This strange meme. Baffles me. Please explain. January 27, 2014 11:20 AM   Subscribe

I've seen this 3-phrase trend go around the blue recently, e.g. in the title of this post and in various comments I can no longer find. Can someone please tell me what it means and where it comes from?
posted by shivohum to MetaFilter-Related at 11:20 AM (126 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

It's a weird meme called "shibe doge".
posted by Rock Steady at 11:21 AM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Yep, it's doge. Such baffle. Very explain.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:23 AM on January 27, 2014 [67 favorites]


As soon as I figure out how I'm gonna make a gif of a shibe doge in Döge, Hungary dodging an Italian Doge being flung at him and then enter it into the Documentation en Gestion des Entreprises. Then I will kill myself since I will never achieve anything greater in my lifetime.
posted by charred husk at 11:34 AM on January 27, 2014 [19 favorites]


The meme is very twee. Some folks are obviously still enjoying it, but man, I thought it became annoying very quickly.

I love Shibas. Great dogs. Had one for a while. It's nice to see pictures of them. But this meme is definitely not for me.
posted by zarq at 11:36 AM on January 27, 2014 [5 favorites]


Don't dig doge? Dang.
posted by ardgedee at 11:37 AM on January 27, 2014 [16 favorites]


This is one of those things that I didn't particularly like at first but I now find inexplicably charming.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 11:40 AM on January 27, 2014 [9 favorites]


The meme is very twee.

Well, it's not Wes Anderson twee, but it's definitely Miranda July twee.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:41 AM on January 27, 2014 [4 favorites]


Mod note: Comment removed. "Don't psyche people out with fake death news" should be a pretty fucking basic Don't around here, I'm not sure why I'm having to leave a note about this.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:51 AM on January 27, 2014 [8 favorites]


but it's definitely Miranda July twee.

wow

lookit me, performance art

very childhood, into exploration of innocence

adult world so confusing, much alienating

BRB, talking to moon

wow.
posted by The Whelk at 11:53 AM on January 27, 2014 [19 favorites]


In fairness, it was July's husband, Mike Mills, who had a talking dog in his movie Beginners.

Ms. July has a talking cat in The Future.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:58 AM on January 27, 2014


Wow. Much clever. So poetry.
posted by billiebee at 12:04 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


A Talking Cat?!
posted by The Whelk at 12:06 PM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


Doge is one meme that can't end too quickly, if you ask me. I'm amazed that it's lasted as long as it has, because to me it just seemed completely unfunny and stupid (not unfunny like a racist joke, unfunny like, I dunno, a potato) from the very first time I saw it. I must be the only one though, because it's been an unusually popular and long-lived meme and doesn't seem to be going anywhere yet.
posted by Scientist at 12:15 PM on January 27, 2014 [12 favorites]


MetaFilter: unfunny like, I dunno, a potato
posted by Going To Maine at 12:22 PM on January 27, 2014 [37 favorites]


No "Shatner" tag for the title?
posted by EvaDestruction at 12:23 PM on January 27, 2014



The meme is very twee.


don't know about doge etc. I am after all over fifty. But I must say that twee is the perfect adjective for a certain kind of annoying something. And I fully support it's getting broken down into sub-twees, the Miranda July/Wes Anderson divide feeling particularly astute.
posted by philip-random at 12:24 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


potato can be funny
posted by The Whelk at 12:24 PM on January 27, 2014 [11 favorites]


Memes always overstay their welcome but I find doge much [more] charming than previous hits like rage comics or advice animals. Maybe the internet's taste is improving
posted by gorbweaver at 12:25 PM on January 27, 2014 [10 favorites]


I'm anti-meme as a matter of course. #antimeme #fuckmemes
posted by naju at 12:33 PM on January 27, 2014


In my mind, there is a bronze statue of doge standing over Grumpy Cat (the meme, not the actual cat) in victory.

