Thread
@Vince_Van_Dough Meme drop is dank and taps deeply into the themes of resistance and self sovereignty that are more important than ever for all of us.

As a Texan and crypto native, this Meme card resonates deeply with me.

Let me explain why and perhaps it will for you too

🧵
"Come and Take It" is a rally cry first used in 460BC by "Spartan King Leonidas I as a defiant answer and last stand to the surrender demanded by the Persian Army"

(source Wikipedia)
The phrase was later used in the American Revolutionary War against the British

The British commander demanded surrender. American Colonel John McIntosh's response was short and simple:

"Come and Take It"

The British didn't attack & the act of defiance inspired others
Fast forward another 50 years later and "Come and Take It" became the rallying cry that sparked Texas' evolutionary path from a Mexican colony, to an sovereign republic, and eventually a U.S. state

Here's how:
The Mexican government loaned a small cannon to the colony of Gonzalez to fend off Native American attacks.

But, when the Mexicans wanted the cannon back, the Texians fearing an attack from the Mexicans, refused to give back the cannon.
The Mexican commander was not pleased and sent a 100 troops to retrieve the cannon.

Two young women from Gonzales, Caroline Zumwalt and Eveline DeWitt, used the cloth from old wedding dress to quickly make a flag with an image of a cannon and the words “Come and Take It”
A skirmish ensued but the Texians repelled the Mexican attack, with the cannon even firing two shots.

Later named the Battle of Gonzalez, it was the first battle in the Texas Revolutionary War.
"Come and Take It" became the first flag of the Texas Revolution that symbolized the Texans’ uprising against Mexican colonial rule.

It also became the rallying cry (dare I say Meme?) in the fight for eventual independence.
Ok, so this is a nice history lesson if you managed to make this far in the thread

So why should the message in VVD's Meme card be important to crypto natives?
There are two important themes:

1) Resistance

2) Self Sovereignty
1) Resistance

If politicians, instead of brain dead regulators such as the SEC, move to ban crypto and create a real threat, then we will as a community be forced to collectively resist.
The typical venues of lobbying, political campaigns, etc are some methods to resist.

But that is their game and they make the rules. A draw is the best case scenario.

But, as @punk6529 has made clear, Memes are out best way to get our message across and win.
We have an army of meme artists who can meme like mfers ready to help.

They don't.

RPD by @wwwcolorcolor
We can flood social media with memes and use NFTs to inject them into people's veins.

They can only try to use their power over Internet oligarchies to censor us.
We have a belief system that strives for financial freedom from institutions.

They cling to old ideas and institutions.

OLDHOMERPEPE by @Darkfarms1
I hope it doesn't come to this, but should the need arise, I'm certain a meme artist will create a Meme that will spark the rallying cry for all crypto natives.

A "Come and Take It" moment so to speak.

I like to think that VVD's Meme Card hints to that moment
2) Self Sovereignty

One has to marvel at a Ledger becoming the icon for self-custody similar to the floppy disk is the de facto icon for file storage.

We also know the benefits of self-custody that the FTX blowup made all too clear.

self custody = self sovereignty.
VVD's uses the ledger to communicate the importance of self-custody to maintain sovereignty from nation states over:

- Your store of life energy from your IRL hard work
- Your NFTs as expression via art, memes or documents
- whatever else you don't want to be confiscated
But, wait, "VVD's Meme card is low effort, it isn't art"

You think the two woman who made a flag out of a wedding dress weren't artists? I do.

They used cloth to express themselves and created a meme that exists 200 years later as an expression of the brazen Texas spirit.
They didn't create the energy for the movement but they helped summon its energy and Meme it into our minds. That is the superpower of Memes.

And most of the time, the most powerful memes are the most simple - not the most artistic.
So, bravo @Vince_Van_Dough for creating a meme card that created such resonance for me and I hope for many others.

It gives me hope that I might make a great meme someday!

FAKEPOTENT by @LOVEBEINGWORLD
"Come and Take It" still exists as strong meme here in Texas. Just check out the gift shop at the Alamo.

I have even seen it tattooed on more than one person.
It has been used recently by pro-gun activists as expression of the right to defend oneself
It was used during the University of Texas students' "Cocks Not Glocks" protest against allowing guns on campus but not obscene objects, such as dildos

In a ironic twist on the meme, one protestor wore a shirt with "Take it and Come" on the front. 🍆🍆🍆

Thanks for reading!
Mentions
See All
6529 @punk6529 · Feb 15, 2023
  • Post
  • From Twitter
great thread