THE MEMES ABOVE ARE NOT MINE! (𝖨 𝖣𝖨𝖣 𝖭𝖮𝖳 𝖬𝖠𝖪𝖤 𝖳𝖧𝖤𝖬) - 𝖳𝖧𝖤𝖸 𝖠𝖱𝖤 𝖴𝖲𝖤𝖣 𝖳𝖮 𝖤𝖷𝖯𝖫𝖠𝖨𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖢𝖮𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖮𝖥 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖲𝖨𝖳𝖴𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 𝖡𝖤𝖫𝖮𝖶 - Please do not attack me or the people’s videos whom I linked.

I posted two serious (like mini essays/research things) and I wanna post something more lighthearted and something a friend asked me to explain: The 2021 renaissance of the case.

I also believe that sometimes the energy on this subreddit is predominantly serious and no-nonsense, so maybe if I explain this, you guys can understand why there are edits and memes.

Anyways…

The Menendez case resurfaced publicly in 2021, largely due to social media, particularly TikTok and YouTube.

Young content creators (predominantly young women, which is maybe important to discuss) began revisiting the case, generating renewed interest in the brothers’ claims of abuse, which had been overshadowed during the original trial by their wealth and the sensational nature of the crime.

• TikTok Hashtags: As of mid-2021, the hashtag “#MenendezBrothers” had accumulated over 200 million views. • Google Trends Data: There was a significant spike in search interest for “Menendez brothers” in 2021 compared to previous years, driven by TikTok and true crime documentaries. • Petitions: Several petitions calling for the brothers’ release or retrial garnered tens of thousands of signatures, reflecting the impact of the resurgence. • It could also be noted as the catalyst that began the filing of the habeas corpus. • It’s also when Tammi made her TikTok and Erik started his YouTube.

Key points behind the resurgence:

It was definitely viewed as a Gen Z thing. Like “Oh, these crazy kids and their human rights”—The Gen Z viewers began to see Lyle and Erik as victims rather than criminals, largely due to the abuse allegations and the surge of support toward victims and recognition of men being affected by abuse.

Informal polls and social media discussions showed a shift in how the Menendez brothers were viewed. Where once they were seen predominantly as cold-blooded killers, many now saw them as tragic figures caught in a cycle of abuse and wronged by the justice system. It was more of a “They should’ve gone to therapy or got a manslaughter charge” type thing.

Also, note that people started spamming government officials on social media via DM at this time, which is an interesting advocacy choice 💀 (It was mostly young people though).

—————————- Howeverrr, the main thing one could note is the difference between the attitude surrounding the case now (which I would call second wave) and back then.

This is due to: War-Criminal Ryan Murphy and his various crimes against society (including his incestuous fan-fiction show— and whatever tf his Met Gala outfit was)[https://imgur.com/gallery/stick-to-tv-aXBzMKw]. People constantly had to inform others of the facts because his show was heavily scrutinised as fiction.

Due to this, people have taken a more educational and serious approach to the case (including myself).

Before this, it was literally memes, edits, and inside jokes. There was a community that supported these brothers, mainly because it was mostly young people. They addressed Erik and Lyle as individuals (So much love for Leslie, too—she was their queen).

[I even vividly remember scrolling through a TikTok comment section and seeing someone refer to them as “Menendi” (Like some kind of fandom name… idk 🥴😬.)]

At the time, I hated these people and truly believed that Lyle and Erik deserved to go to jail, and that they were bad people. (My horizons have since broadened 💀)

I don’t know how I feel about this because there are many layers to this, such as the exploitation of the situation and the danger of people viewing these young girls and how they handled the situation as “fan-girling.” Some of it was, admittedly, fan-girling, which made people take the case less seriously.

[Though one could note that it’s hard for girls (women & young women) to express a fixation on anything without it being dubbed “fan-girling.”]

This time marked a change in attitude surrounding the case and led to why we see so much education and positive action now. It created a community for victims of abuse and encouraged young people to be educated on it.

If you were there for that, maybe as a lurker, a hater (moi), or even one of the- (I refuse to say Menendi). The inside jokes such as:

• “Lemme whisperrrrr” - I have a post about this on my acc. • Lyle and Ice-cream sandwiches (also explained on my account). • Erik and M&Ms. • They used to call José and Kitty “Hoe-Say and Titty.” (I can’t remember any more; if you were there for that, please share.)

[Once again, at the time, I was young (14/15/16-ish), and I could not understand how someone could award sympathy to people who had done something bad. Without knowing the situation of the trial, I cannot give you the best account because I was blocking these people like crazy.]

• Though I am concerned about the problematic nature of this “creative vessel,” in hindsight I just see it as a bunch of young people using their knowledge of the case and making light of it, using a “creative vessel” to do so.

So I’d love your opinion and reaction.

I might make a post specifically on Leslie Abrahams and explain why she was their queen, but I don’t think I need to—we can all recognize Leslie’s star power.

Links to edits: • https://pin.it/75fJf2YUu • https://pin.it/6k3aOVEpR • https://pin.it/5nw4IAFH9 • Instagram Edit • https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdJJaY1M/ • https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdJJ2ydj/ • https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdJJFmBa/

Before I post this, my little sister (15) just told me it’s still going on, on TikTok, but with new supporters. (And also, Leslie is still their queen).

So…. What do you think?

Sources: * https://nypost.com/2021/04/02/how-tiktok-put-the-menendez-brothers-back-in-the-spotlight/ * https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/20/what-did-the-menendez-brothers-do-case-in-the-spotlight-on-tiktok-14616550/amp/ * https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/menendez-brothers-back-zeitgeist-teens-tiktok-reporters-notebook/story?id=76633687