His front legs are in the air which in the symbolism of doguestrian statues means someone is making themselves a sandwich at the kitchen counter.
posted by griphus at 12:34 PM on January 27, 2014


unfunny like, I dunno, a potato

A potato, or a potatoe? Still funny potatoes. Such dumb. Very laugh.
posted by octobersurprise at 12:38 PM on January 27, 2014


unfunny like, I dunno, a potato

Do you want to know how I know you've never played Portal2?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:39 PM on January 27, 2014 [12 favorites]


Also, it may be apocryphal, but it's said that Mr. Potatohead used to slay them in the Borscht Belt.
posted by octobersurprise at 12:48 PM on January 27, 2014


I was all excited about not liking it and then I saw this one.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:48 PM on January 27, 2014 [10 favorites]


I've seen memes you people wouldn't believe.
Lolcats on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched Pedobears glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Cool story, bro.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:51 PM on January 27, 2014 [39 favorites]


Aaaaaand now it's potoo
posted by ook at 12:58 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


it's okay

soon all will be weege

weege just waiting

looking

staring
posted by The Whelk at 12:59 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


This is one of those things that makes less sense after you read the explanation.
posted by Miko at 12:59 PM on January 27, 2014 [17 favorites]


Interesting fact: in French, the word for potato is pomme de terre, the translation of which means "box of the earth" or, less literally, "casket."

The potato has been long associated with death in French culture, and in many Renaissance-era funerary paintings, you can spot an enormous potato in a black cloak (akin to the traditional garb of the Grim Reaper.) "Richard Cœur de Lion et L'pomme de Terre" is a well-known fairy tale of Norman origin, wherein the famous king known as Richard the Lionheart confronts and defeats the devil himself, who is in the guise of a potato.

The potato-as-death shows up in many other places in French culture. During the annual Memento Mori festivals celebrated across France, the elderly are traditionally given a gift of a sack of potatoes to throw at schoolchildren. This is to remind the younger generation that youth is fleeting and death may come unexpectedly and at any moment.

The potato also figures into more contemporary French art. Jean-Luc Godard regularly cast potatoes as extras in scenes where his characters confronted death. Delphine Seyrig was even briefly married to a potato she met during the shooting of Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad.
posted by griphus at 12:59 PM on January 27, 2014 [49 favorites]


So it's pretty much the dog equivalent of LOLCat?

Include me out.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:00 PM on January 27, 2014


in French, the word for potato is pomme de terre, the translation of which means "box of the earth"

s/box/apple/

box of the earth would be something like "boite de terre"*

*this lesson in Fronch brought to you by Tim Hortons' Boite de 6.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:02 PM on January 27, 2014 [12 favorites]


Dirt Apple. Potato in french is dirt apple.

When I was trying to be low-carb I had to keep reminding myself of this fact.
posted by The Whelk at 1:03 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I thought it was sort of funny at first but I've been a little surprised by its staying power.

Potoos, however, are comedy gold.
posted by jquinby at 1:03 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


the elderly are traditionally given a gift of a sack of potatoes to throw at schoolchildren

See, this meme I can get behind.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:04 PM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


"I remember that day. You were wearing blue, the Germans were wearing gray, the potatoes were wearing brown."
posted by octobersurprise at 1:05 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


the traditional potato-throwing chant is a momento mori, screaming at the youth that they too will wither and die.

the children are allowed to keep the potatoes and commonly sleep with them under their pillow or tucked in their shoes, so they can have a vision of their too-soon demise.
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I think that the Whelk and I have disrupted griphus's attempt to offer useful and completely correct information to elizardbits and the similarly gullible.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:06 PM on January 27, 2014 [7 favorites]


the children are allowed to keep the potatoes and commonly sleep with them under their pillow or tucked in their shoes, so they can have a vision of their too-soon demise.

Which raises for them the age-old dilemma - do they eat the potato now, or save it so they can drink it later?
posted by backseatpilot at 1:06 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Unlike most memes of this kind, doge isn't based on anger, contempt and cynicism. There's something gentle and sweet about it. Doge will always love you even if you don't love it back.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:11 PM on January 27, 2014 [21 favorites]


Delphine Seyrig was even briefly married to a potato she met during the shooting of Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad.

