Foto Friday – The First Israeli Meme

October 21, 2011 - 12:51 PM by

A “meme”, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” During the past few days, driven by the excitement and euphoria over Gilad Shalit’s release, and too much time on their hands given the long holiday weekend, Israelis took to their computer graphics programs to create the first Israeli meme.

Known as Bibi Bombing, it has been defined by Know Your Meme.com as “an exploitable Photoshop meme that involves placing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu in various pictures that were taken in a moment of happiness, monumental historic events, and pretty much anywhere. The meme is considered by Israelis to be the first original Israeli internet meme.”

Already by Tuesday evening, blogger Gal Mor, who runs the Hebrew-language HolesintheNet.col.il, began posting a gallery of images created by any number of contributors who have been spreading the meme primarily through Facebook.

Mor writes, “In this photo, Bibi appears not only as a leader making history behind the scenes but also documents [his] activities in the field. This unusual image, which itself appears to have been Photoshopped, ignited the creative spark among a number of folks who envisioned Netanyahu as a personage whose life and actions are interwoven with the history of Israel’s people, a sort of Israeli ‘Forest Gump’ or Woody Allen’s ‘Zelig’”.

Mor also refers to Netanyahu as having “pushed himself into the family frame”. This perception is, to large extent, the source of this public bile. The day before the release, on his radio show journalist Yaron Dekel made the unusual request to both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to forgo the public hoopla, allow Shalit to return home quietly, and pay a visit after a day or two. But keeping politicians away from a photo opp is as impossible as keeping journalists away from a red-hot scoop. (This is the truth about the media game, the childish whines emanating from Israeli journalists towards their Egyptian colleague Shahira Amin notwithstanding).

The images provide insight into the Israeli psyche: many are not complimentary, sore-headed, some are downright nasty, others miss the point. But some are funny, even sweet, presenting the PM as a warm avuncular figure who is smiling with satisfaction at being present before great happiness.

It’s also very likely that the flood will taper down to a trickle within the next few days as the euphoria abates and our very short collective attention span turns to the next item on the public agenda — or we simply go back to work where we can only Photoshop and post crap half the day. That said, here are are few Bibi Bombs.

At the concluding episode of Friends…

At the Last Supper…

On the tarmac with Bogie and Bacall…

This is Sparta?

See more on Know Your Meme

Tags: • Category: Art, Blogging, design, Entertainment, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, News, Picture of the Week, Pop Culture, tv 

Comments

One Comment on Foto Friday – The First Israeli Meme

  1. Foto Friday – 2011 beginnings to be continued | ISRAELITY on Fri, Dec 30th 2011 6:57 PM

    2. [...] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak were present at Shalit’s release — so much so that they were accused of being publicity hounds (does no one know anything about politicians?) — and Netanyahu’s image was used to create the first Israeli photo meme. [...]

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