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| Meta Title | Why ‘This Is Fine’ Is the Meme This Year Deserves - The New York Times |
| Meta Description | A dog. A cup of coffee. A fire. Derived from a webcomic, the image is a bit like those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters, with an absurdist twist. |
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Credit...
KC Green
Aug. 5, 2016
During the Democratic National Convention, the Republican Party
shared a popular meme
to Twitter: a two-frame comic of a dog sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. The room is on fire.
This is fine.
The meme, derived from a webcomic by the 29-year-old illustrator K.C. Green, is a bit like those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters, just with an absurdist twist. It is halfway between a shrug and complete denial of reality.
“It’s a basic concept that can apply to a lot of differing situations,” Mr. Green wrote in an email on Wednesday. “That’s the whole idea behind memes and the like.”
Many memes, like “
Dat Boi
” or “
Damn, Daniel
,” exemplify the sort of flash-in-the-pan nonsense that can briefly take over pop culture before vanishing. But a durable meme, like “
Crying Jordan
” or “This Is Fine,” allows people to use it as
cultural commentary
.
“This Is Fine,” which is actually part of a
larger comic
created for Mr. Green’s webcomic series “Gunshow” in 2013, has inspired fan art and a
number of derivative works
on websites like Tumblr.
The illustration reached the political mainstream with the G.O.P.’s tweet, and what followed was a relatively unusual exchange between the political establishment and an artist. The Republicans had not compensated Mr. Green.
(It’s common for musicians to criticize a political candidate’s use of their song, but a cartoonist criticizing the use of a meme derived from his art? That’s new.)
“Having this comic and other images from my past works be made into memes before, this was really nothing completely new,” Mr. Green said of his reasoning for creating the elephant image. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to like some of the people who do use it, including the G.O.P.”
Slate
saw the Republican tweet as a meme-ruining development: “The trouble with such tweets — whether they’re coming from left or right — is that they’re mostly going to make sense to people who will discard them as soon as they spread too far,” Jacob Brogan wrote.
But another chapter appears to have given the meme new life: Mr. Green issued an update through The Nib, called
This Is Not Fine
, in which the dog wakes up from his stupor and panics.
“I thought it would be more angry when I was writing,” he said, “but it turned into more just losing your cool in a situation, which reflects better, I think.”
In an email, Matt Bors, an editor of The Nib, said the update was commissioned because “2016 has been such a gross, depressing slog.”
He added: “You acclimate to the crazy, you think ‘this is fine.’ It’s not. We needed that dog to come back.”
In this case, with the staying power comes the merchandise: A Kickstarter campaign
launched this week
has raised more than $200,000 to manufacture a plush This Is Fine toy.
In the meantime, Mr. Green also continues to work on other projects: He writes and draws
“He Is a Good Boy,”
a webcomic about an acorn that explores themes of horror, gore and existentialism. This is fine.
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# Why ‘This Is Fine’ Is the Meme This Year Deserves
- Share full article

Credit...KC Green
By [Katie Rogers](http://www.nytimes.com/by/katie-rogers)
- Aug. 5, 2016
During the Democratic National Convention, the Republican Party [shared a popular meme](https://twitter.com/GOP/status/757687865471963137) to Twitter: a two-frame comic of a dog sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. The room is on fire.
This is fine.
The meme, derived from a webcomic by the 29-year-old illustrator K.C. Green, is a bit like those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters, just with an absurdist twist. It is halfway between a shrug and complete denial of reality.
“It’s a basic concept that can apply to a lot of differing situations,” Mr. Green wrote in an email on Wednesday. “That’s the whole idea behind memes and the like.”
Many memes, like “[Dat Boi](http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/dat-boi-frog-unicycle-meme/)” or “[Damn, Daniel](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/style/damn-daniel-video-vans.html),” exemplify the sort of flash-in-the-pan nonsense that can briefly take over pop culture before vanishing. But a durable meme, like “[Crying Jordan](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/arts/crying-jordan-the-meme-that-just-wont-die.html)” or “This Is Fine,” allows people to use it as [cultural commentary](https://twitter.com/JuliaCarmel__/status/754075688689369088).
“This Is Fine,” which is actually part of a [larger comic](http://gunshowcomic.com/648) created for Mr. Green’s webcomic series “Gunshow” in 2013, has inspired fan art and a [number of derivative works](https://www.tumblr.com/search/this+is+fine) on websites like Tumblr.
The illustration reached the political mainstream with the G.O.P.’s tweet, and what followed was a relatively unusual exchange between the political establishment and an artist. The Republicans had not compensated Mr. Green.
> . [@GOP](https://twitter.com/GOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) We actually paid the artist who made this. Here's what he came up with. [pic.twitter.com/4D4bmx9ccp](https://t.co/4D4bmx9ccp)
>
> — The Nib ✒️ (@thenib) [July 26, 2016](https://twitter.com/thenib/status/757790230350929921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
(It’s common for musicians to criticize a political candidate’s use of their song, but a cartoonist criticizing the use of a meme derived from his art? That’s new.)