Walter Cronkite nearly married a noble potato, until she learned that he was merely a commentator.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:17 PM on January 27, 2014 [12 favorites]


You are okay when you die as long as you have your potato on a string.
posted by winna at 1:18 PM on January 27, 2014 [9 favorites]


The trick is to feed your loved one while they feed you, you'll both be trying to give the nicest chunky spoonfuls to one another.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:22 PM on January 27, 2014


I tend to cast general side-eye in the direction of "memes", but for some reason doge just never ever gets old for me.
posted by threeants at 1:24 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


*this lesson in Fronch brought to you by Tim Hortons' Boite de 6.

As wrong as "pomme" translating to "box" might be, gawd, since when do donuts come in boxes of 6? You buy one donut or you buy a dozen and every other denomination is just wrong. I don't even think I've ever seen a box of 6 and I've lived in Canada for 30+ years.
posted by Hoopo at 1:28 PM on January 27, 2014


That potato looks way more like Admiral Ackbar than it does Bandicoot Cummersnatch.
posted by coppermoss at 1:33 PM on January 27, 2014


So, shivohum, having braved a world so Doge, how do you find yourself?

Are you a changed MeFite? Do you bear the mark of your adventures?
posted by carsonb at 1:33 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


As wrong as "pomme" translating to "box" might be, gawd, since when do donuts come in boxes of 6? You buy one donut or you buy a dozen and every other denomination is just wrong. I don't even think I've ever seen a box of 6 and I've lived in Canada for 30+ years.

Baker's dozen. Besides, I always thought that Canadian doughnuts came in bags, to make them easier to dunk in milk.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:45 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I think doge is awesome because there's no malice in it. A lot of lolcats can carry an undertone of about-to-go-for-the-jugular (much like real cats, bless their furry little sociopathic tendencies). Doge is just... "Welcome to the inside of a dog's head. It's bright and friendly in here and we are easily distr"
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:48 PM on January 27, 2014 [16 favorites]


The thing about doge is that once you see a few, it INVADES YOUR MIND. Like, I can't use "very" or "such" as a modifier anymore without picking a shiba inu in my head.

(thanks for the link, billiebee. I was just saying how I think that parody is maybe the height of my literary career.)
posted by maryr at 1:53 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I always thought that Canadian doughnuts came in bags, to make them easier to dunk in milk

OK now you guys are just trolling right?
posted by Hoopo at 1:53 PM on January 27, 2014


It starts to appear everywhere.
posted by maryr at 1:56 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Dogenuts?
posted by Going To Maine at 1:58 PM on January 27, 2014


So, shivohum, having braved a world so Doge, how do you find yourself?

Are you a changed MeFite? Do you bear the mark of your adventures?


I think maybe Miko had it right.

But seriously, thanks everyone. I get it now... I guess.
posted by shivohum at 2:05 PM on January 27, 2014


> I must be the only one though

Nope, I too got sick of it approximately five minutes after first being exposed to it. Bad doge! Go away!
posted by languagehat at 2:09 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I think that the Whelk and I have disrupted griphus's attempt to offer useful and completely correct information to elizardbits and the similarly gullible.

no my french is far too good to be fooled by griphus' sad attempts

also my tragic credulity only extends towards american football and anything at all that takes place in the entire nation of australia, land of mysteries
posted by elizardbits at 2:15 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


it takes a certain je ne said quoi to bandy about fake deaths in a thread about doge, of all things
posted by angrycat at 2:16 PM on January 27, 2014


I see this as being based in a stereotype of the way Japanese and particularly Chinese people with limited English speak.

It isn't hateful or mean-spirited, but it is belittling.
posted by jamjam at 2:17 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]




Interesting that you see the two as mutually exclusive, PA.
posted by jamjam at 2:24 PM on January 27, 2014


Such explanation.

very mod.

More appreciation.
posted by infini at 2:26 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Wow
              so plate          wow
much beans      very think
       wow
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on January 27, 2014 [33 favorites]


no my french is far too good to be fooled by griphus' sad attempts

Fun fact: In Western Australian (spec. Perth) slang, 'sad' means 'delightfully original' (e.g. "Young Einstein starring Yahoo Serious is the saddest movie.")
posted by griphus at 2:28 PM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


I had always interpreted the Dogean grammar as being inspired by the fact that dogs do not have a solid understanding of English grammar, cf. lolcatspeak.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:31 PM on January 27, 2014 [14 favorites]


Doge is very much how I would picture a certain kind of dog thinking. They're terminally amazed by everything in this cheerful spirit of adventure.

