Over the past few years, McGill has become home to an ever-growing meme community, fostering the creation of Instagram accounts dedicated to McGill-related content. The Bull & Bear interviewed the managers of some of the biggest McGill meme pages on Instagram to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes.
Interview with @suzane_fartier
The Bull & Bear (B&B): Can you give us any sort of hint as to who runs this page?
@suzane_fartier: My name is Ria, I’m a U3 Pharmacology student.
The B&B: Why did you decide to start this page?
@suzane_fartier: My page started as a finsta [fake Instagram account], where I posted memes for my friends and just because of my love for memes. Most of the memes were not my own, but then I slowly really got into the process of making memes, and kept posting more and more original content. … I think there were also three meme accounts active at the time (two years ago), so it didn’t intimidate me away from making memes, I still felt like I had something to contribute.
The B&B: Where do you get inspiration from?
@suzane_fartier: I look at a lot of memes online. My brain functions solely to make memes/jokes/puns at any given moment. I spend a lot of time on social media, so if an image inspires me, I’ll make a meme out of it, or if a popular new meme format arises, I’ll meme that.
The B&B: What is it about the culture of McGill that you think lends itself to memes?
@suzane_fartier: I think everyone is really miserable here and we all need a way to vent our frustrations. It’s academically rigorous but we also have to deal with a sh*tty
administration, which makes their expectations of us seem hypocritical. Also,
meme consumption and production is a valuable currency for our generation. If I didn’t have memes, I don’t know how I would have fun with my friends. It definitely feels like we’re developing our own language. A lot of memes can be so meta that they have several layers and require a rich background in meme history to enjoy.
The B&B: Do you have any goals for the future of this page?
@suzane_fartier: No. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do once I graduate. But there are enough meme accounts popping up constantly that my content won’t be missed down the line.
One on one with @chaotic_martlet_memes
The Bull & Bear: Can you give us any sort of hint as to who runs this page?
@chaotic_martlet_memes: Your fave graduated gay.
The B&B: Why did you decide to start this page?
@chaotic_martlet_memes: To take down spicy [@spicy_martlet_memes].
The B&B: What is it about the culture of McGill that you think lends itself to memes?
@chaotic_martlet_memes: Lack of resources for mental health and unnecessary difficulty.
The B&B: Do you have any goals for the future of this page?
@chaotic_martlet_memes: Well, this summer I tried to burn it to the ground by posting rage comics, but it didn’t work.
The B&B: What is the weirdest/best DM (direct message) your page has ever gotten?
@chaotic_martlet_memes: My favourites are really badly made memes that I would reply to with a message that was like, “I love this, but it’s more Spicy’s aesthetic and I don’t want to steal their brand”.
Getting deep with @overheard_mcgill
The Bull & Bear: Can you give us any sort of hint as to who runs this page?
@overheard_mcgill: I’m a U2 Poli Sci student
The B&B: Why did you decide to start this page?
@overheard_mcgill: I kept overhearing weird stuff, some of which was pretty relatable, and I thought other people might enjoy hearing it too.
The B&B: What is it about the culture of McGill that you think lends itself to memes?
@overheard_mcgill: I think there’s something about a bunch of stressed-out young people living in close quarters having pretty much no idea what they’re doing that makes people say totally bananas stuff.
The B&B: What is the weirdest/best DM your page has ever gotten?
@overheard_mcgill: Most of the things I post are DMed to me, but once I got a message from a friend (who did not know I was running the account) asking me by name if I was running Overheard.
On the record with @rvc_caf_updates
The Bull & Bear: Can you give us any sort of hint as to who runs this page?
@rvc_caf_updates: Maybe you’ve seen us before … around campus … in your classes … and perhaps … you thought we were cute … perhaps you even have a crush on us.
The B&B: Why did you decide to start this page?
@rvc_caf_updates: Well, the RVC caf online menu often is a LIE and, after a particularly big let down of a dinner, our friend joked that we should make a page to give people real-life
updates on the caf so they don’t fall victim to the same ruses, hence our name. After that, it just spiraled into memes.
The B&B: What is it about the culture of McGill that you think lends itself to memes?
There’s a lot to make fun of, but it’s also for us during the school year. I think we just need the page for a creative outlet that also makes us laugh when things get tough.
The B&B: What is the weirdest/best DM your page has ever gotten?
@rvc_caf_updates: Feet pics.
In touch with @eatingassinottomaass
The Bull & Bear: Can you give us any sort of hint as to who runs this page?
@eatingassinottomaass: My identity isn’t really secret since I sometimes also post my memes on the McGill memes Facebook page, but a little about me: I’m a second year psychology major from Los Angeles who’s involved with Greek life, Her Campus, It’s On Us, and Vent Over Tea (an active listening service in Montreal).
The B&B: Why did you decide to start this page?
@eatingassinottomaass: The page started as kind of a joke and I didn’t expect it to grow as much as it did. I had no idea how to make memes and my content wasn’t particularly unique, but I had the idea to make a meme page for my rez (La Citadelle), so I kind of just went for it. … Eventually, I started gaining more followers and I decided to broaden my content to fit a wider audience.
The B&B: Where do you get inspiration from?
@eatingassinottomaass: I get these weird waves of inspiration where I’ll start thinking of funny ideas and then more come to me and I just get on a roll and suddenly it’s 3am and I’m alone in my room making memes and laughing to myself … When I want to make a meme but feel stuck, I’ll sometimes browse my favourite meme pages … but most of the time things just pop into my brain as I’m living my life and I get really excited, whip out my laptop, and get cracking.
The B&B: What is it about the culture of McGill that you think lends itself to memes?
@eatingassinottomaass: I think the culture of McGill and Montreal general lends itself to memes because of how unique and international it is. As someone coming from California, I pick up on so many little cultural differences surrounding Canadian culture and Quebecois culture that I find interesting (and hilarious). … I believe it’s important to find humour in everyday life, whether it’s French people smoking cigarettes, losing our dignity at the grimy clubs we all secretly love, or dealing with the hypothermic weather.
The B&B: What is the weirdest/best DM your page has ever gotten?
@eatingassinottomaass: People message me and ask if I actually eat ass. I’m just going to leave it at that.
