In light of Harambe meme, Cincinnati Zoo deletes Twitter account
After a slight resurgence in online backlash, zoo managers took a drastic measure. Would time have healed the crisis if they had done nothing? Perhaps. Here’s how things unfolded.
Just when we thought the internet fervor around Harambe faded, the Cincinnati Zoo managed to turn its barely glowing crisis embers into flames.
Harambe was the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla who was shot and killed in May when a child fell into its enclosure.
The internet outrage came quick, and it was passionate. There were even Change.org petitions and hashtags such as #JusticeForHarambe that started trending.
It’s hard to nail down the exact moment that Harambe went from tragedy to meme, but some point to a tweet from the @WORLDSTAR Twitter account. That account is suspended, but here’s the image in question:
RIP to the legends #2016deaths pic.twitter.com/bPCGYNf8Z0
— WSHH FANS (@WORIDSTARHIPH0P) June 7, 2016
It certainly set the tone of feigned reverence that the meme would follow. RELATED: Keep your cool in a crisis with these 13 tips.
Those unfamiliar with these types of internet phenomena may look at the rise of the Harambe meme as mean spirited or tasteless.
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