![[JD Vance]](https://outsidethebeltway.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JD-Vance-edited.jpg)
![[JD Vance]](https://i0.wp.com/outsidethebeltway.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JD-Vance-edited-1024x576.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1)
One of the worst aspects of politics in the age of social media is its focus on memes. It’s normal for pundits to complain that campaigns are “too online”–in other words, focusing on scoring points on social media platforms like X/Twitter. Yesterday, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate J. D. Vance once again decided to meme for the lulz and ended up attacking a supporter in the process.
In an attempt to “dunk” on Kamala Harris and her upcoming CNN interview, Vance published the following tweet/xeet/whatever:
This particular meme goes back to the 2007 Miss Teen USA Pagent. Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton (then 18) gave a nonsensical answer to the question: “Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?”
I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future. [source]
This clip quickly went viral at the time. And if that was all there was to it, this probably wouldn’t be a story worth paying attention to. However, there was a darker side to the meme. Upton would later reflect on how the negative reaction affected her mental and emotional health:
I definitely went through a period where I was very, very depressed. But I never let anybody see that stuff, except for people I could trust. I had some very dark moments where I thought about committing suicide. The fact that I have such an amazing family and friends, it really, really helped. [Begins to tear up] Sorry, it’s just really emotional. This is the first time I’ve actually been able to talk about it. It was awful, and it was every single day for a good two years. I’ve only spoken to my fiancé about how I felt in those moments truthfully, and my best friend. And, recently, my mom. But, like, my dad doesn’t even know yet. [source]
At this point, we can begin to see how continuing to use the meme is in bad taste. In fact, that’s something Upton commented on after Vance’s tweet:
I think most of us agree with Upton that online bullying is a bad look full stop. In fact, this was Melania Trump’s signature issue while First Lady. So, engaging in that activity is bad enough. What makes it worse is that a quick glance at her social media presence shows that Upton is a Republican and public Trump supporter. She also has a personal history with the former President, as she signed with the Trump Model Agency in 2007.
When presented with these facts in a CNN interview, J. D. Vance did the only logical thing for someone on the Trump campaign: he doubled down, saying he “won’t apologize for a joke.”
I’m sure some commenter will call me out for lacking a sense of humor. Again, unlike the former President and his Vice-Presidential candidate, I don’t find punching down funny. And, as previously discussed, I’m not a huge fan of anger-based humor. I also think it’s an especially bad choice to engage in such humor when the subject of the joke is a public supporter of your campaign.
Then again, I guess it’s another day in the life of the “Leopards Eating Your Face” party delivering on their platform. That said, I hope it might give some of that party’s supporter’s a moment of pause to consider that maybe, just maybe, the party’s name should be taken literally instead of figuratively.
Either way, it’s also more weird behavior.
