It’s time to commemorate the best and worst memes of 2016, with the first annual Memeys!  So much happened this year in the world of memes; from Pepe the frog, to Harambe, to the incessant election commentary from Occupy Democrats.  It was a year full of hilarity and facepalms.  Here are the winners (and losers).

Worst Prediction

The Memey for “Worst Prediction of 2016” goes to…Hillary Clinton! There were many notable people who wrongly predicted the election, but unless Hillary was referring to student council or a future rotary club position this was the most embarrassing. There’s only one person who can get away with being this smugly wrong, and that’s Trump.

Best Reocurring Meme

The Memey for “Best Reoccurring Meme” goes to…Harambe! The tragedy at the Cincinnati Zoo quickly turned into to a relentless meme campaign. Initially, it was an in-your-face poke at the hysteria some gave to a dead gorilla vs real issues plaguing the world. But, it then took on a life of its own. Harambe starred in movies, he died for our sins, and even ran for president. Just when you thought the meme was played out, you couldn’t help but chuckle at the next one.

Best Taxation is Theft Meme

The Memey for “Best Taxation is Theft Meme” goes to…this guy! Libertarians aren’t shy about proclaiming “taxation is theft”. With the advent of memes, this slogan has taken on a life of its own. Not everyone buys into this mindset, but for those who do have the taxation=theft epiphany, this meme encapsulates it perfectly.

Most Hypocritical Meme

The Memey for “Most Hypocritical Meme” goes to…Occupy Democrats! Just a few months after they declared openly defying Obama was “treason”, they became dedicated to openly defying Trump without skipping a beat.

Most Creative Meme

Presenting the Memey for “Most Creative Meme of the Year”! For years, “Bye Felicia!” has been a go-to snide retort when someone is overstepping their importance on a matter. “Oh, you’re going to unsubscribe from my FB page because I posted a meme you don’t like? Bye Felicia!” Now, there’s a meme for that.

Best Smackdown in a Meme

The Memey for “Best Smackdown in a Meme” goes to…Tom Woods! In this #FightFor15, it’s not even a fair fight.

Most Annoying Meme

The Memey for “Most Annoying Meme of 2016” goes to…Occupy Democrats! For months leading up to the election, both Occupy and The Other 98% plastered #DumpTrump across their pages and memes. Yea, we get it, it rhymes, but after seeing it for the 100th time it starts to lose its luster a bit. There’s a real possibility “Dump Trump” contributed more to Trump’s win than the Russians.

Most Misleading Meme

The Memey for “Most Misleading Meme of the Year” goes to…The Other 98%! There were countless memes that gave misleading information about the Dakota Access Pipeline, but this one takes the prize. By failing to provide any context, this meme gives the impression that police were the invaders, arresting protesters on their land. In reality, it was the protesters trespassing on and destroying private property that necessitated the police action. Additionally, the proposed pipeline would be much more environmentally friendly than the alternatives of not building it. Presenting out of context information about the DAPL protests was a hallmark of these social media propaganda campaigns, making it perhaps the most misinformed and hyped-up controversy of 2016. This was previously debunked in more detail here.

Stupidest Meme

Presenting the Memey for “Stupidest Meme of 2016”! It’s not patriotic to commit arson in response to flag burning, it’s criminal. 2016 proved that some on the right are just as hysterical about the flag than social justice warriors are about race and sex. Violence is justified in self-defense, not in defense of feelings

Funniest Meme

It’s funny ’cause it’s true!

Best Bernie Meme

Beloved by many, sold out to a few. But hey, at least there was Jill Stein left.

Best Hillary Meme

Apologies to those who never listened to Eminem, but this was epic.

Best Trump Meme

Who did wear it better? We’re at a loss.

Best Election Meme

And now, presenting the Memey for “Best Election Meme”! Not only was this one great, but it was censored by Facebook. Liberty Memes had it taken down from their page, and for awhile it was completely scrubbed from all of FB. They claimed it encouraged dangerous behavior

Worst Meme of the Year

The Memey for “Worst Meme of 2016” goes to… Occupy Democrats! After months of an obsessive, hysterical campaign against Trump, it finally culminated with this on election night. Their warped, narcissistic worldview was on display in epic fashion, as they equated Trump’s victory to the worst moment in American history. Forget slavery or Japanese internment camps, THIS was the most embarrassing moment ever. Why? Because it hurt their feelings! Didn’t everyone know about their furious meme campaign telling everyone Trump was “literally Hitler”? Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have learned anything and continue to live in their echo chamber. As they approach 5 million followers, it appears they’ll be just as bad in 2017.

Best Meme of the Year

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for, the Memey for “Best Meme of 2016”! Witty, creative and funny without being hateful or deceitful. If every meme could rise to this level, there would be no need for the Meme Policeman! Thanks to all of you for following this page and liking/sharing the posts. With your help, we’ve more than quadrupled in 2016. Happy New Year, see ya in 2017!