An Examination in Deficits in Intelligence and Hitherto Unfathomable Depreciation of the Human Condition as

The Herp Derp phenomenon has herped the derp from herp to derp.  Ipso facto, herp, the as Socrates once pointed out, derp.  In it's varietal and nebulous form, herp derp derp.  Hurrdedurr, herp a derp, icognito.  Herp and derp are both unified in their derp.  The derp, mind you, derp herp.
Representing the struggle of individuals to maintain competitive knowledge bases against the increase of technology whilst simultaneously speaking to the intellectual's disdain for the less progressed, the Herp Derp meme indeed herp and - if I may be so bold - Derp.

Owls, typically removed from association with Herp as well as Derp, are seen here to engage both activities.  Herp derp herp, "Herp, derp."*  The wizened species is a perennial totem to keen insight and sagacity.  But, indeed, herp derp derp.


*Kant, What is Enlightenment

Great Expectations

Emotions stem from some of our most primal cranial lobes.  Tiny nodes set off massive waves of violence and destruction as quickly as they do trigger love and sexuality.  We often seek to personify emotions in animals, seeing animals as a bridge connecting us with the basic nature of our existence.  

Enter Expectation Eel, colloquially known  as Bad Joke Eel.

The innocuous introduction of this idea simply states the obvious.  We as humans are biologically predisposed to appear eel-esque when relating bad stories.  The facial expression is not intentional, yet designed as an evolutionary precaution for all others to see in order to maintain social acceptability and uniformity of humor.  Tribes - eons ago - needed to unify around a singular idea of humor.  Without this, the cleverness of an Alpha* and ideal mating patterns could not be established.  It has long been recorded that humor is the primary motivator of reproductive patterns, I cite the great feminist philosopher when I say "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything."** Eels are an inherently unattractive species *** ipso facto, we find ourselves repulsed by those who display eel like features.

*Alpha Male, not Alpha Delta Upyourassilon.

** Monroe, Marilyn

***I mean, come on, seriously.

An Excerpt in Epicness OR Whither goest thou, RapotrsharkRPG?

Recent news coverage of Iraq has indicated a startling increase in violence.  In the wake of America's departure - premature to some, long anticipated by others - both secular and religious intolerance buoyed.
We live in an uncertain age full of random violence and civil unrest.  The blossoming flower of the Arab Spring; the destructive force of Al Qaeda, the horrors of a Santorum.
We discuss - in our minimalist studios, bedecked in thick rimmed urban chic glasses - the reflection of of art upon life, and life indeed upon art.  This piece recently surfaced in discussion amongst the salon of artistic intellectuals I frequent.  Drinking our usual- I'd mention it but it's far too obscure for you to know -  we were astounded by the depth to which this piece spoke to us.
Art does not exist within a vacuum.  The ferocity invoked in this image, the carnal nature of each specimen.  The sum of killing potential.  Fear, passion, nationalism, internationalism, philosophy.
Contemplate the predators: the Shark, a vicious creature of the sea, saddled and bridled for the machinations of a sinister prehistoric animal equipped with a weapon now nearly synonymous with terror cells.  But then imagine the utter fear of this simplistic predator, now holding weapon millennia beyond it's time, light-years beyond it's comprehension.
They race through waters, we see land in the background but is it national or international water?  Whither goest thou, RaptorsharkRPG?
Who is the true victim here?  Is it the people the raptor seeks to destroy?  No, the raptor follows only a basic predatory instinct, their deaths will be the result of simple biology - and combustion, chemistry.  No, friends, the true victim here - the Shark - whose most basic instincts are being bridled by a creature theoretically far less evolved.
What does this say to us?  That perhaps we enslave ourselves to primal, basic instincts which are antiquated, which serve us little and less in the modern world?  Or does the artist portray us more as the Raptor, drawn toward destruction by our very nature, given tools far more powerful than any claw or tooth.  Juxtaposing the intensity of the creature with the catastrophe of the weapon.

Shit X Say (Opt: to Y) OR Of Diversity and Understanding

The rise of independent film making - as propelled by the age of interactive media and mass sharing - has led to an increase in awareness of global issues and allowed us to connect with the narratives of others who exist worlds apart from our sphere of influence or understanding.  The modern documentary or non-fiction exposé often shows us - rather than exploring what it means to be a writer, poet, or film maker, or a character cast into extreme circumstances - what it means to be alive.
Indeed, it is in this very spirit that we find the volcanicly popular "Shit X say" with the optional suffix "to Y."  This modern trend in documentary production delves into humanities irrepressible social spirit.  We explore the ability of language and communication to convey subtle undertones of both prejudice and understanding in the now expansive library of reflective pieces.  

In it's original form: "Shit Girls Say" we both establish a formula of expediently displayed sound bytes coming from a lone source.  Another aspect of the formula established is the juxtaposition of a non-titular lead.  To clarify, a male in drag is placed in the titular role of "Girl Saying Shit" in order to further muddle our understanding of the lines which gender and sex draw. We will explore later forms of this momentarily. This gendered commentary pushes questions to the surface as a ballast tank emptying, rocketing a submarine to the surface full of pressurized questions.  A male in the female place may indeed be read as insulting, sexist even, but upon further inspection we see it is a grasp for understanding.  Each statement, each parody, a question of the why's and how's in a world of expanding gender misunderstanding perpetrated by misguided magazines and maligning media portrayals of both genders.  

