Harambe. The latest in internet's perpetual cycle of outrage and mockery. It started out simple: A child fell (or wandered) into the aforementioned ape's enclosure, and rather than risk the child's life by disturbing Harambe with more human interlopers (or tranquilizers, which are much slower in real life than in movies), the professionals in charge of taking care of the wild animal were forced to put him down quickly. People still argue about whether this was the right decision, but ultimately, the choice was up to the Cincinnati Zoo and the trained handlers who work there. That is not what this article is about. I want to delve into the Memes. The "Shit-posting," the jokes, the one name punchline that is "Harambe."

To start with, the internet was ready. A year ago, Dentist Walter Palmer posted pictures of the lion on his after he paid for the opportunity to hunt the animal. The death of Cecil the lion sparked at least a month's worth of Facebook posts, shares, and rage. And soon afterwards, he became the punchline to many jokes on the internet. This time around, when Harambe's death went viral, the internet decided to skip to the "fun" part. Within one week, twitter users began adding the gorilla to tributes for celebrities who passed in 2016. Within two weeks, there were fake (or at least joking) tribute songs dedicated to him. and of course, the ubiquitous "Dicks out for Harambe" was born within days.

According to "Know your Meme," a website dedicated to chronicling the rise and fall of all the internet's jokes and (of course) memes, the line originates on twitter. On July 4th, user Brandon Zabocklici posted a (Now deleted) picture of himself with a gun reading "[sic] We comin with them dicks out to avenge harambe!!!" According to several users on Reddit, and supported by lyrics in Soulja Boy's "Chiraq" and Chief Keef's "Bang," in this instance "Dick" refers to the clip for a gun, and "Dicks out" means to have extended magazines or clips. This tweet was immediately jumped on by comedian Brandon Wardell who simply responded: "Dicks out for Harambe."

Since this phrase was first written, it has expanded and reached out to all corners of the internet, for better or worse. There have been multiple attempts at explaining the meme's popularity and spread. One theory is this: Since the entire Harambe debacle has the underpinning of offensiveness, as it caused controversy, it isn't possible (or at least likely) that corporations or sponsors will co-opt it. Many memes carry the mark of marketing in some way or another, whether it's Grumpy Cat, Doge, or any other number of neologisms. This corporate appropriation is mocked and hated by most internet communities, and Harambe provides a perfect countermeasure.

Another (as far as I could find, unfounded) theory is that the meme has a cultural criticism behind it. This is the thought that Harambe meme's are pointing out the horrible fact that the death of an animal is often mourned much more than that of the people of color. The month after Harambe's death was also marred by the shooting of Charles Kinsey, the therapist who had his hands up while laying on the ground. Though many others were shot and killed in that time, Harambe ruled the media. As of writing there is little evidence that this is a strong force behind the spread of the meme, but it is certainly a powerful criticism.

Harambe's death is a tragedy, as the death of any living creature is horrific. For it to be caused by something as simple as a wandering child is appaling, but I have no doubt that when a child is in the grasp of a 300+ pound wild animal, some drastic measures are required. And of course, the death of a beloved animal is newsworthy, but to have become a joke like this? To have gone so far as to cause duress to the zoo-keepers themselves? The ones who cared for him every day, and still had to put him down? perhaps it is too much fun at another's expense. But then again, the internet is the best and worst thing in modern life, to expect better of it is too much. Rest in peace Harambe. I hope that somebody out there still has an honest and kind memory of you.