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When it comes to spreading a message, nothing cuts through the noise quite like a good meme. What began as an innocent image macro of a lonely frog in 2007 has since evolved into an Internet phenomenon as evidenced by the proliferation of “meme culture” in the modern day.
Today, we see these Internet inside jokes on everything from T-shirts to Twitter bios and even Tinder profiles. If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you are well-versed in the world of memes and their sub-types.
With that being said, have you ever wondered which country produces the best ones? Well, wonder no more because we did the research for you! Keep reading to discover some of our favorite meme images and find out which country creates the best.
Which Country Has the Best Memes?
The term “meme” was coined in the 1970s by evolutionary biologist and biologist, Richard Dawkins in his book, “The Selfish Gene”.
In this book, Dawkins uses the word “mimeme” as a portmanteau of “mimic” and “gene” to explain how cultural ideas are replicated from one person to another. Today, the term “meme” has come to describe an image, video, or piece of text that is copied and spread rapidly online.
Moreover, these things don’t necessarily have to be factually correct or even make sense. These lexical origins make it interesting to note that there is a stark difference between the initial intent of a meme and the way it is used today.
While the original idea behind a meme was to spread factual information, modern-day memes are often humorous, nonsensical, and sometimes even offensive.
United States
Now let’s start with the country that started it all—the United States.
As the birthplace of Internet culture, it is no surprise that the U.S. is home to some of the best memes in the world. Some of our favorites include the “All Your Base Are Belong To Us” image macro, the “Y U No” image, and the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” image.
To be fair, the U.S. has historically produced some of the best memes, but we believe that this may be attributed to the large and diverse population living in the country. That being said, it is possible that the U.S. may have slipped a bit in the rankings as the meme-making population has grown in recent years.
Canada
Next up is Canada, a country famous for maple syrup, hockey, and being extremely polite.
While many people associate Canada with these stereotypes, they may not realize that the country is also a hub for meme production. So, what makes Canadian memes so great? Well, we think it has to do with the fact that Canada is a bilingual country with two very distinct cultures—English and French.
This has created a unique blend of humor found in both English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians. One of our favorite Canadian memes is the “How You Doin’?” image. This meme is an example of how the cultural differences between English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians have created two very different variations of the same meme.
Brazil
Next up is Brazil, a country famous for its footballers, samba, and beautiful beaches.
While these are all great things, the country has also managed to carve out a distinct place for itself in the world of memes. One of the most famous Brazilian memes is the “Are You Retarded?” image that features a man with a speech bubble that reads “Retard”.
This meme is slightly offensive, but in a very funny way that makes us cringe and laugh at the same time. Another great Brazilian meme is the “What If I Told You” image that imagines a world where everything is upside down.
Mexico
Next up is Mexico, a country that is famous for its spicy food, beautiful beaches, and its colorful culture.
When it comes to producing great memes, the Mexican people have upped the ante. Some of our favorite Mexican memes include the “Sad Pepe” image, the “La Calavera de la Muerte” image, the “What Are Those?” image, and the “Soy Realy Mexicano” image.
One of the factors that make Mexican memes so great is the language barrier. Due to the fact that English and Spanish are the two official languages of Mexico, a lot of memes created in the country are written in Spanish.
One of our favorite things about Mexican memes is that they are often based on very real stereotypes. In fact, one of our favorite Mexican memes is an image that reads “Are You Really Mexican?”
Argentina
Last but not least, we come to Argentina, a country famous for its beef, tango, and being the home of football legend, Lionel Messi.
When it comes to producing memes, the Argentinian people have been killing it. Some of our favorite Argentinian memes include the “You Stupid?” image, the “There Are 2 Types of People” image, and the “Why Are You Trying So Hard?” image.
One thing that sets Argentinian memes apart is the language used in them. While most memes are written in English, Argentinian memes are written mostly in Spanish. This is probably because the country has a large Spanish-speaking population.
One of our favorite things about Argentinian memes is the exaggerated portrayal of the country and its people. In fact, one of our favorite Argentinian memes is an image that reads “Argentina: Land of Expensive Beef, Bad Tango, and Bad Memes”.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are tons of great meme-producing countries out there, and it is almost impossible to choose a “winner”. That being said, we think that the best memes come from places where different cultures and languages collide.
It is through this cross-pollination of ideas that we get the funniest, most creative, and most relatable memes. So, if you want to make your own memes, don’t be afraid to combine different cultures and languages to create something totally new and original.