In later additions, we note the formula is followed generally rather strictly.  While the party is often represented by the group assigning the commentary, it is done in hyperbolic satire.  In this sensitive and emotional portrayal, "Shit White Girls say...to Black Girls" We are confronted with the truth of racial relations.  Indeed, often in an attempt to "relate" majority groups minimize and trivialize rather than bridging gaps.
And yet, there is hope.  These attempts indeed indicate a true and abiding desire to understand.  No one group desires to be an island.  Indeed, as John Donne said in his Meditation XVII, "No man is an island entire to itself...I am involved in humanity."
And so as "every man is a piece of the continent," so too are we each a part of the greater fate of our mutual understanding.  Seeking this - perhaps sometimes with adolescent humor and well-intentioned (yet misguided) racial insensitivity - we all add to the growing world of our mutual love and understanding.

Do ALL the Things OR "on Expectations in Generations"

The modern renaissance figure, driven to excel at all aspects of life.  Youngsters, hurled into a  world  of misappropriated educational totalitarianism, are pressured to pursue idealistic standards of multitalented multidirectional perfection.  Many fall to the fantastical expectations.  Others, others rise.
All too frequently, contemporary art pieces origination is lost to the maelstrom of media.  We surf amongst a sea of imaginative, important pieces, yet unable to trace their roots.  Fortunately, the authorship of "Do All the Things!"  or "X all the Y" - the genre title.

Note the posture of the subject is similar to that of the Hellenistic Grecian Kuros  

The initial piece, a commentary on domestic productivity, entrenches the protagonist in a conflict similar to Hegel's master-slave dialectic.  Contrary, however, to Hegel's position, the two conscious beings, are indeed manifested in the singularity of the protagonist. We are left with a desperate discussion of Sisyphean struggle as the hero eventually resigns to the insurmountable - yet unavoidable - task before them.

Initiating a dialogue long silent amongst a generation coursing down rapids of productivity and expectation, Allie Brosh - the creator of this seminal piece, created a movement.  The foundations of that movement were laid in her blog's forum.
That foundation replicated and evolved as it's - if you'll allow - mitochondrial DNA pervaded the ether of the internet and eventually came to exist as the multifaceted and wondrous genre we now enjoy.
Later pieces eschew the specificity and inherent limitations of the fall from grace experienced in the protagonist's tragic denouement, instead centering on the achievement and hyperbolic ambition.

Y U No Face: The Call of a Lost Generation

Occupy Wall Street.  The plight of billions of hungry and homeless world-wide.  The impending global shift of power.
The modern condition is one of uncertainty and peril.  Art, whether reflecting life or life reflecting art, must engage with our constant state of anxiety.

  The "Y U No" face has become the symbol of a generation who engages a Sisyphean struggle with an uncaring world.  While the world itself has grown smaller with the advent of the internet and widely available smart phone use, the individual seems to become consumed into this amalgamated identity of the internet.  Ubiquity expresses itself perhaps at it's highest in the universality of the "Y U NO" face, leaving room for all complaints to be both valid and expressed with a unanimous degree of emotion.

Beyonce Knowles' tribute to women's independence takes on a darker, more desperate tone in this re-appropriation of that electrifying classic.  Expressing the conflict of the modern woman by juxtaposing Mrs. Knowles' tribute to individuality and strength with a archaic and traditional desire for masculine assertion in relational matters, this untitled masterpiece speaks to a generation of gender rules under assault from all sides.
The Y U No face has created a lasting and desperate plea for attention to the plight of the individual's needs.  Without the backing of major funding, we are forced to unify our expressions.  While power is found in that uniformity, what do we lose in our humanity?  In our freedoms?

Keanu Reeves: Transcendent Melancholy or The Unbearable Lightness of Whoa

Keanu Reeves: Actor, artist, cultural diplomat, author, mensa member*.

A cultural iconoclast, Reeves is an individual of immense talent, and an electrifying passion for a modern age of art.

Keanu Reeves has becomes a perennial favorite of the internet.  The manifold permutations of Reeves' internet fame stem from the very basis of his artistic faculty.  Here we see a young Reeves exemplifying his profundity whilst juxtaposed against what might be considered "stoner philosophy."
Touching on Reeves' cultural capital as well as his temporal fortitude, the Sad Keanu meme has infiltrated every level of art.  From the Olympian sublimity of classics such as Forest Gump...

to the wildly self referential...

Reeves' penchant for melancholic contemplation - particularly highlighted in this piece entitled "Epic Keanu Bench" recalls Søren Kierkegaard from his seminal "Diapsalmata." Writes Kierkegaard:

 Besides my other numerous circle of acquaintances I have one more intimate confidant-my melancholy. In the midst of my joy, in the midst of my work, she waves to me, calls me to one side, even though physically I stay put. My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known, what wonder, then, that I love her in return. 

Sad Keanu embraces the modern condition of loneliness and ennui despite the constant presence of an assumed audience.  Both in our very viewing of the image and his obvious position on public benches, Keanu Reeves reaches outward toward the inward while providing a generation one singular melancholic message:  Whoa. 

*Unverified, probably false.