Doge-dogs never meet strangers, just friends they haven't gotten treats from yet. They never meet anything bad. Even bad things (like death, sadly) they greet with a mild astonished wonder.

I do love dogs. They're not all like that all the time, but every dog is a bit doge at heart.
posted by winna at 2:42 PM on January 27, 2014 [22 favorites]


also my tragic credulity only extends towards american football and anything at all that takes place in the entire nation of australia, land of mysteries

hey did you know Australia has its own kind of football?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:01 PM on January 27, 2014


Scientist: "unfunny like, I dunno, a potato"

Shibetato?
posted by Hairy Lobster at 3:07 PM on January 27, 2014 [9 favorites]


Canadian doughnuts came in bags, to make them easier to dunk in milk.

We have different steeping times depending on the flavour of the doughnut.
posted by arcticseal at 3:37 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yeah, I'm with Winna on this — the callow joy of doges totally connects with dogs I've known (down to the comic sans), similar to how Cheezburger works with cats.
posted by klangklangston at 3:44 PM on January 27, 2014


Pronunciation variations:


1) doje (like the Venetian duke) This seems to be the accepted "official" pronunciation.

2) dogue (rhymes with vogue and rogue) My personal favorite.

3) dog (hey, just 'cause there's an "e" at the end, I can still say "dog" if I want to)

4) dodge (just like the Ram Truck)

5) dough (the "g" is silent)


Are there any others I'm overlooking?
posted by marsha56 at 3:45 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


SERIFED SHIBETATO IS WRONG.
posted by maryr at 3:47 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


"doge" uses the 'g' in "gif"
posted by maryr at 3:47 PM on January 27, 2014 [18 favorites]


Waiting on the inevitable dickbutt MeTa.
posted by Ufez Jones at 3:53 PM on January 27, 2014


While we're exploring the space of possible pet peeve permutations: I'm totally okay with doge, but saying "shibe" instead of "shiba inu" makes my teeth itch.
posted by this is a thing at 4:06 PM on January 27, 2014


Is pomme de terre actually a thing any francophone actually says? The word is patate, no?
posted by Sys Rq at 4:08 PM on January 27, 2014


Doge reminds me of that scene in Casablanca, where the elderly couple celebrating in Rick's try to speak English:

"Liebchen - sweetness, what watch?"
"Ten watch."
"Such much?"
posted by CancerMan at 4:17 PM on January 27, 2014 [10 favorites]


This has been bugging me since the Doge meme came into being -- can anyone explain why LOLCAT-speak cracked me up when it first hit big (and even though it's well overplayed at this point can still make me giggle from time to time), but the Doge meme makes me cringe and want to set things on fire? Why does one particular mangling of the spelling, grammar, and syntax of the English language make me laugh and engage me, while another is absolutely off-putting?

Anyone?
posted by tzikeh at 4:20 PM on January 27, 2014


"Are there any others I'm overlooking?"

Dohg-ay
Dohg-uh
posted by klangklangston at 4:23 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


Oh, good ones. Thanks klangklangston !!
posted by marsha56 at 4:27 PM on January 27, 2014


that scene in Casablanca, where the elderly couple celebrating in Rick's try to speak English

S.Z. Sakall doge is the best idea I've heard in some time.
posted by RogerB at 4:33 PM on January 27, 2014


no my french is far too good to be fooled by griphus' sad attempts

Oh, no, I didn't mean you. You're way too smart to fall for such a simple trick... I meant some other elizardbits that you totally don't know.

Fun fact: In Western Australian (spec. Perth) slang, 'sad' means 'delightfully original'

TELL US MORE COMPLETELY TRUE FACTS THAT ARE NOT FALSE, GRIPHUS!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:39 PM on January 27, 2014


I just wonder which of LOLCAT, Doge, ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US, and so forth will one day reach the status of "turtles, all the way down."

