Shitposting as public pedagogy

I hate to take the author to task because this is wonderful, but I must simply disagree with the following analysis.

In Figure 2 , the image on the left exemplifies this notion of meaninglessness since the included text does not represent a coherent thought while the person in the foreground (Jon Arbuckle of the comic Garfield) has no relation to the image in the background (a sandwich from the restaurant Subway).

Figure 2. Two examples of shitposts

First of all, the included text ***is*** coherent. “of in” is understood as sounding like “oven” and the text gives an impossible etymology for why it is called an oven, while also poking fun at the hypothetical person implying that the word “oven” has no etymology. The text is hard to parse and is very silly, but it is a coherent thought nonetheless.

Second, to say that the subway sandwich has “nothing” to do with the oven misses the fact that the sandwich is food, and you “of in” the food… It is not much of a relation, but it is there. It’s not like it was a tonka truck or something completely irrelevant.

Speaking of irrelevant, I did not read far enough to the article to find out if the author mentions Jon Arbuckle and his butt’s inherently funny pose, but that has to be part of what gives this post humor.

Shitposting is the new Standup Philosopher from the Greek and Roman times.

(Huzzahs! for Mel Brooks!)