The Brief: "I'm gonna tell my kids this was" and "I'm gonna tell my grandkids this was" memes rewrite history on new terms.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

“I’m gonna tell my kids/grandkids this was” memes provide alternative histories to the mainstream established ones. The premise of these memes is that since history is subjective, we can tell our kids false truths for the sake of giving them hope or having a laugh. “Gonna tell my kids” memes often elevate fandoms, pieces of pop culture, and undervalued figures by suggesting they should be remembered and honored as much as famous world leaders and historical icons.

A Baby Yoda looking up meme:

Mr. Worldwide!

A$AP Rocky and Lana Del Rey as JFK and Jackie Kennedy:

The Sleepytime Tea Bear as Bon Iver:

A comparison between Gordon Sondland and Tekashi6ix9ine:

Cam’ron >>> William Shakespeare

“Say My Name” Carve My Likeness Into a cliff in South Dakota

A very wholesome variation of this meme:

Kanye parting the Red Sea:

Gonna tell my kids this was Moses from Kanye

I’m gonna tell my kids this was Bob Dylan from IASIP

Gonna tell my kids this was Woody from Toy Story from travisscott

“Gonna tell my grandkids” and “gonna tell my kids” memes both subvert mainstream historical narratives and allow people to make playful jokes about resemblances between celebrities and the ways in which mainstream society values some people over others. While it seems unlikely that anyone will successfully fool their kids into thinking, for example, that Cardi B is Audrey Hepburn, these memes are a currently viral format to create, share, and contemplate.