As tensions between the US and Iran escalate, many internet users have responded by flooding the internet with WWIII memes and jokes. And one account that’s quickly rose to prominence in this space is USA MILITARY ➐ – a US military parody account that jokes about drafting pretty much anyone and anything.
The account started in December and has already gained more than 78,600 followers. Many of its draft related tweets get thousands of likes and retweets.
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1215145009818849280
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1213486852608577540
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1214079880687734784
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1213876238286241792
Beyond “drafting” everyone, the account also jokes about how people will be used after they’re drafted.
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1214674535464738816
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1214674535464738816
https://twitter.com/usa_miiitary/status/1214250655176691712
The rapid growth of the account follows a trend of several prominent memes being used to bring humor to current events and big news stories in 2020.
At the start of the year, the wholesome New Guy meme went viral and put a positive spin on a bitter comic. The original comic seemed to celebrate YouTuber PewDiePie getting robbed, mock those who said it was wrong for him to be robbed, and portrayed New Guy as a straw-man character. However, the internet responded by creating New Guy inspired works that celebrated the character and positioned him as a wholesome protagonist.
Comedian Ricky Gervais also mentioned the Epstein didn’t kill himself meme when hosting the 2020 Golden Globes and gave the meme its biggest platform to date. This long-lasting meme started to go viral in August 2019 in response to the bizarre circumstances surrounding the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
