Image macros, which are also known as “captioned images” or informally as “memes” (albeit the word “meme” also has a different meaning), are images accompanied by a text caption. They have become popular on the Internet, and are simple to make. In this page, I extracted the ones I created for the aphorisms and quotes page.
Also see the #SummerNSA initiative.
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons under CC-by-sa/GFDL.
If Ayn Rand was born in the 1990s, she would be Christina Grimmie.
Very much inspired by Peter Ustinov's quote: “If Botticelli were alive today he’d be working for Vogue.” (which was a praise of the then held-in-much-contempt “Vogue” magazine). However, I am taking it a little further. I hope Ms. Grimmie is not offended by me comparing her, who despite her early low-quality cover videos, is almost entirely perfectly normal and wonderful in any way, to Ayn Rand whose words, deeds, and personal life, both exhibited many issues that seem appalling in 2014, and were often quite objectionable even back then.
My point is that both Ayn Rand at the time and Christina Grimmie now, are at the cutting-edge of influencing the world and taking it forward instead of backward (despite whatever faults they both had or have). Back in Ayn Rand’s time, books and the early Hollywood feature films were the primary vehicle for influence. In this day and age, however, songs and other videos on YouTube, especially by “independent” cover artists, are what bring the most long-term (and usually positive) influence among the people who matter the most (= the “Alphas”).
Sorry for the long explanation.
Some links:
“Buffy is not a nobody…” - about why you should believe in yourself, think you're the most powerful person on Earth, and even the messiah, proudly say that “I am [Insert Name and/or Nickname here]”, and realise that you can “kick some ass”, change the world for the better, improve yourself and what you achieve, and eventually become a “winner” (even if you do not take first place at every silly-or-not-so-silly competition). References Christina Grimmie and refers to her “Feeling Good” song, which features videos of her fans from all over the world doing some amazing (or some seemingly not so amazing) feats, and is a wonderful tour-de-force and like a newer, and better, “Make your own kind of music.”.
Summer Glau Factoids - Chuck Norris getting pwned by a real-life girl - hawt!!!
Peter Ustinov quotes on Wikiquote - many positively great quotes by one of the greatest action heroes of all time. Action heroes are also known as “geeks”, “hackers”, or even - “amateurs” which used to mean people who love what they do, rather than doing it only for money, and not liking that.
Carpe diem, motherfucker!! Do you speak it?!!
Here I combine the old Latin adage meaning something like “seize the day” with the «[Something], Motherfucker!! Do you speak it?!!» meme from the “Programming, motherfucker!!” site. It is originally from the film Pulp Fiction, which I watched, but only recalled the scene after running into the “Programming, motherfucker!!” site.
It sports a photo of two ladies sitting together at a café, smiling, which is what I believe “carpe diem” is all about — not the pseudo-Utilitarianist belief that one should maximise product. To quote Chazal “He who saved one soul, has essentially saved the world entire”. Make one person happier today, and if one other person enjoyed your work (however lame or small), it was a blazing success.
Summer Glau and Chuck Norris on The Muppet Show [my fanfic with a strong “Carpe Diem” message].
The holocaust did not happen, so shoot me, bitch!
( Photo of a white picket fence surrounding a pastoral field, and a caption “The holocaust did not happen, so shoot me, bitch!”.)
I was talking the other day with an online friend about Paul Graham’s essay, “What You Can’t Say” and then he mentioned that in some countries, you can get imprisoned for denying the holocaust. Then I said “So that's one thing you can't say” and so now I'm saying it here (although it seems the world is ready for it).
Just for the record, I am an Israeli Jew and my late (and loved) grandfather on my father's side (who was a Polish-born Jew) lost track of most of his family during World War II. However, I think whether or not the holocaust happened is just an irrational "a-point" without respect to "The Point" of WWII history, which is if we look at the global picture we will see that the only reason for all the killing and destruction was that the Nazis leadership ordered to do that, and it was entirely pointless. Focusing on the historical details is losing the forest for the trees.
I took the picket fence image from MediaWiki commons and this captioned image is under CC-by too. Share and enjoy. In case you're wondering, it alludes to the iconic fences of the Nazis concentration and death camps. The fact that parts of it are absent is not relevant ( "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". )
I used GIMP, Inkscape and gwenview in the preparation of this image. Thanks goes to UnconventionalIT, and Ankh from #gimp for some assistance.
Note to Americans and Israelis: you may not find this captioned image provocative or offensive, because in the United States and Israel, there's much less taboo against treating the acts of the Nazis as holy. ( This may be a good thing. ) A typical Israeli if told that the Holocaust did not happen would likely say "Assuming that was the case, would that make the Nazis angels? Get real!". This image is primarily intended at Europeans as intellectual activism.
Also note that I actually think the Holocaust did happen, but still believe that people should be free to claim otherwise due to the freedom of speech.
Have you heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Models!!
Most philosophers at ancient times were essentially a form of entertainers, and were treated with the same contempt as we now treat actors, models or most recently (as of 2014) — reality T.V. show contestants, or independent (covers/parodies/remixes/etc.) artists on YouTube and other social media and Web resources (e.g.: YouTubers).
Moreover, as the busts indicate, they did some modelling even back then.
Reference: “Battle of Wits” scene from The Princess Bride.
Every Mighty Klingon warrior has watched Sesame Street!
Originally a funny quote from a a scene from my screenplay Selina Mandrake - The Slayer, it stuck in my mind and grew some life of its own. Here is the rest of the explanation for the grain of truth behind it.
Another captioned image / info graphics with some fun at the expense of actresses with their most associated weapons.
Update: See the awesome Taylor Swift response in her video for "Bad Blood", which while I feel the song assaults my intelligence, it is great together with the video.
Truly You Have a Dizzying Intellect.
This is a quote from the film The Princess Bride which I decided to apply in case someone implies that Correlation implies causation.
“And the boss called me in to his office and tried to pin it all on me.”
This is a quote from the film Silver Linings Playbook, which is applicable whenever someone uses you or someone else as a scapegoat and tries to shift the blame on them.
“As a woman, there is nothing sexier than a man who does not want to have sex.”
This is a quote from the Television series Friends which I’ve reused in a screenplay and also decided to place here. Also see a Reddit discussion of this captioned image.
“One does not simply cast an American actress for a Britishwoman’s role.”
This was inspired by a a Twitter conversation where some people suggested that I should consider casting Emma Stone instead of Emma Watson for the role of Selina in my Selina Mandrake - The Slayer film.
It is not quite accurate because Renée Zellweger played Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’ Diary, Anne Hathaway played Jane Austen in Becoming Jane, Gwyneth Paltrow played an Englishwoman in Shakespeare in Love, and recently Meryl Streep played Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
The real issue is that I believe Emma Watson is the only actress who can play Selina, and may have kind of modelled and adapted the character of Selina after her, having deviated from my original concept.
Update: being the do and let do
proponent that I am, I think an Emma Stone take on Selina Mandrake - The Slayer (or a Cookie Monster one or whatever) has a potential to be both different and great.
“One does not simply set up an E-mail service.”
Setting up an E-mail service has become a non trivial task due to the numerous anti-spam measurements.
“Djee-En-You-slash-Linux…Marketing! You’re doing it GNU/right!”
A naïve way to pronounce "GNU/Linux", and why it is a bad idea marketing-wise. Also see Linus Torvalds about Linux having a cool name.
Emma Watson played Hermione in the Harry Potters, but she doesn't need a wand to kick your ass.
In Selina Mandrake - The Slayer, the titular protagonist (whom I want to be played by Emma Watson) is able to "kick ass" (or “slay” and/or “dispel”) without needing a wand or any other violent weapon.
This captioned image was originally conceived for use in a different screenplay and has later provided inspiration for a scene in Selina.
For you people lacking imagination: you can extra-figuratively “kick someone's ass” by convincing them they had been wrong, or by winning in Chess, Checkers, Bohnanza, Darts, electronic sports, Basketball, or whatever, or alternatively by enlightening someone. Literally kicking someone’s ass involves extending a leg to hit someone’s buttocks, which isn’t the only way to win in a brawl.
(That put aside, I don't rule out that Emma Watson is a good mixed martial arts fighter despite appearances to the contrary. Do note that while she might get angry (which has been erroneously referred to as "verbal violence"), she won’t intentionally attack you out of the blue, or even deliberately kick a friendly cat or dog.)
- Bea: Occupation?
- Mel: Stand-up Philosopher!
- Bea: Oh! A bullshit artist!
Most philosophers at ancient times (and similar phenomena such as the Israelite nev'im) were essentially a form of entertainers. I suspect that at one point in the Biblical Hebrew’s history, "le-nabé" meant "to be crazy / to act crazy" including in today's casual sense. These philosophers were treated with the same contempt as we now treat actors, models or most recently (as of 2014) — reality T.V. show contestants, or independent (covers/parodies/remixes/etc.) artists on YouTube and other social media and Web resources (e.g.: YouTubers).
Many philosophers were often joking and didn't take their philosophies seriously. They were often amateurs (= artists or workers who enjoy their work, regardless of how much or how little they were paid; a.k.a: "geeks") and polymaths, who accepted different opinions, or people who built, parodied, and expanded upon their work.
I suspect that, despite what Julian Jaynes describes in his book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, most of the good nev'im and story tellers of ancient times, were not schizophrenics, only hypomanic (= mildly manic) at worse, or possibly manic, who satirised fanatical or cynical zealots, often spoke in prose, drama or freeform verse, and were in effect "stand-up philosophers/comedians".
See also:
Stand-up Philosophy/Comedy (Not just “stand-up comedy”) - avoiding the false dichotomy, and accepting mixing and matching humorous philosophy and more serious one. Including at the same sessions.
One does not simply say “no” to an Alpha Female.
This purposely alludes to sex, but is about something else. In the Bible, Rahab is being visited by Canaanite soldiers who ask her if she hides the Israelite spies, and they leave after she testifies that it isn't the case. Even today, alpha females are held with enough admiration and respect to assume they know what they are doing. That is because, among humans, sex appeal corresponds to competence.
For instance, in Around the World in 80 Days, the protagonist has to wait for Sarah Bernhardt to evacuate the bath-tub. Moreover, during the late 1990s, there was a news item about Sarah Michelle Gellar (SMG) being present in a car whose driver had a fit of insanity, and drove without control; when the policeman recognised her, he released her immediately.
I used it in my “So, who the Hell is Qoheleth?” screenplay, where it kind-of is about sex.
“Interesting Hypothesis”
I'm probably not the first, but in order to help avoid diluting the meaning of the word "theory" in its scientific context with its casual meaning of a "hypothesis", I decided to follow Dr. Sheldon Cooper's lead and call such non-proven suspicions "hypotheses" even when talking about casual ones.
It may sound funny now but Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
to quote Peter Ustinov. I have a hypothesis (ha!) that large parts of the Hebrew Bible and Greco-Roman Philosophy were funny back then, only now they are considered gospel, appalling, or obvious.
“Yeah! Like I could lose it!”
I noted when chatting online that the reason Madonna has not been cast into an acting role (as of March 2021) was likely not because she lost her acting skills. This made me recall that scene from Friends. I later reused it in my “So, who the Hell is Qoheleth?” screenplay.
Sic Transit Gloria J-Law! “You used to be Sarah Michelle Who??”
My attempt at a demotivational poster ( Based on the ao2.it demotivational poster Inkscape template .).
Both Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Lawrence ("J-Law") appear to have become somewhat obscure among the younger generations.
"Life According To Valentine" - "I used to be Sarah Michelle Gellar".
Alpha and Beta females in my mental model of the world starting from 1995 up to the early 2020s - in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Buffy chatting - with the exact quote.
One does not simply not know who Marilyn Monroe is.
Some have not heard of Sarah Bernhardt, or of Sarah Michelle Gellar, or of Ava Gardner, or of whomever, but everyone has heard of Monroe.
She is, in a sense, a litmus test.
"Gotta be a badass to play one in the movies!" - Arnold @Schwarzenegger at your service!
See:
“Hasta la vista, baby tank girl! When you got to shoot - shoot! Then talk!”
See:
Coverage:
“It is too easy”
From "Ross and Phoebe argue about Evolution.". I used it in my “So, who the Hell is Qoheleth?” screenplay.
“I’m the Little Red Riding Hood of Messiahs — my Apocalypse is badder than yours”
Photo of Chuck Norris holding guns with the caption of “I’m the Little Red Riding Hood of Messiahs — my Apocalypse is badder than yours”.
See the Midrash.
One does not simply read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Inspired by an answer to a question on my FAQ, this quote alludes to the fact that many people, including I, find the book The Lord of the Rings tedious, overly verbose, hard to follow, and non-memorable. The fact that the meme originated from its films' adaptation might add a little to the irony.
One does not simply see a meme only once.
“Babe, I wanna make your penny drop!”
A particularly atrocious pickup line, with a photo of Penny from The Big Bang Theory as portrayed by Kaley Cuoco. It references the “the penny dropped” idiom.
Sam the Eagle: “I am not a mere moral compass! I am a moral Global Positioning System!”
How to win at strip poker:
Mr. T:
I pity the fool who doesn’t accessorize!
Photo taken from a web-search - thanks!
Mr. T's A-Team character B. A. Baracus was notorious for his proliferation of gold-coloured accessories. Moreover, as "Clubber Lang" he said "I pity the foo".
One does not simply start a story with “And they all lived happily ever after”.
Having watched the skit Sesame Street: Robin Williams: Conflict, I concluded that most good stories feature one-or-more problems which need to be reconciled. Not every problem is a conflict, but you hopefully get the idea.
This realisation later inspired these works:
Note that most-if-not-all of these problems do need to be reconciled.
This document is Copyright by Shlomi Fish, 2002, and is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC-by-sa) 3.0 Unported (or at your option any later version).
For securing additional rights, please contact Shlomi Fish and see the explicit requirements that are being spelt from abiding by that licence.
Mushroom cartoon - from openclipart by Gorkhs under the public domain.
Image of Journals from Wikimedia Commons.
Picket fence image taken from Wikimedia Commons.
"One does not simply" meme background taken from knowyourmeme.com and is originally part of the Lord of the Rings film.
Photo taken from this tweet - thanks!