I also often wonder how it is we learn of turtles-all-the-way-down because it seems like something people mainly learn from reading, but now and then someone will surprise me by knowing/not knowing its origin. Can it be a way to identify kindred spirits? Probably not, but I wish it were that easy.
posted by janey47 at 4:51 PM on January 27, 2014


Guys I don't mean to alarm you but I'm starting to suspect that some of the posters in this thread know how to speak French.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:00 PM on January 27, 2014 [8 favorites]


I've learned a lot at Metafilter, today. I had no idea this was a thing with a history and a time line.
posted by marimeko at 5:01 PM on January 27, 2014


This has been bugging me since the Doge meme came into being -- can anyone explain why LOLCAT-speak cracked me up when it first hit big (and even though it's well overplayed at this point can still make me giggle from time to time), but the Doge meme makes me cringe and want to set things on fire? Why does one particular mangling of the spelling, grammar, and syntax of the English language make me laugh and engage me, while another is absolutely off-putting?

Anyone?


Cats.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 5:04 PM on January 27, 2014


 très multilingue
            comme parler
   beaucoup français
ouah 
posted by Wolfdog at 5:14 PM on January 27, 2014 [30 favorites]


tzikeh pleaded:
"Anyone?"

Comic sans.

marsha56 asked:
"Are there any others I'm overlooking?"

Dog-ee
posted by batmonkey at 5:14 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Wolfdog I regret I only had one favorite to give for that comment.
posted by winna at 5:16 PM on January 27, 2014


Dough-geh

That's how I pronounce it if I assume it's wapuro romaji.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:38 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Hot damn. There are more ways to pronounce Doge than MeFi.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:38 PM on January 27, 2014 [4 favorites]


Also, I want to see a Tumblr blog where doges and lolcats meet and debate really important stuff like climate change, world peace, and laps. Why doesn't this exist yet?
posted by iamkimiam at 5:41 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


(Beans LOL cat with many-eyed potato, pulls ripcord and jumps)
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:45 PM on January 27, 2014


Potomac Avenue: Guys I don't mean to alarm you but I'm starting to suspect that some of the posters in this thread know how to speak French.

Metafilter: Je suis le président de Burundi.
posted by tzikeh at 5:59 PM on January 27, 2014 [7 favorites]


I've seen memes you people wouldn't believe.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate...my mom got scared and said "You're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-air".
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 5:59 PM on January 27, 2014 [7 favorites]


Guys I don't mean to alarm you but I'm starting to suspect that some of the posters in this thread know how to speak French.

Omelette du fromage.
posted by maryr at 6:12 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


Also, I want to see a Tumblr blog where doges and lolcats meet and debate really important stuff like climate change, world peace, and laps. Why doesn't this exist yet?

Be the change you want to see in the world, iamkimiam.
posted by maryr at 6:16 PM on January 27, 2014 [4 favorites]


très multilingue comme parler beaucoup français ouah


Snowy?
posted by theweasel at 6:21 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


I'm not sure. Better check.
posted by maryr at 6:23 PM on January 27, 2014


I see this as being based in a stereotype of the way Japanese and particularly Chinese people with limited English speak.

I thought this was the case too, at first, because the dog is a Shiba. And esp. after finding out that the owner of the Shiba is Japanese. So I never found this meme charming at all.

Why does one particular mangling of the spelling, grammar, and syntax of the English language make me laugh and engage me, while another is absolutely off-putting?

So maybe you're picking up on that?

But then again, I can see how it's supposed to be what's going through the dog's mind, and it also reminds me of the Louis vs Rick "Rick Rick im bored" thing. So now it doesn't bother me as much but I still don't think it's funny.
posted by misozaki at 7:05 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


Is pomme de terre actually a thing any francophone actually says? The word is patate, no?

In Uruguay, apples are frequently referred to as "Papas de Los Arboles."
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:25 PM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]


I see this as being based in a stereotype of the way Japanese and particularly Chinese people with limited English speak.

I figured doge's style/grammar was a riff off of Horse_ebooks?

Is pomme de terre actually a thing any francophone actually says? The word is patate, no?

I've always heard/used pomme de terre. I guess which one people use is generally based on context?

