Anthony Week 15 - Italian Brainrot is Weird
I have a problem.
I can never seem to remember anything remotely important. It’s always the stupid things that have no sort of meaning or significance that I can remember. If you asked me about what I learned at school today, I would probably not be able to answer on most days. However, if you asked me about any sort of random brain rot that’s popular right now, then I would be able to answer in a heartbeat. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a super mainstream one like Tralalero Tralala or a more obscure one like La Vaca Saturno Saturnita; chances are, I’d still recognize it. These memes make no sense at all and yet they still manage to be more memorable than most things I encounter on a day to day basis.
I’m not alone on this problem either, as almost a lot of people that I know have been plagued by the same issue. If you asked my friends who Tralalero Tralala was, they’d be able to answer without any hesitation, but the moment you ask them what a noun is, they’d be stumped. Okay, maybe that last part was an exaggeration, but you get the point.
To make matters worse, these memes are complete slop. They’re just a handful of AI generated pictures of animals mixed with a random object, narrated by an obnoxious text to speech speaking Italian, saying some frankly offensive things. These memes that most of us can’t even understand take so little effort to make and yet they still manage to captivate us and live on our heads rent-free.
These aren’t even the only strange memes that have existed, either. There’s so many other bewildering memes that seem to just pop out of nowhere like the whole shebang with John Pork’s death and the blue-tinted Grinch who has knee surgery. None of these make any sense at all but for whatever reason, they still manage to exist in so many people’s memories.
Anthony, this Blog Post was a fascinating, humorous meditation on the memorability of brainrot. I don't know why brainrot is so memorable, but in many senses, it is designed to be. Memes are memes because they make an imprint on the public consciousness, because they draw people in and stick their minds.
ReplyDeleteThe way in which you describe such internet phenomena is effective at capturing its ridiculous essence. Naming specific instances of brainrot, such as "Tralalero Tralala" and "the whole shebang with John Pork's death," provides those uninformed with a better understanding of exactly what this phenomenon in. I find it interesting that even as someone who can "answer in a heartbeat" questions about brainrot, you refer to it as "complete slop." Its memorability is obviously not rooted in quality or effort put into it; brainrot resonates due to its stupidity, as many things on the internet do. Thank you for sharing your insights and great job on this Blog Post.
Hi Anthony! I have to say I was pretty intrigued when I read the title of your blog and it made me want to read it right away. As someone who also remembers all the names of brain rot that are popular right now and have been for the past month or so, I can definitely relate to your frustration of being able to recognize and remember all these terms, but not the more important ones. Just like you, I could tell you about any brain rot that exists right now but if you were to ask me about something else, like the Krebs Cycle, I would be left staring and drawing a blank. I thought your blog was really fun to read and I enjoyed the colorful vocabulary you used like “slop” and “shebang” since it really added a comedic effect to your writing. It really makes me wonder how our brains function and if there is any way we could use brain rot to help us remember important things, that would be super cool. I enjoyed reading your blog and hope to work with you more this school year!
ReplyDeleteHi Anthony! Seeing the word “brainrot” in your blog title made me do a double take. Seeing the picture you put was even more flabbergasting. Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of the new Tralalero Tralala meme before reading your blog. Afterwards, I started to see it everywhere. I still don’t understand the lore behind it or why it is funny. But I guess that’s the silly thing behind brainrot—there’s no real sense behind it or why people find it entertaining, it just is. For one, I don’t understand the knee surgery meme, but I’ll laugh at it anyway. You’re so real in the sense that dumb brainrot sticks in your mind so easily. True to its name, it really does rot our brains. I don’t even find skibidi toilet amusing in the slightest, but I’ll find it working its way into my daily vocabulary through “what the skibidi” or something along those lines. This topic was surprising to see, but super funny, and I usually look forward to reading your blogs. Thank you for sharing this brick you don’t remember placing with us!
ReplyDeleteHi Anthony, your blog really made me laugh. It was fun reading it especially because of how painfully relatable it was lol. I swear I can't remember what chapter we're in history but the quote “Vavaca Sultano Saturnita” is like its gospel. The way you described Italian text to speech in English was so funny that I kept laughing on every sentence I read in your blog and it kept me so entertained. I think your post nails something most of us feel and haven't actually put into words. Suppose we can go with low efforts or non sensual memes or something else that we watch day to day that we can't really explain. Either way, thanks for writing this amazing blog. I really enjoyed reading it and I laughed in every sentence.
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