Lisa Simpson Presentation

Origin of Image

The original image is a screencap of the American animated comedy the Simpsons episode “Bye Bye Nerdy.” This episode originally aired in March 2001 as part of the Simpsons’ twelfth season. In this episode, Lisa is being bullied at school by a new student, which prompts her to explore the cause of bullying in schools. She then presents her findings to a group of scientists (this scene is where the meme is derived from).

Origin of Meme

The first iteration of the meme appeared on Reddit on May 16th, 2018. The original poster, thomas22howe, posted their iteration of the meme on the /r/MemeEconomy subreddit.

## Lisa Simpson Presentation

### Platform(s) of Spread

Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

This subreddit, describes itself as a space where users can “can buy, sell, share, make, and invest in templates freely” and a where one can “Collaborate with other fellow meme traders to analyze the new formats on the block.” This subreddit serves as a space for users to discuss burgeoning meme formats and invest fictional currency in them.

In thomas22howe’s original post, the Lisa Simpson presentation had the caption Simpsons memes are always a good investment so BUY BUY BUY '' suggesting that the meme would soon gain popularity on the internet  (which it eventually did).

Also on May 16th 2018, the first recorded edited version of this meme (pictured below)  was posted in /r/MemeEconomy by a user named Paralexian and it was generally well-received with 650 points.

## Recognizable Features

This meme features Lisa Simpson, a character known for her outspoken and socially conscious nature, standing on a stage in front of a blank projector screen. Lisa looks as though she is giving an impassioned speech to a crowd of people. When the meme is remediated, users add text to the screen behind Lisa to make it seem like she is talking about that issue. In variations of the meme, users sometimes swap out some or all of the characters, but they still retain the idea of a character giving a presentation. Typically, the meme format is used to illustrate a controversial opinion the user holds and wants to convey to others. In this way, the format works as a tool of persuasion or an invitation for discussion.

## Cultural Context (U.S.)

Both within the meme and beyond it, Lisa Simpson is a female character marked by her willingness to stand up for her beliefs. She quite literally embodies the notion of women making their voices heard no matter what outside powers might try to silence them. During 2018 there were a few cultural events (many of them centering around women) which may have contributed to the meme’s resonance in American culture.

The U.S. was two years into the presidency of Donald Trump. In general, Trump’s presidency was a polarizing time in the country and, during 2018, there were a few notable moments.

A particular area of scandal was Trump’s treatment of women during his campaign and presidency. He was known to say contentious things about women, usually regarding their appearance. For instance, speaking on Rosie O’Donnell, Trump remarked, "She's a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running The View, I'd fire Rosie. I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Rosie, you're fired.’” This has set a tone for Trump as not being an ally of women and instead, accused of making misogyny more acceptable in the public sphere.

Also during 2018, the #metoo movement gained more attention.The #metoo movement aimed to give women a voice to call out instances of sexual abuse and harassment. The beginning of the #metoo movement actually began in 2006 when activist Tarana Burke used the phrase to recount her harassment experience. The phrase later gained traction in 2017 when Ashley Judd used the phrase to accuse Harvey Weinstein of misconduct. In the period between metoo’s resurgence and 2018, several men of power have had their misconduct revealed to the public, and they have faced consequences.

Though the meme does not explicitly address these aforementioned  cultural events, they are more than likely some of the influences which affected the meme’s social prevalence. Lauren Michele Jackson, in “A Unified Theory of Meme Death,” writes how “Memes capture and maintain people’s attention in a given moment because something about that moment provides a context that makes that meme attractive.” A certain meme is popular due to the way it makes itself relevant and relatable to peoples’ lives during a particular time. Issues of women’s welfare were at the social  forefront during 2018.

Considering the social climate of 2018 in the US, a climate marked by a world leader infamous for his poor treatment of women, and the burgeoning #metoo movement where women were actively taking a stand against men who abused their positions of power, it makes sense that this meme format would be popular. Lisa Simpson, a young and empowered woman, is making herself heard to resist an oppressive bully.

## Audience

Because of the Simpsons’ establishment as a mainstay of popular culture (in both the United States and all over the world), it is likely that its characters are extremely recognizable--even if one has not seen the show. While one's enjoyment of the meme might be enhanced by knowledge of the Lisa Simpson character, it is not necessarily required to understand the meme. The format is extremely simple and one can understand what is going on (someone is giving an impassioned speech), without being explicitly told. Furthermore, as audience members take up the meme and remix it to suit their needs (see the below example where the meme was redrawn using the Reddit mascot), they are allowing the meme to be tailored to address specific groups.  Though the meme format is not aimed at a particular audience, it does not prevent the meme from reaching or being remixed to reach an audience.

