Roughly three months ago, the Cincinnati Zoo earned a place in the spot light after one of their most treasured animals was shot and killed. Harambe, who was a 450-pound endangered gorilla witnessed a small boy fall into his enclosure space on Saturday, May 28th. Video footage shows Harambe grabbing the boy and dragging him around the enclosure for several seconds before Cincinnati authorities decided to take action and shoot the gorilla. Thus, bringing a tragic end to Harambe’s life.
You’d think that would be the end of it, wouldn’t you? Of course there would be some media attention covering the story in the weeks to follow. The press would spend time interviewing the staff of the zoo as well as the bystanders to gather the popular opinion of whether or not the beloved gorilla truly deserved the fate he received. And that would be it, right? No more media attention, no more drama over this event, it would simply fall into the backs of our minds until another news story popped up. Wrong. Nearly three months after the death of Harambe, he is still holding precedence in the media, but not for reasons everyone would have expected.
It is no secret that millennials find social media to be a gift from the gods. Even if you don’t consider yourself someone who frequents it every day, odds are you have either Facebook or Instagram on the home screen of your iPhone. That being said, we have found ways to get more creative with what we do with social media. The few that are brilliant with social media have the ability to string together Disney songs to compile a pop-hit by Smash Mouth. They dig up legendary episodes of SpongeBob and add a clever, “when the bass drops…” caption that they know everyone will understand. And in the moments when an endangered gorilla gets shot and sparks controversy, they create a, “take a shot for Harambe, he took one for you” shot glass.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t find the, “HΔΓAMBE” caption for rushing Delta Gamma funny. To be honest, the first time I saw it, I thought it was absolutely genius. Mostly because someone somewhere found a way to relate an event that went viral with a way to get the attention of those interested in joining their sorority, but maybe partially because those specific Greek letters apply to me as well.
The bottom line is, while some adults - and possibly even teens - may find it offensive that the death of an endangered zoo animal is somewhat being mocked, millennials everywhere are finding it absolutely hilarious and taking part in the “Harambe will live on” movement, and who’s to say that they shouldn’t?
The endangered silverback gorilla never intended to be the inspiration for hundreds of creative captions everywhere, but that is exactly what he has become. Without even trying, he has become the star of shot glasses, sorority recruitment, memes everywhere, and now an article. If you ask me, Harambe is being honored and remembered more than any zoo animal that has come before him ever has. Which brings me to one conclusion:
Harambe will live on.