“Having this comic and other images from my past works be made into memes before, this was really nothing completely new,” Mr. Green said of his reasoning for creating the elephant image. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to like some of the people who do use it, including the G.O.P.”
[Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/07/how_the_gop_ruined_this_is_fine_dog.html) saw the Republican tweet as a meme-ruining development: “The trouble with such tweets — whether they’re coming from left or right — is that they’re mostly going to make sense to people who will discard them as soon as they spread too far,” Jacob Brogan wrote.
But another chapter appears to have given the meme new life: Mr. Green issued an update through The Nib, called [This Is Not Fine](https://thenib.com/this-is-not-fine), in which the dog wakes up from his stupor and panics.
“I thought it would be more angry when I was writing,” he said, “but it turned into more just losing your cool in a situation, which reflects better, I think.”
In an email, Matt Bors, an editor of The Nib, said the update was commissioned because “2016 has been such a gross, depressing slog.”
He added: “You acclimate to the crazy, you think ‘this is fine.’ It’s not. We needed that dog to come back.”
In this case, with the staying power comes the merchandise: A Kickstarter campaign [launched this week](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kcgreen/this-is-fine-plush-dog) has raised more than \$200,000 to manufacture a plush This Is Fine toy.
In the meantime, Mr. Green also continues to work on other projects: He writes and draws [“He Is a Good Boy,”](http://hiagb.com/) a webcomic about an acorn that explores themes of horror, gore and existentialism. This is fine.
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Credit...KC Green
- Aug. 5, 2016
During the Democratic National Convention, the Republican Party [shared a popular meme](https://twitter.com/GOP/status/757687865471963137) to Twitter: a two-frame comic of a dog sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. The room is on fire.
This is fine.
The meme, derived from a webcomic by the 29-year-old illustrator K.C. Green, is a bit like those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters, just with an absurdist twist. It is halfway between a shrug and complete denial of reality.
“It’s a basic concept that can apply to a lot of differing situations,” Mr. Green wrote in an email on Wednesday. “That’s the whole idea behind memes and the like.”
Many memes, like “[Dat Boi](http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/dat-boi-frog-unicycle-meme/)” or “[Damn, Daniel](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/style/damn-daniel-video-vans.html),” exemplify the sort of flash-in-the-pan nonsense that can briefly take over pop culture before vanishing. But a durable meme, like “[Crying Jordan](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/arts/crying-jordan-the-meme-that-just-wont-die.html)” or “This Is Fine,” allows people to use it as [cultural commentary](https://twitter.com/JuliaCarmel__/status/754075688689369088).
“This Is Fine,” which is actually part of a [larger comic](http://gunshowcomic.com/648) created for Mr. Green’s webcomic series “Gunshow” in 2013, has inspired fan art and a [number of derivative works](https://www.tumblr.com/search/this+is+fine) on websites like Tumblr.
The illustration reached the political mainstream with the G.O.P.’s tweet, and what followed was a relatively unusual exchange between the political establishment and an artist. The Republicans had not compensated Mr. Green.
(It’s common for musicians to criticize a political candidate’s use of their song, but a cartoonist criticizing the use of a meme derived from his art? That’s new.)
“Having this comic and other images from my past works be made into memes before, this was really nothing completely new,” Mr. Green said of his reasoning for creating the elephant image. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to like some of the people who do use it, including the G.O.P.”
[Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/07/how_the_gop_ruined_this_is_fine_dog.html) saw the Republican tweet as a meme-ruining development: “The trouble with such tweets — whether they’re coming from left or right — is that they’re mostly going to make sense to people who will discard them as soon as they spread too far,” Jacob Brogan wrote.
But another chapter appears to have given the meme new life: Mr. Green issued an update through The Nib, called [This Is Not Fine](https://thenib.com/this-is-not-fine), in which the dog wakes up from his stupor and panics.
“I thought it would be more angry when I was writing,” he said, “but it turned into more just losing your cool in a situation, which reflects better, I think.”
In an email, Matt Bors, an editor of The Nib, said the update was commissioned because “2016 has been such a gross, depressing slog.”
He added: “You acclimate to the crazy, you think ‘this is fine.’ It’s not. We needed that dog to come back.”
In this case, with the staying power comes the merchandise: A Kickstarter campaign [launched this week](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kcgreen/this-is-fine-plush-dog) has raised more than \$200,000 to manufacture a plush This Is Fine toy.
In the meantime, Mr. Green also continues to work on other projects: He writes and draws [“He Is a Good Boy,”](http://hiagb.com/) a webcomic about an acorn that explores themes of horror, gore and existentialism. This is fine.
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