exactly, but that's humor.

00:09:20Jack

Yeah, yeah.

00:09:22Kevin

I mean, that's actually something that would be.

00:09:24Kevin

Interesting to talk about, maybe in another episode later on is is humor types and what works in America?

00:09:31Kevin

I mean, even in English speaking countries, it's different.

00:09:33Kevin

American humor is different from British humor and it's famous.

00:09:37Kevin

There's there's British.

00:09:39Kevin

And that's the same with means, of course, as as well, my favorite for means.

00:09:44Kevin

I don't know if you guys ever use it like I we're on WhatsApp, of course, right?

00:09:49Kevin

And WhatsApp is A is a pretty good app for chat. And my favorite chatting app though is discord.

00:09:55Kevin

Because Discord has an amazing mean library, you can basically type it.

00:09:59Kevin

They've got like thousands and thousands and thousands of memes to to send.

00:10:03Kevin

It's basically the emote acan of of WhatsApp. So instead of sending a little sticker or whatever, instead of sending a modicon, you send me to everyone. And so yeah, discord is great.

00:10:13발표자 1

For for that.

00:10:14Kevin

You have an entire conversation in meme only.

00:10:18Kevin

Well, so for everybody listening out there, what's your favorite meme?

00:10:22Kevin

And even if it's in your language, actually, maybe try and reply to us in our WhatsApp chat or on our web page and actually send us a meme.

00:10:29Kevin

I would love to see some some non-english means, although please if it's in your language translate it to English and then we can see if we can actually understand.

00:10:37Kevin

What the joke itself is because I I.

00:10:41Kevin

I think it would be interesting to see both the meme and how it's used, so please share your memes with us here on the A-Z English podcast.

00:10:52Kevin

So thank you everybody for listening.

00:10:54Kevin

Remember, you can join our WhatsApp group.

00:10:56Kevin

Check our web page, tell us what you think, and if you're on Apple Podcasts, you know, click that.

00:11:01Kevin





Five star button and leave us some comments that will be very helpful.

00:11:04Kevin

So we'll see you all next time.

00:11:06발표자 1

All right. Bye, bye.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy