The BYU Meme-ery

Every college and university has its quirks and inside jokes. BYU, with its mix of super smart, Intenet-savvy students immersed in both campus and very visible LDS culture, is perhaps among the quirkiest/insideriest. It is no surprise, then, to find that one of the biggest campus hits (both in terms of phenomena and Facebook page visits) in recent memory is BYU Memes. In affectionate, wry, frequently sarcastic, sometimes earnest, and quite often very entertaining ways, the BYU Memes Facebook site features images and text that comment on, skewer, celebrate, and reflect head-scratching wonderment at everything BYU: its (in)famous Testing Center, Honor Code, required classes such as American Heritage, ban on selling caffeinated beverages on campus, dating and marriage culture (including LDS pick-up lines such as “Is your name Virtue? Because you garnish MY thoughts unceasingly!”), Family Home Evening groups, and student types ranging from super-achiever to those who are just “too cool for school.”

Most of the meme images are copied from the ones already ubiquitous on the Internet, including Socially Awkward Penguin, Annoying Facebook Girl, The Most Interesting Man in the World (the Dox Equis Beer spokesperson), Mormon-raised Ryan Gosling’s image with a heart-melting “Hey Girl . . .” line, First World Problem Crying Girl, the fist-pumping Success Kid, smirking Willy Wonka who is oh-so-interested in the mundanity of your life, and Lord of the Rings’ Boromir delivering his famous line about “One does not simply . . . ”  Even given their borrowed heritage (would it be better to think of them being grafted into Mormonism via the Law of Adoption?), each are given new twists in the hands of students (and who knows who else!) letting loose about life within the BYU bubble.

If you want to kill some time enjoyably, join thousands of others in visiting the site regularly: Facebook.com/BYUMemes