Ben Affleck has a life that many people would kill for. He’s wealthy. He’s good-looking. He has reached the height of his profession behind the digital camera (profitable two Oscars as a author and director) and in entrance of it (the guy was literally Batman). He has been romantically concerned with among the most stunning ladies on the planet, and is currently married to Jennifer Lopez. Whichever method you have a look at it, all the things about Affleck’s life is wildly aspirational in virtually each single method.
And but, have a look at him at this weekend’s Grammys. In image after image, Affleck appears totally dejected. He’s staring off into house, unmoved by his proximity to glamour. He doesn’t smile; he doesn’t even strive. He appears to be like like somebody who has efficiently disassociated from all the things surrounding him, like somebody who would relatively retreat to the comforting vortex of his personal thoughts than take pleasure in any of the revelry.
Sadly for Affleck, the web additionally noticed these images and responded accordingly. That’s proper, it pains me to tell you that Affleck has turn into a meme once more.
This isn’t the primary time he has been down this street. Virtually as quickly as Affleck ventures out into public nowadays, he unwittingly turns right into a meme. Keep in mind the Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice junket, the place he stored glazing over in a death mask of unadorned misery? Keep in mind the picture of him smoking exterior, exhaling with all of the dejected vitality of somebody who has unquestionably Been By way of One thing? Keep in mind the shot of him standing alone on a beach, a towel wrapped round his waist, glumly surveying the horizon with the world’s worst phoenix tattoo scratched deep into his again? All of them memes. All of them good.
It’s this disconnect, you believe you studied, that makes Affleck so meme-able. He has all the things, and but he seems to get pleasure from none of it. Keep in mind the Affleck of outdated, younger and good-looking and so cocky that you simply couldn’t assist however take in opposition to the man? That Affleck is gone. In his place is a person weighed down by the sheer punishing, relentless burden of life on Earth. And that, as you little doubt realise for your self,is way more our velocity.
As a result of aren’t all of us, deep down, in search of somebody who appears to be like how we really feel? Don’t all of us need to see ourselves throughout the deep, depressing crags of a famous person’s face? Don’t we would like somebody to return alongside, maintain our hand and say: “Hey, me too”? That’s the service that Affleck offers. Don’t mistake that face for boredom. For a person of his stature to easily be uninterested in the spoils that encompass him can be plainly obnoxious. No, as a substitute Affleck appears to be like exhausted and overwhelmed. His life is asking an excessive amount of of him, and it’s taking a heavy toll. Now reply me this: isn’t that precisely how you’re feeling on a regular basis?
After all, it helps that all the Affleck memes are, situationally talking, completely right. It makes good sense that he seemed depressing on the Batman junket. Junkets are unspeakably depressing for each single one who takes half in them, from star to journalist to press individual. They’re torture. Equally, though I’ve by no means smoked, that image of Affleck smoking – simply taking a second for himself away from all of the crap – has one way or the other tapped into the darkest recesses of my spirit.
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And, in fact, Affleck seemed like that on the Grammys. The Grammys seem to be a horrible strategy to spend a night. They’re unhealthy sufficient to observe on TV. However think about being there, surrounded by these crowds of preening, self-absorbed celebrities. For those who went to the Grammys, you’d 100% appear like Affleck did this weekend, silently counting down the clock till you had been lastly allowed to go dwelling.
Affleck is a high quality actor and great screenwriter whose work deserves to be remembered for generations to return. However all that fades to nothing subsequent to his work as a meme. No person alive can contact Affleck for his meme work. It’s all the things: touching, hilarious and relatable. Each time Affleck turns into a meme, he quickly turns into all of us and we must always cherish him for that.
