Identify this Meme? My name is Sharlene and it goes like 6 *spins away*

May 21, 2020 7:34 PM

About 10 years ago, I was at a not-small Silicon Valley tech event where I saw this bizarre meme. It was a young black woman (not the "confused black girl") speaking with flat affect, superimposed on a (blue-ish?) background, saying a simple rhyme similar to what I have in the title, and then the image of her spun away on its axis. It seemed familiar to many people in attendance. I had always meant to find out what this was but I see nothing online. Anyone know?
posted by Borborygmus to Technology (4 answers total)

Is it possibly a clip from this weird series of actor audition tapes? I mostly encountered them as vines so the timeline sorta works?
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:37 PM on May 21, 2020

Best answer: I'm Shithead
posted by Balthamos at 12:50 AM on May 22, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks yep, that's it. I didn't mention that at the time I saw the meme, I thought it was self-deprecatingly racist and wondering what self-respecting performer would make such a video. That feeling hasn't changed.

Googling around, I still can't find a lot of information about it though. It looks like it's a production from a comedy troupe called "Thanks, Computer" -- which doesn't appear to have any black members, and is full of upper middle class white guys like most "comedy" groups in the U.S.

The video never shows the actress speaking, so did they piece it together from stock video? Who did the voice-over? Has the actress ever weighed in? What do black people think about this?
posted by Borborygmus at 3:35 AM on May 22, 2020

It seems to be heavily influenced by Tim & Eric videos, hence the total bizarre nature of the video. I can totally see someone purposefully agreeing to be in this, maybe they pulled from a local acting pool? It seems like more than likely the woman in the video is doing the voice-over as well.
posted by littlesq at 2:15 PM on May 23, 2020