After US presidential frontrunner Kamala Harris announced her 2024 bid, Indian aunties took to social media to post, “In Sanskrit, “Kamala” = lotus. In American, Kamala = POTUS.”
Soon after, America’s Internet warriors got to work, cranking out meme after meme of Ms Harris.
These memes and videos are largely served up by Gen Z — a critical bloc of voters that had earlier in the presidential race been lukewarm on US President Joe Biden for a number of reasons.
Though created and disseminated with a large serving of levity, make no mistake, the memes serve a purpose: to propel Ms Harris to the White House.
As @Ritz_Th posted on X: “we absolutely MUST meme this woman into the presidency.”
Naturally, the meme trend has permeated the globe, and Singaporeans have duly followed suit, adding a local touch to their punchlines.
Hours after Ms Harris’ candidacy was announced, many in Singapore received a photo of the White House with the words “Kamala Vilas” inscribed as a form of signage atop the presidential home and landmark in Washington DC.
For those who don’t get the joke, it’s a play on the famous vegetarian restaurant in Little India.
And of course, local meme artists also had to inject a bit of Singlish to things, especially after learning that Ms Harris’ first name spelt backwards means “alamak”, a common colloquialism used to describe surprise or disappointment.
