The 2020 presidential election caused undeniable stress for millions of Americans over the course of the year. Not only did the nominees have starkly different attitudes and personalities, the fate of American jobs, well-beings, and livelihoods hung in the balance. A pandemic of both the coronavirus and racism has plagued the United States this year, leaving the country on the brink of economic ruin. Of course, like all things that happened this year, the election was “unprecedented.”
Instead of a winner declared on election night, like how it has been for the past multiple decades, election night in America evolved into election week due to increased mail-in ballots and logistical complications because of Covid-19. As the week dragged from Tuesday night to mid-day the following Saturday, many Americans found themselves glued to news networks, painstakingly checking for state count updates and for the infamous 5 – Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia – to be called.
Needless to say, the young American generations turned their suffering into comedic relief through memes on Twitter and TikToks that emphasized the slow counting processes, newfound crushes on news anchors (like John King), and the ever-painful 4-day “election week.”
The meme above features a scene from a contemporary film (released in 2019) titled “Marriage Story.” Specifically, this scene has circulated the Twitter-verse in recent months, providing opportunities for meme creators to alter the second line of the quote by Adam Driver, who plays Charlie Barber in the film. However, as election week unfolded, this specific version of the meme has gained popularity throughout social media platforms. The meme uses pathos and kairos to comedically appeal to Twitter users and Americans alike.
First, to reiterate, American sentiments about the 2020 election reflect the anger and frustration, as well as hurt, displayed by the main character, Charlie Barber. Like Barber, Americans were frustrated with how long states took to count the votes, specifically those that played pivotal roles in determining the election outcome. Their frustration with pandemic lockdowns and other major inconveniences, not to mention racially motivated deaths and justice system corruptions, all fall on the pressures of election results: new policy makers mean change. The emotions of Barber are seemingly identical to those of so many American citizens as an “unprecedented” election night quickly became an election week.
Secondly, the meme plays a role in a highly specific moment in time: the 4 days of counting misery and uncertainty that followed election day on Tuesday the 3rd of November. The ad only remained relevant (hence its appeal to kairos) during this period of time because it characterizes the few days in which the election had yet to be called – the days when Americans woke up without election results. Additionally, it is an American commonplace that election results will be known on the 4th of November. American society expects a winner, and without one, our understanding of the democratic tradition teeters. During any previous election, the thought of a week long election would be incomprehensible. And now, the meme is no longer applicable (the election has been called). But during the few days without results, Americans could relate to Barber’s frustrations and the kairotic week that felt it had no end.
