FAIL: The Story of an Internet Meme
Friday, February 5, 2010
by Adrian
There is perhaps no other internet phenomenon that has enjoyed the widespread popularity of the FAIL meme. Spend some time around the internet, and doubtlessly you will notice its ubiquity; in fact, in some occasions it has even transcended the boundaries of the virtual world and spilled over into non-virtual territory.
But what exactly is FAIL? Its most basic manifestation is in the form of image macros – pictures with superimposed text. These pictures proliferate throughout the World Wide Web, most prevalently on Failblog.org, a website dedicated to exhibiting FAIL image macros. And the usual superimposed text? “FAIL” of course.
The images (and sometimes videos) range from examples of human error, stupidity, or recklessness, to pictures of awkward product designs, ironic signs, and the visual equivalent of non-sequiturs. These are nearly always labeled with the word “FAIL,” or oftentimes “EPIC FAIL.”
The origins of FAIL (according to some online commentators) can be traced back to a 1998 video game called Blazing Star. Notorious for its poor English, the game mocked players who lost the game with the words “you fail it.” The mangled phrase has since been shortened to simply “fail,” and is now used frequently as an interjection. (An example: “You made that? Fail.”)
“People started pasting the word in block letters over photos of shameful screw-ups, and a meme was born,” writes Christopher Beam on Slate Magazine.
In my opinion, its popularity has escalated to the point where FAIL must be regarded as a fundamental part of the internet (like Google, Wikipedia, or Twitter), rather than simply as a fad or passing meme. An internet meme, according to a blogger on Squidoo.com, is an “image, video, phrase, or simply an idea that spreads from one person to another.” The internet makes the transfer of such media to take place at an incredible rate, allowing memes to reach millions of people in a matter of days. However, most internet memes have a relatively short lifespan. Very few make it past their first month of existence before they pass away to be replaced by newer memes. FAIL, on the other hand, has been immensely popular since its beginning, and its popularity has been swelling since. Failblog.org currently receives nearly one million daily visits, and ranks as the 435th most visited website in the United States. Obviously, FAIL is showing no signs of becoming extinct anytime in the near future.
Why has FAIL become so popular? Is it a way of expressing our schadenfreude? Are human beings really that eager to mock the misfortunes of others? Christopher Beam says the rise of the meme coincided with the beginning of the financial crisis – as mortgages and banks began to fail, FAIL also picked up steam. A blogger on Examiner.com also theorized that “FAIL has become the fastest, most to-the-point way to express a sentiment such as ‘this is by far the best example of human stupidity I have ever seen.’ It's one word. It's incredibly fun to say - especially high volume and elongated through the vowels: ‘FAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL.’”
In my opinion, the popularity of FAIL can be attributed to a combination of the factors mentioned above. However, I think it also important to mention that FAIL is most popular amongst young people – especially adolescents.
According to a September 2006 study by Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the University College London, “teenagers take less account than adults of people's feelings… teenagers hardly use the area of the brain that is involved in thinking about other people's emotions and thoughts.” Thus, it may be possible that the popularity of FAIL amongst adolescents is due to their greater willingness to observe others’ misfortunes without feeling as much guilt or empathetic feelings as adults. In fact, I noticed that when adults viewed many of the pictures on Failblog, they were less prone to laugh, instead sympathizing with the victims in the image or video, and displaying feelings of compassion and concern. This would explain why FAIL has proved very popular with adolescents, and less so with adults.
Nevertheless, FAIL has proved that it is here to stay. Its presence in speech as an interjection, and on the internet as an image macro sensation, is pervasive enough that it will be a while before it dissipates, if it ever does. In the words of Ben Zimmer of the New York Times, “fail is proving to be an epic unfail.”
THIMUN Taps into Local Culture During Conference Breaks
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
by Magdalena and Megan
On January 21, 12 students and two teachers from the Escuela Campo Alegre community departed from Caracas to attend The Hague International Model United Nations.
The THIMUN trip provided the group with a firsthand United Nations experience. When not occupied in the conference, they enjoyed European culture through a series of educational yet fulfilling activities.
Eight 12th graders participated in the annual conference: Corina, Fadi, Frank, Roxanne, Alessia, Alexa, and Max. The 12th graders were joined by four 11th graders: Natalie, Alessia M, Clementine, and Sophie. Two members of the ECA faculty, Mr. and Mrs. Sonnet, chaperoned the group.
Among the activities was a visit to the M.C. Escher museum. The lithographs and wood carving prints by the Dutch artist were part of the display. The top floor of the museum consisted of an interactive section which especially amused ECA students.
“Those who were reluctant at first were also able to enjoy the unique view of the artist by the end of the visit,” said Mr. Sonnet, who serves as the ECA MUN advisor.
Following the educational visit to the museum, the students went to an indoor ice rink and ski slope in The Hague. Some chose to endure skiing in jeans, while others did not take the risk and went ice skating, which proved to be safer and a warmer bet.
THIMUN 2010: Five Day Simulation to Save the World
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
by Magdalena and Megan
On Monday, January 25, The Hague Model United Nations began with 12 Escuela Campo Alegre students and 3,600 other committee members from high schools around the world rushing to get into their respective committees by 9:00 am sharp.
THIMUN is a five day simulation of the United Nations for secondary school students. The objective is to seek solutions to various issues of the modern world through discussion, negotiation and debate.
When the opening speeches began, Frank spoke as the selected ambassador for ECA’s country, Egypt. The remaining ECA delegates were lobbying to merge resolutions in their designated committees. Their ultimate goal was to pass these resolutions in the General Assembly.
“We have some very self-confident students at ECA, everyone was in debate mode and relished the competitiveness,” said Mr. Sonnet about the delegates.
The group was also fortunate enough to participate in the UN International Crime Tribune where rebels from Kosovo were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity . It was a unique experience in which headsets were fundamental for the English translation.
Avila Wildfires Hinder Hikers
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
by Adrian and Micaela
CARACAS — Intense wildfires that have been raging in the Avila Mountain over the past two weeks pose a serious hindrance to hikers.
An Escuela Campo Alegre Adventure Club hike planned for Sunday, January 31st was cancelled as a result of the wildfire danger.
“Inparques said it wasn’t recommended to take students to the Avila,” said Kurt Supplee, the Adventure Club coordinator, referring to the institute that manages National Parks in Venezuela.
According to El Universal, the fires began in December, and have since escalated in magnitude. “The Avila has undergone 36 fires since December 1st,” said Javier Brassesco of the Caracas-based newspaper.
The wildfires coincide with Venezuela’s dry season, which generally lasts from December to April. Supplee stated that if the fires continue until April, the Adventure Club may have to cancel all its hikes, including the annual overnight hiking trip to Pico Naiguatá.
