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Goodbye Trump, Democrat Andrew Yang is the 2020 election’s new king of the memes.

Goodbye Trump, Democrat Andrew Yang is the 2020 election’s new king of the memes.
via Collision Conf / Flickr

In the 2016 election, Donald Trump was, by far, the most meme-worthy candidate. Trolls on sites such as 4Chan and Reddit’s r/The Donald championed Trump as an ironic savior while the alt-right churned out countless disgusting, racist memes using Trump’s image.

However, in 2020 it looks like the 'sh*t-posters' of the world are jumping off the Trump Train and getting on the Yang Yacht. The political outsider is also gaining legitimate support from Democrats for his forward-thinking policies.

Andrew Yang, 44, is a former corporate lawyer who switched to startups and later launched the nonprofit Venture for America , which seeks to “to revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship.”

His presidential candidacy has been gaining legitimate traction in the crowded 2020 Democratic field by focusing on a future where automation and artificial intelligence may lead to mass unemployment. His supporters are known as the “Yang Gang.”

His signature proposal to help people through the impending economic catastrophe is a universal basic income (UBI) which he calls the Freedom Dividend.

Yang’s UBI policy would give every American adult $1,000 a month to do as they choose. The idea is gaining sincere support from some liberals, but it’s also made him the favored candidate by some on the far right.

“It’s uncomfortable,” Yang told The New York Times about his far-right supporters. “They’re antithetical to everything I stand for.”

The candidate’s forward-looking policies are also seen as a respite from decades-old debates on Baby Boomer topics such as abortion and guns.

Yang is even working on creating a lifelike 3-D hologram of himself that can be projected on the back of a flatbed truck. “It’s a way for me to be in two places at once,” he said.

The candidate has even acknowledged an unofficial Yang 2020 slogan that has cropped up online. “Secure the bag” is a term used by supporters to hold the course and get that sweet $1,000 a month check.

Here’s a small sampling of the countless Yang Gang memes popping up online.

Some are switching to Yang after being disappointing by Trump.

Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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friendship
Education

In 125 years, millions of people have looked at this painting. No one really saw it until recently.

Van Gogh saw something it took scientists another 100 years to see.

Image from Wikimedia Commons .

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist ( even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
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Pets

A shelter made online dating profiles for 22 animals. The results are adorable.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Anyone who's ever been on Tinder knows having a cute animal in the photo is usually a big hit .

But what if Tinder profile photos only featured that cute animal? And what if, instead of a millennial would-be hooker-upper, it was the adorable dog or cat itself looking for true love?

That's an idea some animal shelters are toying with.

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Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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education
Health

Please read this before you post another RIP on social media

There is a hierarchy of grief and it's important to know where you fall on it before posting about someone's death.

Image from GOOD .

Working through grief is a community thing.


Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.

I'll take you back to Saturday, June 9, 2012. At 8:20 a.m., my 36-year-old husband was pronounced dead at a hospital just outside Washington, D.C.

By 9:20 a.m., my cellphone would not stop ringing or text-alerting me long enough for me to make the necessary calls that I needed to make: people like immediate family, primary-care doctors to discuss death certificates and autopsies, funeral homes to discuss picking him up, and so on. Real things, important things, time-sensitive, urgent things.

At 9:47 a.m., while speaking to a police officer (because yes, when your spouse dies, you must be questioned by the police immediately), one call did make it through. I didn't recognize the number. But in those moments, I knew I should break my normal rule and answer all calls. "He's dead??? Oh my God. Who's with you? Are you OK? Why am I reading this on Facebook? Taya, what the heck is going on?"

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culture
Joy

7 powerful photographs of terminally ill patients living out their final wishes

Few gifts are greater than having your final wish granted.

All photos by the Ambulance Wish Foundation, used with permission.

She wanted to see "my favorite painting one last time."


Before 54-year-old Mario passed away, he had one special goodbye he needed to say ... to his favorite giraffe.

Mario had worked as a maintenance man at the Rotterdam zoo in the Netherlands for over 25 years. After his shifts, he loved to visit and help care for the animals, including the giraffes.

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inspiration
Identity

Legalizing gay marriage has caused a dramatic drop in LGBT suicide rates

A victory for America.

via Ted Eytan

In June 2015 The Supreme Court of the United States declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

The legalization of gay marriage granted over 1100 statutory provisions to same-sex couples, many of them granting rights and privileges previously only afforded to heterosexual couples.

After the decision, President Barack Obama said the ruling will "strengthen all of our communities" by offering dignity and equal status to all same-sex couples and their families.

He called it a "victory for America."

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gay marriage suicide drop
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