This week is the first I’ve heard of this, but I am old, so of course I would have missed it before. However, it’s out here now, and looks kind of exciting, as to GOTV.
The internet has entered its Kamala Harris ‘coconut tree’ era
To many young people on X and TikTok, the vice president is unironically funny and all too easy to meme.
By Angela Yang
Democrats may soon nominate a presidential candidate capable of rivaling GOP nominee Donald Trump in memeability.
After President Joe Biden announced his decision to forfeit re–election, a tidal wave of memes about Vice President Kamala Harris — whom Biden backed as the Democratic presidential candidate — flooded the internet.
On platforms like TikTok and X, the mood felt celebratory as many left-leaning accounts posted upbeat fan edits of Harris and made memes out of her more memorable lines from speeches. On Sunday, British pop artist Charli XCX appeared to back Harris, calling her a “brat,” a reference to her new album, which has become the Gen Z theme of the summer.
Some political strategists say the memes are helping Harris generate a level of organic social media clout among Gen Z that Biden has struggled to cultivate, amplified by the spotlight of a possible presidential nomination.
“She doesn’t take herself too seriously. She knows how to have fun, and she’s somebody that is willing to be a little bit less stuffy than a traditional presidential candidate would be, and I think that’s a good thing in this election cycle,” said Marianna Pecora, the communications director for the Gen Z-run political advocacy group Voters of Tomorrow.
But Pecora said the viral moments aren’t just for laughs — they also indicate broader support for Harris, particularly among young people who have at times felt disenchanted by presidential candidates.
“I don’t think that anyone is going to necessarily meme their way to the presidency,” said Pecora, 20, a student at George Washington University. “But I do think that being able to make this election something bright and fun and exciting and something that’s infiltrating people’s feeds and therefore their everyday lives is only a good thing.”
Part of Harris’ frequent virality comes from her tendency to show off her seemingly authentic personality online. It’s why many of her vocal online supporters — who call themselves the KHive — have staunchly defended her since her first presidential run in 2020.
The KHive, which is a play on Beyoncé’s BeyHive, has exhibited stan behavior in the way it circulates content and news about Harris. It has rallied around a plethora of humorous moments, from her love of Venn diagrams to her out-of-tune rendition of “Wheels on the Bus” to her propensity for busting out enthusiastic dance moves.
After Biden’s debate with Trump in June, which sparked a panic about his capacity to run for re-election, the KHive gained renewed momentum online. Fans of Harris turned a speech last year in which she quoted her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, talking about a “coconut tree” into a running meme.
“My mother used to, she would give us a hard time sometimes and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris said in the speech. “‘You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’”
In the 24 hours since Biden’s announcement, Google searches for “coconut tree” spiked dramatically. (snip-more on the page)
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/kamala-harris-coconut-tree-internet-memes-gen-z-rcna162977
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