UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears have embraced the label of being “woke” as a rallying cry this football season after some Southeast rivals mocked them as left-wing radicals online. The Bears, a traditionally middling football program, joined the Atlantic Coast Conference this year, taking them to new locations around the country. Fans from rival schools have targeted the Bears with memes and conservative mockery, prompting Cal fans to respond with their own memes poking fun at the stereotypes associated with being “woke.”
A meme created by a grad student, Miles Goodman, gained popularity after Cal’s upset win at Auburn, garnering over 5 million views. The meme, “You just lost to the woke agenda,” led Cal fans to embrace the label and create their own memes highlighting various political and social issues. Despite the stereotypes, Cal fans represent a diverse range of beliefs and ideologies.
The meme culture war has extended to jokes about immigration, DEI policies, and critical race theory. Followers of the Bears have engaged in creating exaggerated and absurdist memes to challenge stereotypes and hopefully bridge the political gap between fans of different schools. The goal is for fans to better understand each other through interaction at games, showing that they are just normal and polite individuals. Cal will face the Florida State Seminoles in their upcoming game on Saturday, continuing the football-fueled meme culture war.
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