The internet is ridiculous. The antics that people get up to for the sake of attention are ridiculous. Social media and the instant consumption of news has done wonders for this generation. It is also horrible in the sick, twisted way that it can turn any bit of news, good, bad and ugly into a marketing ploy for the next crop of internet superstars. We have unprecedented access to each other’s lives and people are digesting people whole, in life and apparently in death.

Until now, internet memes have been an innocent and ridiculous game of monkey see, monkey do. But this is different. This meme crosses a line.


Trayvon Martin was killed on February 26th. Since the story broke across the internet, his memory has been devalued by profiteers and vultures. Now an internet meme, Trayvoning is starting to spread. It’s sort of like planking or Tebowing except that it’s done in the spirit of mocking the preventable shooting of an unarmed child.

We can speak of the historical value black life has held in this country. And yes, this seems like a bizarre parallel of the way that black body parts served as souvenirs after lynchings. That the act of lynching was not enough, this child’s memory has to be further desecrated before they (whoever they may be) are happy.

This also proves that with the instant, constant and whole access we have to the lives of others, nothing is sacred. Nothing is off limits. Combining that sickness with our feelings of entitlement to other peoples lives has created a perfect storm. How much more can we stand to lose?