Shia LaBeouf Wants You To Just Do It

Shia LaBeouf, the actor gone meme… on more than one occasion. The internet has had its fair share of poking fun at LaBeouf and it just can’t get enough. Well, the meme train of Shia LaBeouf kept rolling when the actor appeared in a motivational video on YouTube that was less than conventional. So what happened it that video that made Shia LaBeouf into his most recent meme? Take a look for yourself.

Before watching that clip, I never knew that there could be so much inspiration packed into one video. While only a minute long, viewers witness a cornucopia of emotions from watching an incredibly passionate LaBeouf. Contrary to most inspirational videos, LaBeouf jumped straight into the motivation, screaming at the viewer to, “JUST DO IT.” We’re not exactly sure, as viewers, what it is that we are supposed to be doing, but I can assure that I have never before wanted to get something done as much as I want to do ‘IT’. LaBeouf’s way of inspiring action is certainly unique if not abrupt and in your face. Perhaps that is what allowed the video to become a meme. In fact, this is the first meme this blog has examined that is a video, rather than a static image, although believe me, this meme was memed to death with stills. Therefore, it’s important that we dive into what caused this video meme, it’s implications and . . .  well . . . JUST DOING IT.

After watching the video, and even for those that simply saw the pause screen, it is apparent that the presentation of LaBeouf is one of the most striking features and perhaps causes for creation into a meme. The internet, having made a meme of Mr. LaBeouf before, is quick to strike when the actor presents himself in peculiar or unfortunate ways. In fact, making memes of Shia LaBeouf is nearly a meme in its own right, but that’s beside the point. The point is that LaBeouf’s aggression and immediate rage in shouting, “JUST DO IT,” instantaneously made the video meme material, but the second LaBeouf flexed his arms in front of his body in an awkward show of strength, the meme was confirmed.

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source: i.ytimg.com

The video provided all the necessary parts to create a great meme. First, there was the peculiarity of it all. LaBeouf looks to be in a hyperactive state, while not looking well put together. He screams as if he were the intoxicated uncle that hit their lecturing stride at the Christmas party and wasn’t going to stop. Second, there was the catch phrase, “just do it” which would also serve to give the meme a theme which is largely important. What made memes like Kermit the Frogs’, examined last week, so successful was that it had a motif. For Kermit, it was awkward situations and calling people out for questionable behavior. For the Shia LaBeouf video, “Just Do It” allowed the video to lend itself to a myriad of inspirational settings. Furthermore, his power stance provided for another number of crafty applications. This odd visual helped to make the video a meme in the first place. The cherry on top of it all? The fact that LaBeouf is filmed in front of a green screen begs the internet to meme him in all sorts of settings. Given all that which made it a meme, we must examine if we truly were inspired and whether or not, “JUST DO IT” means something more.


source: knowyourmeme.com

While LaBeouf’s message that we ought to follow our dreams and to just do them are certainly presented in a more aggressive manner than most people are used to, it is not very original. The meme does not suggest that society actually was so inspired by LaBeouf that the internet made it a meme glorifying the chasing of dreams. No, rather the meme is doing the exact opposite. It instead is more of a satirical meme, mocking all the actor’s previous failures (and arrests) which the internet has capitalized on. As mentioned before, to make a meme of Shia LaBeouf, or manufacture any comedic oddity related to LaBeouf, has become a meme itself. In an awfully cruel turn, we see that this meme reveals just how much the internet likes to make fun of particular people. Perhaps its revealing of society’s need for a scapegoat, or maybe it’s just an infatuation with the weird things Shia LaBeouf does. Personally I think it’s the latter, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad meme. Heck, I probably wasn’t going to finish this post if it had been for Shia screaming. So I just did it.

via GIPHY

4 thoughts on “Shia LaBeouf Wants You To Just Do It

  1. Lawrence Lee September 23, 2016 / 6:03 pm

    I think your last paragraph brings up an interesting point on how memes can reveal how the internet as a whole enjoys poking fun at specific individuals who may not fit into the mainstream definition of “normal” like the aforementioned Shia LaBeouf or the aliens guy from the History channel. Maybe the reason that people enjoy making fun of others so much is because deep down inside they’re afraid that someone else will do the same to them, so they preemptively start the teasing in an attempt to fit in.

  2. Sam Strong September 23, 2016 / 6:07 pm

    Shia Labeouf is everyone’s drunk uncle. Perfect comparison. I also really liked your analysis of the memes intent versus it’s actual impact. Good stuff. ?

  3. Abby Mapel September 23, 2016 / 6:10 pm

    Amazing. And I actually have seen this used to inspire people maybe twice!!!!! But yeah I agree with what you’re saying. Very memeingful content.

  4. Dan Herlihy September 30, 2016 / 2:32 pm

    I really like this story not because of the meme itself, but because of the story behind it. So these people were taking a class at their college on films or something to that extent and they needed to write a script. This was basically a final project and their script would be acted out by none other than Shia LeBeouf. The folks who made this script actually procrastinated fairly hard and wrote the entire thing in the few minutes before class started. So it goes to show that if you procrastinate, you too can make an internet meme.

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