User:DoctorWho42/Bernie or Hillary?

"Bernie or Hillary?" (or "Bernie vs. Hillary" ) is an Internet meme that pits American politicians Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders as opponents. Clinton and Sanders are both candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in the United States 2016 election. The meme features a political poster comparing the two candidates on a particular issue.

History
The meme started out as a joke campaign by Tumblr user Obvious Plant. The meme was popularized via the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash.

Format
The meme uses the format of the political poster to compare the candidates on a particular issue. The caption reads "Bernie or Hillary? Be informed. Compare them on the issues that really matter." Variations of the meme compare comments on such issues as: anime, English rock band Black Sabbath, cannabis, electronic music, first-person shooters, gaming, Harry Potter, heavy metal, Internet memes, jet skis, lizards,  American indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, Nutella, American casual dining restaurant chain Olive Garden, philosophies on sneaking soda in the free water cup, PlayStation, Pokemon,  preferred gaming consoles, Radiohead,  space vampires,  stand-up comedy, Star Wars,  and Tony Hawk.

Art
On February 12, 2016, new media artist Matt Starr organized the art exhibition "Weekend with Bernie" for Wayfarers Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition included Ryder Ripps's installation "Faces of Bernie Sanders Dank Meme Stash" featuring Skype video chats with members of the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash and the meme.

Criticism
The Washington Post's Caitlin Dewey described "Bernie or Hillary?" as a "persistent example" of "some of the most successful Bernie Sanders memes are also, on their face, the least factual" since "[it] paints Clinton as a semi-literate hanger-on." Slate's Amanda Hess criticized the sexism of the meme stating "[i]nvariably, Bernie Sanders' response is passionate and charming while Hillary Clinton's is insufferable and cloying." Alternative weekly newspaper Houston Press's Jef Rouner compared the meme to the "Idiot Meme Girl" stating "that shit was sexist and unfunny then, too. Some of them are literally the same jokes. So on top of everything else, it's just really unoriginal."

Impact
Vice's Gabriella Lewis claimed the meme has gotten more people interested in electoral politics.

Reception
American electro house musician Steve Aoki called it "dankest of the dank memes." Oberlin College student newspaper The Oberlin Review's Josh Ashkinaze said "Bernie or Hillary?" "[t]he dankest meme now." Slate's Amanda Hess found that "Bernie vs. Hillary has already evolved into such an undank meme." The Daily Dot's Stephen Thomas has called the meme "hugely popular."