There are many fragments from the long history of animated series The Simpsons who have taken on an online life of their own. Just search for the term ‘steamed ham’ and you find yourself in a bizarre universe where internet users recontextualize a 1996 satirical scene with a sitcom parody into something that most people can no longer follow.
An equally well-known Simpsons meme comes from another 1990s episode of the series. Main character Homer Simpson, dressed as a clown, has been hired to present a new hamburger from the McDonald’s-esque fast food chain Krusty Burger. Homer just doesn’t realize he has to act and thinks a hired “burger thief” really wants to steal burgers. Homer Pounds Thief in Front of Underage Audience put together† “Stop, stop, he’s already dead,” shouts a crying child as Homer continues to punch. That quote, in combination with a screenshot of the crying kid, is sometimes used on social media when someone made a fool of themselves and is then mercilessly burned down on social media.
Don’t give someone who is already on the floor another kick on the socials, you could learn from that. But in some cases it proves very difficult to follow that advice. Take the day when ‘masks millionaire’ Sywert van Lienden was arrested in the criminal investigation into his Foundation Auxiliary Troops Alliance. Partly thanks to a photo of FIOD employees’ car inspected, the jokers fell over each other. “Been from an early age man. Always kept inside,” wrote columnist Sander Schimmelpenninck. Later a video of Heart of the Netherlandsin which neighbors make mincemeat of him, eagerly shared† “Justice. With that disgusting BMW of his, which stands there as a symbol of injustice.”
Mean? Maybe. But unity is scarce on social media and Sywert is bringing different camps, from left to right, back together. A similar situation arose after images appeared on Wednesday showing dance teacher and Virus Truth founder Willem Engel being arrested on charges of sedition. †Inject it straight into my veins” (inject it directly into my veins), wrote a twitterer at the video of Engel, who was calmly handcuffed by two police officers. “What is your favorite movie? I’ve seen this 137 times now, but it’s still rock solid.” tweet someone else combined with the images.
Engel was a fierce opponent of corona measures and vaccines during the pandemic and, according to many, crossed all kinds of borders. In recent weeks, he has turned against what he believes to be illegal Dutch arms supplies to Ukraine. Engel has supporters, but the group that feasted on his arrest was big on the socials. The arrest of rapper Lil Kleine (Jorik Scholten), who is suspected of assaulting his girlfriend Jaimie Vaes, also brought a lot of joy on Twitter.
It is, of course, serious matters involving these men. Yet people are happy that justice is also possible in these tumultuous times. Or as editor and columnist Rianne Meijer put it brought: “Lil Kleine arrested. Sywer arrested. Willem Engel arrested. Nature is healing†
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of March 21, 2022