Harambe's Not Racist, You Are | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Harambe's Not Racist, You Are

Why your love for this fallen gorilla, may he rest in peace, makes you racist.

160
Harambe's Not Racist, You Are
Fusion

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, you know who Harambe is. Just in case you don't, he was the gorilla that was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a young boy slipped into his enclosure.

Harambe, may he rest in peace, has since joined the ranks of countless viral internet memes with song parodies and even his own line of merchandise. But this slain primate is more than just a meme, he is the embodiment of a rebellion against an emotionally-driven, severely misguided search for social justice.

Immediately after the shooting of Harambe, the Internet was buzzing with condemnation for the Cincinnati Zoo for their decision to kill the gorilla to protect the child in his grasp. The hashtag, #JusticeforHarambe quickly began trending on social media as people voiced their outrage at the "unjustified" and "tragic" death of the gorilla, despite the clear danger that Harambe presented to the life of the young boy.

The popularity of Harambe memes is a reaction to the irrationality of people protesting the death of a gorilla and disregarding the life of the young boy.

But social justice warriors, never happy being the butt of a joke, are now wanting to purge the internet and college campuses of Harambe's presence.Their tactic in getting rid of Harambe?

Racism.

A Fusion article, Your Favorite Harambe Memes Are Racist. It's Time To Stop Using Themwrites, "there’s another side to Harambe’s popularity—one inexorably tied to racist ideas about black people, Africa, and gorillas—that plays a large, troubling role in the memes’ collective staying power."

Similarly, on college campuses there has been a banning of Harambe memes and references. University of Massachusetts sent a letter to resident students saying, "Any negative remarks regarding ‘Harambe’ will be seen as a direct attack to our campus’s African American community."

Later, Clemson University sent a similar letter to Freshman writing, "If residents are asking why they have to take them down you can share that there was a report from an individual about a meme being offensive and bias [sic] in nature and as a result all Harambe references are no longer allowed within our community."

Moral of the story? If you like Harambe memes, you're a racist.

Except not.

Harambe memes were started in jest, in reaction to the overreaction from those that put the life of a primate over the life of a child. Not seeing where racism comes in? Let me enlighten you.

The racism comes from the social justice warriors themselves. To discredit and silence the internet phenomenon that is at their own expense, they throw around buzzwords to enforce their own form of cultural marxism.

The irony? Social justice warriors (i.e. Vox, Fusion, etc) are the only ones making the disgusting comparison between Harambe and African Americans.

The implication that all people who enjoy Harambe memes are using it as a way to express or revel in closeted racism is laughable. One could almost say it is deplorable.



Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl

If it hurts now, it'll hurt again. Not because you're gullible or naive, only because you fall fast, hard, and you do it every time.

We fall each and every time with the complete and utter confidence that someone will be there to catch us. Now that person we SWORE we were never going to fall for has our hearts, and every time we see them our palms start sweating. The butterflies in our stomach start to soar and our hearts are entirely too close to bursting out of our chests.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

10 Things Only Equestrians Understand

Yes, it IS a sport. Yes, I fall all the time. No, I do not ride in jeans with a cowgirl hat on.

413
horses
Barn Pros

Growing up I have always wanted to own a horse. My grandparents own a well known equestrian facility in Georgia, so I have been riding since I was born. A bond between a person and their horse is a bond so strong that it cannot be broken. Everywhere I went I wanted to be around horses, even forcing my family to go on trail rides during vacations. Horses have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember has taught me great responsibility, as well as 14 things that all equestrians can relate to.

Keep Reading...Show less
man wearing white top using MacBook
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

College is super hard. Between working, studying, and having a social life, it feels like a struggle to just keep afloat.

I understand. When you feel like your drowning and there's no way to stay afloat I understand that it feels like everyone else is doing just fine. I understand all the frustration, long nights in the library, and that feeling that you want to just throw in the towel. I understand that sometimes it's too hard to get out of bed because your brain is already filled with too much information to remember. I understand because I am also feeling pretty burnt out.

Keep Reading...Show less
No Matter How Challenging School Gets, You Have To Put Your Health First — A Degree Won't Mean Anything If You're Dead
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Some of the best advice I've ever received was from my social studies teacher in sophomore year of high school. He stated, "If you don't know it at midnight, you're not going to know it for the 8 a.m. exam, so get some sleep."

It's such a simple piece of advice, but it holds so much accuracy and it's something that the majority of college students need to hear and listen to. "All-nighters" are a commonality on college campuses in order to cram in studying for an exam that is typically the next day.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Warnings About College To Incoming Freshmen As Told By Gifs

College is hard, but you will make it through.

621
college just ahead sign
Wordpress

1. You will have that special "college" look to you.

2. You will feel like an adult but also feeling like a child.

3. You will have classes that are just the professor reading from their lecture slides for an hour.

4. You will need to study but also want to hang out with your friends.

5. Coffee is your best friend.

6. You don't know what you're doing 99% of the time.

7. You will procrastinate and write a paper the night before it is due.

8. Money is a mythical object.

9. It is nearly impossible to motivate yourself to go to classes during spring.

10. The food pyramid goes out the window.

11. You will have at least one stress induced breakdown a semester.

12. Most lecture classes will bore you to tears.

13. You will not like all of your professors.

14. You will try to go to the gym... but you will get too lazy at some point.

15. When you see high school students taking tours:

16. You will try to convince yourself that you can handle everything.

17. Finals week will try to kill you.

18. You won't like everyone, but you will find your best friends sooner or later.

19. You actually have to go to class.

20. Enjoy it, because you will be sad when it is all over.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments