The Autobiography of a Meme
Most people call me "Meme." I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the name, but it’s certainly an upgrade from being called Richard—or worse, Dick. I am told that I am an idea or a behavior that ripples from one person to the next within a culture. Hearing that makes me feel a bit like a virus or a bacterium, hitching a ride on human interaction. I spread through writing, speech, and ritual—especially religion. In popular culture, however, I usually take the form of captioned images, circulating rapidly across the digital landscape. I’ve clearly become quite popular since my father, Richard Dawkins, gave birth to me in 1976. Honestly, I just wish someone would celebrate my birthday. My father describes me as a cultural entity that enjoys being everywhere, but I don’t think he knows me very well; he was never really around while I was growing up. I’m not even sure I know myself, though I do know that I replicate through exposure to people who appreciate the information I ca...