Dark Brandon

‘Dark Woke’ is nothing new

From our US edition

Ever in need of new narratives to feed into the bottomless abyss that is American political analysis, TikTok spelunkers and X addicts have delivered a new concept to be immediately overused and driven into the ground: “Dark Woke.” It’s woke, but dark. Somehow, things get lamer from there. “As liberals try to get their groove back, some party insiders say Democratic politicians have been encouraged to embrace a new form of combative rhetoric aimed at winning back voters who have responded to President Trump’s no-holds-barred version of politics,” writes Jack Crosbie in the New York Times. “It requires being crass but discerning, rude but only to a point.” Crass… but discerning! Rude…but only to a point!

woke

Why those ‘Dark Brandon’ memes are so revealing

From our US edition

There’s no way to explain the “Dark Brandon” meme without sounding insane so we might as well just embrace it. In October 2021, during an interview at the Sparks 300 NASCAR race, the crowd began to chant “Fuck Joe Biden.” The interviewer, whose subject was Brandon Brown, optimistically suggested that the crowd was chanting “Let’s go Brandon.” “Let’s go Brandon” became a cheeky means of mocking President Biden among Republicans. Even Ted Cruz could be seen with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign, and Biden playfully acknowledged the meme when he said at the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner, “Republicans seem to support one fella, some guy named Brandon. He's having a good year. I'm kind of happy for him.