Faux reports that people had voted for Harambe also circulated after the 2016 American presidential election. A marijuana blend called Harambe OG was released in September 2016. Harambe-related Internet shenanigans continue. For example, in a February 2017 New York Times article, Farhad Manjoo called Donald Trump “the Harambe of politics, the undisputed king of all media.” Harambe has also gone on as a metaphor for a beloved martyr of an all-consuming media trend whose very sensationalism self-generates more attention. It generated a snowclone “dicks out for X” which spread to entirely non- Harambe related subjects. On August 22, the Associated Press reported that the Cincinnati Zoo was not amused by the memes and media coverage and wanted to move on from the incident.ĭicks out for Harambe is one of the most popular memes that followed the gorilla’s death. Why Brandon Wardell is the 'Dicks Out for Harambe' voice of a generation /7TJ1DyWBY5 One of the more popular memes began early in July 2016, when Twitter user Brandon Wardell posted a tweet reading “dicks out for Harambe”- Dicks out is a vulgar slang expression for “showing respect.” This phrase quickly gained steam, with a Reddit page and a mock Facebook event. Two people I miss the most: Obama and Harambe Another meme, which in part referenced the flurry of Harambe memes, internet hot takes, and the large public outcry after his death, was “I miss Harambe.” For instance, various users included images of Harambe in tributes to other celebrities who died in 2016, including Prince, Muhammad Ali, and David Bowie. Soon, memes about Harambe were circulating on Twitter. In response to the incident, many on the internet turned to humor. We have not forgotten and we will never forget what the Cincinnati Zoo did to my friend, my brother. Two years ago today, our brother Harambe was gunned down before his time for something out of his control.

Regardless, Facebook and Twitter quickly took up #JusticeForHarambe in addition to #RIPHarambe. The petition called for charges to be brought against the parents, deemed negligent, though eyewitness accounts don’t suggest this. Shortly after the incident, a petition called “Justice for Harambe” was uploaded. A bystander caught the incident on video and released it online. To ensure his safety, they decided to shoot the gorilla. Zoo officials deemed the situation life threatening for the boy. The 400-pound gorilla was alone with the child for ten minutes, grabbing him and dragging him around in that time. There were three gorillas in the enclosure, and the male-a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe-took notice of the child. On May 28, 2016, a young boy (three- to four-years-old) fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Harambe wasted meme