There are no expectations that the meme is a legitimate source of information and should never be treated as such. If you take memes seriously as a source of information then you have issues.
The issue with misinformation isn’t people providing sources or not but people being too stupid to have skepticism of things they read online and taking everything so seriously all the damn time.
If you take memes seriously as a source of information then you have issues.
I don’t – which should be obvious based on the fact I decided to source the quote. A frightening amount of people do, and that’s not limited to one political side. It’s 2026; we’ve been watching widespread media illiteracy and intellectual laziness destroy society for at least the last decade. You can’t just pretend you’re totally separate from that when you put media out into the world to be consumed by others.
And if you think basic sourcing is limited to “dissertations” or “school reports”, then writing school reports ironically taught you jack shit about why sourcing is important.
The fact you went out of your way to source a quote on a meme shows you take it more seriously than necessary.
Oh, and speaking of media illiteracy, just because I used those as examples doesn’t mean that was an exhaustive list of all possible examples.
Citing sources is only necessary or important when the media in question is presenting itself as a legitimate source of information. Since, this is a meme and not a dissertation, a journal article, or any other outlet that is presenting itself as a legitimate source of information, none of those obligations exist.
Just because media is being distributed to the public doesn’t make that media obligated to present itself as legitimate. The fact that it is a meme should already be proof enough that it is not legitimate and should not be treated as such.
Media illiteracy and intellectual laziness are issues but you do not solve them by catering to the inept. You solve it by educating them out of their ineptitude.
or any other outlet that is presenting itself as a legitimate source of information, none of those obligations exist.
If this meme isn’t presenting that the quote is real, then why the fuck does it exist? I mean “to be easily created and disseminated propaganda”, obviously, but why should it exist? Sourcing your shit isn’t “catering to the inept”; it’s catering to the people who care about the truth. If sourcing is “catering to the inept”, then why is it done in those contexts you mentioned? When does it stop “catering to the inept”? The answer, obviously, is it doesn’t, because it never was.
If you want to think that an expectation of basic sourcing should be limited to e.g. academic contexts, journalism, etc., to the point that the notion of expecting that from anything else offends you, then whatever I say isn’t going to convince you out of your own laziness and stupidity. You’re part of the problem.
Because it’s a meme and its creator wanted it to for shits and giggles. My assumption was that it was made up to be funny and bash on Obama for being a warmongering oil baron.
Because it’s a meme and its creator wanted it to for shits and giggles.
You’re literally in a political propaganda community created, solely modded, and near-exclusively posted to by the OP. Memes like this are digital propaganda leaflets designed to be easily digested and distributed, and this one’s entire point rests on the legitimacy of the quote. So no, I don’t give it a pass for “lol meme ecksdee”.
It shouldn’t be controversial to hold people making propaganda to any kind of standard in a world where “just memes lol” carried Donald Trump to power twice.
Again, it’s a meme not a dissertation or report.
There are no expectations that the meme is a legitimate source of information and should never be treated as such. If you take memes seriously as a source of information then you have issues.
The issue with misinformation isn’t people providing sources or not but people being too stupid to have skepticism of things they read online and taking everything so seriously all the damn time.
I don’t – which should be obvious based on the fact I decided to source the quote. A frightening amount of people do, and that’s not limited to one political side. It’s 2026; we’ve been watching widespread media illiteracy and intellectual laziness destroy society for at least the last decade. You can’t just pretend you’re totally separate from that when you put media out into the world to be consumed by others.
And if you think basic sourcing is limited to “dissertations” or “school reports”, then writing school reports ironically taught you jack shit about why sourcing is important.
The fact you went out of your way to source a quote on a meme shows you take it more seriously than necessary.
Oh, and speaking of media illiteracy, just because I used those as examples doesn’t mean that was an exhaustive list of all possible examples.
Citing sources is only necessary or important when the media in question is presenting itself as a legitimate source of information. Since, this is a meme and not a dissertation, a journal article, or any other outlet that is presenting itself as a legitimate source of information, none of those obligations exist.
Just because media is being distributed to the public doesn’t make that media obligated to present itself as legitimate. The fact that it is a meme should already be proof enough that it is not legitimate and should not be treated as such.
Media illiteracy and intellectual laziness are issues but you do not solve them by catering to the inept. You solve it by educating them out of their ineptitude.
If this meme isn’t presenting that the quote is real, then why the fuck does it exist? I mean “to be easily created and disseminated propaganda”, obviously, but why should it exist? Sourcing your shit isn’t “catering to the inept”; it’s catering to the people who care about the truth. If sourcing is “catering to the inept”, then why is it done in those contexts you mentioned? When does it stop “catering to the inept”? The answer, obviously, is it doesn’t, because it never was.
If you want to think that an expectation of basic sourcing should be limited to e.g. academic contexts, journalism, etc., to the point that the notion of expecting that from anything else offends you, then whatever I say isn’t going to convince you out of your own laziness and stupidity. You’re part of the problem.
Because it’s a meme and its creator wanted it to for shits and giggles. My assumption was that it was made up to be funny and bash on Obama for being a warmongering oil baron.
Things don’t need a reason to exist.
You’re literally in a political propaganda community created, solely modded, and near-exclusively posted to by the OP. Memes like this are digital propaganda leaflets designed to be easily digested and distributed, and this one’s entire point rests on the legitimacy of the quote. So no, I don’t give it a pass for “lol meme ecksdee”.
It shouldn’t be controversial to hold people making propaganda to any kind of standard in a world where “just memes lol” carried Donald Trump to power twice.