Also, don't go by me, I said "fais dodo" until long after adulthood because that is the kind of thing that happens when you're born and raised in the US and only speak French with family. For all I know, nobody -- but nobody! -- says "pomme de terre" anymore, and if you do you're a hairsbreadth from speaking Norman French and looking for the marrow spoon.
posted by rue72 at 7:47 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


no conquest shaming please
posted by elizardbits at 8:47 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


In Uruguay, apples are frequently referred to as "Papas de Los Arboles."

Okay, so potatoes are dirt apples, and apples are tree potatoes. Can we crossbreed them?
posted by drinkyclown at 8:50 PM on January 27, 2014


BEHOLD: TREE DIRT
posted by Sticherbeast at 8:51 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


and if you do you're a hairsbreadth from speaking Norman French and looking for the marrow spoon.

we come form a land of ice and snow.
posted by The Whelk at 8:54 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


No but seriously how come lolcats-my-brain-thumbs-up but doge-my-brain-thumbs-down like am I alone in this where are the MefiLinguists please to be explaining
posted by tzikeh at 8:56 PM on January 27, 2014


This came up a while back and I got this link: LOLcat Linguistics. The presentation inside is actually great. Not being comparitive, it can't compare LOLspeak and doge. One thing that I notice is a big difference is the frequent use of the intesifier ("much," "very") with a noun rather than an adjective - that might be a fingernail-grating type of thing for some people, as it hits the ear so wrong. Doge is also super fragmented, whereas LOLcats is mostly in complete sentence form, however mangled. I'm no linguist, just spitballing. They are pretty different - other than the fact that both involve an animal, I'm not sure there's any reason why you like one meme just because you like the other.

I like 'em both bot I think LOLcats can sustain my interest longer. I didn't realize I have been saying "doge" for a few years without ever having seen this, so it's managed to get into real-life speak or I'd not have picked it up. It's cute, though.
posted by Miko at 9:15 PM on January 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


"I see this as being based in a stereotype of the way Japanese and particularly Chinese people with limited English speak.

I thought this was the case too, at first, because the dog is a Shiba. And esp. after finding out that the owner of the Shiba is Japanese. So I never found this meme charming at all.
"

That's kind of it, but missing some of the background, I think — it's the same look as a lot of fansub manga, where Comic Sans is still a fact of life. The sparkling cloud of text goes along with SUPER CUTE. So, cute dog with self-consciously cute text applied in self-conscious fansub layout? That can be pretty funny.
posted by klangklangston at 9:18 PM on January 27, 2014


we come form a land of ice and snow

speaking old norse you charlatan
posted by elizardbits at 9:22 PM on January 27, 2014


" One thing that I notice is a big difference is the frequent use of the intesifier ("much," "very") with a noun rather than an adjective - that might be a fingernail-grating type of thing for some people, as it hits the ear so wrong."

Yeah, it's also something you see in fansub Chibi or Super Deformed manga, and cute animals often think or speak in it.
posted by klangklangston at 9:23 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


ánægja ok mjöðr
posted by The Whelk at 9:25 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


griphus: "no my french is far too good to be fooled by griphus' sad attempts

Fun fact: In Western Australian (spec. Perth) slang, 'sad' means 'delightfully original' (e.g. "Young Einstein starring Yahoo Serious is the saddest movie."
"

Another bit of slang that's going around Perth these days is the phrase "bar net", referring of course to the silly nautical-themed ornamental nets seen hanging from bars in many a small coastal pub.

A bar net is supposed appearance of folksy flavor, but is transparently contrived. It contributes nothing meaningful to a pub and in fact often causes serious injury when patrons step away from the bar after ordering and get tangled in it. Basically, a bar net is something that on initial glance just seems innocuously stupid and/or tacky, but which conceals serious menace and should be thrown away as soon as possible.

Examples:
1. "I cut my hand open on the lawn flamingo! That menace is a goddamned bar net!"
2. "My brother took the protective grille off his fan. I told him he'd turned it into a bar net, but he didn't believe me until he walked into it while naked."
3. "That fucking bar net has really made a mess of the state's environmental policies, especially with the shark policy."
posted by barnacles at 11:15 PM on January 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


Is there some Australian slang for a punchline you can see coming way in advance of its eventual arrival?
posted by Wolfdog at 4:10 AM on January 28, 2014


Yes, Wolfdog: Australia.

