Hardly a day goes by on social media when GIFs featuring a smiling Denzel Washington or a baby's passion isn't put on full display. Neither of those memes are particularly new and nor could either be considered the least bit original. Yet, both have seemed to be around forever, and they appear with disturbing regularity – the former used any time a celebrity's name is trending to suggest happiness that said individual isn't dead, while the latter is used to conveys celebration with little subtly.
Even as both of those are all too common, few may know the origins of each.
How Do You Know?
In the case of the "Relieved Denzel Washington" animated GIF, it is from the largely forgotten 1998 movie Fallen. Washington starred as Philadelphia police detective John Hobbes, who was charged with investigating an apparent copycat serial killer. The film is a paint-by-numbers thriller and isn't especially noteworthy except for the fact that the meme has taken on a life of its own. Across social media it is used to convey the aforementioned relief, but in the context of the film, Hobbes is actually asking, "How do you know when the moment comes" just as the phone rings, causing him to put his hand to his chest.
The misunderstanding isn't hard to see.
Even film and TV reporter Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) was taken back a bit when she took to Twitter last year to discuss the meme's origin:
The particular scene that became the Denzel meme likely would have been forgotten, but then made...
Read Full Story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/08/30/why-does-social-media-cling-to-the-same-memes-and-where-they-come-from/
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