## Circulation

As previously mentioned, the original image of Lisa Simpson’s presentation was first posted on Reddit on May 16th, 2018 in the r/MemeEconomy subreddit. After this initial post, the format was used within the /r/MemeEconomy subreddit and spread to other subreddits such as /r/dankmemes and  /r/2meirl42meirl4meirl.

From these initial Reddit posts, the meme spread to other social media platforms. Though there is no clear documentation of these early posts, one can draw some conclusions about its circulation based on the nature of the meme format. Since the meme is simply a screencap with text placed over it, it more than likely spread first to image-heavy platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. However, in video based platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, these memes may not be as prevalent.

The cultural relevance of The Simpsons may also play a part in the meme’s presence in internet culture. As The Simpsons is the United States’ longest-running scripted prime time tv show, it will always have some sort of presence in pop culture. Furthermore, there are specialized spaces where dedicated fans of the show share memes (some of which include Lisa Simpson’s Presentation) such as Rancho Relaxo and Simpsons Bortposting groups.

## Ethical Issues

In general, the meme format has no overt ideological agenda it seeks to promote. However, as Woods and Hahner in *Make America Meme Again* posit, “Memes are the gateway to a more vicious advocacy…The basic function of a meme is to proliferate, to create fertile ground for this extremism” (14). Memes have the capacity to be co-opted and used as a tool for promoting misinformation--ultimately resulting in radicalization. The Lisa Simpson Presentation meme is no exception to this idea.

At its core, the meme suggests one is presenting a controversial opinion which is true, but, for whatever reason, people believe it is incorrect. This positions the creator’s voice as an authority and others as wrong in some capacity. Whatever opinion this meme conveys, the format implies that it is correct. This notion is furthered by the scenario the image presents to viewers. Lisa Simpson is making a scientific breakthrough about human nature that was previously unknown.

Because there is no inherent fact checking on memes, the format allows memers to project their own bias and agendas on the meme. Woods and Hahner, speaking on the rhetorical nature of memes, writes how memes are “fashioned with ideas about audience persuasion and adaptation in mind. The goal is to use affective appeals, stretched reasoning, simplistic claims, and other tactics to move audiences toward extreme positions” (15). Memers can take up a meme which has no inherent agenda or stance and manipulate it to become ideologically charged. In the case of Lisa Simpson’s Presentation, a memer can easily choose to take this format  and use it to promote misinformation under the guise of legitimate information.

## Impact

Lisa Simpson’s Presentation is, by no means, a groundbreaking meme. It lends itself to the growing legacy of presentation memes. These memes are similar to Lisa Simpson’s Presentation in that they feature a figure giving their opinion via a presentation. Examples of this meme include but are not limited to Kirby Explains (2005), the Change My Mind meme (2018), and later, Spider-Man’s Presentation (2019).

Lisa Simpson’s presentation adds new possibilities for expressing emotion through the presentation meme genre. Though Lisa Simpson’s Presentation certainly resembles the aforementioned presentation memes, this meme’s distinguishing factor is the confrontational nature of its format. Opposed to the other presentation memes who have subjects giving a speech--often looking smug and/or content with their opinions--Lisa Simpson’s presentation is noticeably pointed. Her facial expression and body language both evoke feelings of aggression towards the viewer. Someone who wishes to convey their ideas in a more combative way might employ Lisa Simpson’s Presentation over other meme formats.

## References

Chicago Tribune. “#MeToo: A Timeline of Events.” *Chicago Tribune*, 4 Feb. 2021, https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-me-too-timeline-20171208-htmlstory.html.

Jackson, Lauren Michele. “A Unified Theory of Meme Death.” *The Atlantic*, Atlantic Media Company, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/a-unified-theory-of-meme-death/546866/.

Matt. “Lisa Simpson's Presentation.” *Know Your Meme*, Know Your Meme, 8 Dec. 2022, https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lisa-simpsons-presentation.

Mina, An Xiao. *Memes to Movements*. Penguin USA, 2019.

Plaugic, Lizzie. “How a Group of Redditors Is Creating a Fake Stock Market to Figure out the Value of Memes.” *The Verge*, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2017, https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/10/14223264/meme-economy-reddit-stock-market.

Prasad, Ritu. “How Trump Talks about Women - and Does It Matter?” *BBC News*, BBC, 29 Nov. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50563106.

“The Simpsons.” *Encyclopædia Britannica*, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Simpsons.

Woods, Heather Suzanne, and Leslie A. Hahner. *Make America Meme Again the Rhetoric of the Alt-Right*. Peter Lang Publishing Inc. New York, 2020.