Yes We Can: No Obama Required

Sometimes the Internet seems like one great big orgy where no one’s packing protection. Or, if you prefer a more PG metaphor, one great big melting pot of delicious cheeses, into which fondue forks are constantly being dipped. Either way, the fast pace and free exchange of ideas means it doesn’t take long for one meme to combine with another to create a very odd baby (or a delicious snack).

I mean, two weeks ago, did you ever think that George Carlin and Barack Obama would have anything in common? Probably not. But after Carlin’s passing, hip-hop video blogger Jay Smooth took the comedian’s infamous “Seven Dirty Words” video and sent it up, will.I.am-style. Maybe two years ago, this would be exciting news — these days, though, Jay Smooth is just late to the game.

The original Yes We Can, a celebrity-packed remix of the presumptive Democratic nominee’s January speech, is pretty controversial: opinions range from brilliant to campaign-damaging,. And the video’s earnest nature — a sharp deviation from the ironic tone generally prefered in online circles — leaves it all-too-open to parody. Yes We Can, since its February premiere, has been covered, remixed and refocused on other candidates. As Wonkette puts it, “if they’re parodies, they also support Barack Obama, but in a less grating way than “Yes, We Can” does!”

What’s fascinating is to see the simple nature of the piece lose its connection to Senator Obama and become just another way of commenting on any public figure. Including, delightfully, Cobra Commander. Maybe four months ago, a low-key guitar background and black-and-white footage was strictly Obama territory. But today? It’s just another genre of online video.