For all I know, nobody -- but nobody! -- says "pomme de terre" anymore, and if you do you're a hairsbreadth from speaking Norman French and looking for the marrow spoon.

you realize you're describing The Whelk right
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 4:32 AM on January 28, 2014


Is pomme de terre actually a thing any francophone actually says? The word is patate, no?

In Quebec French anyway -- moi, je suis canadien -- the term pomme de terre has strong connotations of being the thing in its raw form and patate being what it is when it is cooked.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:00 AM on January 28, 2014


Wolfdog: "Is there some Australian slang for a punchline you can see coming way in advance of its eventual arrival?"

Yep! Folks 'round these parts call that an Abbott. There's no fun story about that one though, just an infuriating one ...
posted by barnacles at 6:45 AM on January 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


That was a lot funnier response than my snarky little comment deserved.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:48 AM on January 28, 2014


Now that we're all here, I'd like to point out that there's a certain class of words that just don't work in doge to my ear, which are those that are nouns but have adjectival homophones or vice versa. Take "cold," for example, which produces grammatical noun and adjectival phrases when paired with either "such" or "so." The end result is that the visceral incorrectness of doge is tragically neutered.
posted by invitapriore at 8:05 AM on January 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


In Quebec French anyway -- moi, je suis canadien -- the term pomme de terre has strong connotations of being the thing in its raw form and patate being what it is when it is cooked.

Neat! Now conjugate tâter.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:25 AM on January 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Let's see: Are de cœur tâters... Sauf de cœur tâters...
posted by this is a thing at 8:40 AM on January 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


i have been saying "nous tâtons?" aloud very dramatically for the past 5 minutes and it is inexplicably hilarious
posted by elizardbits at 8:57 AM on January 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Remember when you were a kid and maybe had some friends, and something would happen or one of you would say something, and it was the funniest thing in the history of the world? And it became an in-joke, sort of a micro-cultural marker for your little group, a moment of bonding you could share on occasion. There were probably even a few of these markers that would bubble up in the conversational/relationship stew and be pretty funny again and again.

But there was always one friend or maybe hanger-on that would take that in joke, take its joystick like the pilot of a kamikaze plane, and proceed to destroy any amount of humor, camaraderie, and pleasurable associations that were in it, by overdoing, saying things over and over, or otherwise ruining the moment by trying too hard? Never again would that cultural marker mean anything but a bit of nausea.

Now imagine millions of such kamikaze pilots sitting at their computers right now. And thousands of attempted in jokes and markers.

That's the Internet right there. Taking mildly amusing things and cratering them into the cultural landscape.
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:28 AM on January 28, 2014 [7 favorites]


That's the Internet right there. Taking mildly amusing things and cratering them into the cultural landscape.

what a bunch of bar nets
posted by kagredon at 11:15 AM on January 28, 2014 [4 favorites]


elizardbits: "...also my tragic credulity only extends towards american football and anything at all that takes place in the entire nation of australia, land of mysteries"

Fact: Since 1927, Australian law has required that all schoolchildren be provided with 500 ml of kangaroo milk every day free of charge, regardless of income.
posted by double block and bleed at 5:10 AM on February 1, 2014


MetaFilter: Taking mildly amusing things and cra...oh wait I see what you did there.
posted by Miko at 6:24 AM on February 1, 2014 [4 favorites]


It's based on teenager's bad grammar in their homemade Myspace-posted MSpaint adorned selfies...


Too many who regularly try getting away with using this meme-speak in their assignments. These are high school students who know their English grammar. I don't teach English but neither do I give them credit for such Meta-mistakes either. Some of their meta-talk is pretty funny I have to admit but since they would never get away with using it in College, or on a job I feel obligated to deduct points for their meta-speak. It really has changed "proper English" as we were taught! Most English Teachers I know hate this trend with a passion.

2 funny!
posted by dragonflyher at 10:15 PM on February 7, 2014


My apologies if this has already been posted some where, but Gretchen McCulloch (of summoning Benedict Cumberbatch name generator fame) has made a great post about the grammar of doge. Wow.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:25 AM on February 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


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