Splinter News writer Nick Martin caused a bit of a commotion yesterday when he asked, in an aptly titled headline, “Did You Know the Nodding Meme Guy Is Robert Freakin’ Redford???”
“Nodding Meme Guy,” formally known as “Nod of Approval” for those not in the know, is a gif used in myriad reaction contexts on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and other social media platforms. The slight grin and zoom-in are some of its key hallmarks.
As Know Your Meme explains, the short clip comes from 1972’s Robert Redford-starring film “Jeremiah Johnson,” and the gif has been spreading as a popular meme since at least 2012. Know Your Meme tracks searches for memes contained in its database and, following Martin’s article yesterday afternoon, Google searches containing keywords related to the gif have reached an all-time high.
Younger social media users and non-cinephiles, though, thought the gif was of the much-younger comic actor and “Baskets” star, Zach Galifinakis. Naturally, intergenerational chaos and a whole lot of snarky commentary ensued on social media.
Cinephiles and pre-millennial social media users: “Well, duh.”
today i learned a not insignificant number of my colleagues never knew Robert Redford is the “nodding guy meme.” deeply disturbinghttps://t.co/qsthjcjLni
— Katherine Krueger (@kath_krueger) July 9, 2019
I had no idea that this was Robert Redford. pic.twitter.com/hQJS48rJMy
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) July 10, 2019
Emily Nussbaum, in an expert move, layered meme upon meme to convey her sarcasm; the kids, though, missed that meme memo.
Kids, if have to tweet to clarify that this was a joke-tweet parodying people who were confused about a *different* meme being Robert Redford, I am going to TURN THIS CAR AROUND.
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) July 10, 2019
did you know this was freaking robert redford?! pic.twitter.com/ilBETEX3EO
— Jeff Ramos (@ohjefframos) July 9, 2019
Others simply were shaken, uncertain what to believe anymore
https://twitter.com/RealToddHaynes/status/1148755984459784194
Is Robert Redford in all our favorite memes? (No.)
https://twitter.com/YouGotSnowd/status/1148660316244365312
At least one Twitter user defended younger Americans being, perhaps understandably, confused by yesterday’s revelation.
https://twitter.com/IamGru8/status/1148744424072994816
Finally, some intrepid social media users took the chance to remind everyone else that Redford is a true Hollywood legend. And a certified hottie. Learn the kids a thing or two.
https://twitter.com/bergerdbeans/status/1148809710109249537
Galafinakis: a handsome dude! all respect to him! however pic.twitter.com/EMWuJz5gcJ
— rachel (@rachelmillman) July 9, 2019
All respect. However.
One mystery has been resolved and one of the handsomest classic film era stars has gotten his due. It might be time for a re-watch of Butch Cassidy.
(Source: Splinter News)
