Racist milkshake drinking duck has come to define a particular thread of the internet’s collective fickleness

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Finally, justice for milkshake duck.

The racist milkshake drinking duck which has come to define a particular thread of the internet’s collective fickleness was announced as the Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year for 2017 on Monday.

Coined on Twitter by @pixelatedboat in June 2016, the term quickly became short-hand for the internet’s habit of rushing to seize on the latest cultural zeitgeist before rejecting it just as enthusiastically when it is revealed to be somehow problematic.

Per Macquarie, it is defined as “a person who is initially viewed positively by the media but is then discovered to have something questionable about them which causes a sharp decline in their popularity”.

“The media” though, might be too broad a prism. Milkshake Ducks by and large are made and unmade on social media.

Think Ken Bone, the mild-mannered guy in the red sweater who briefly became a darling of social media after asking a question during a debate at last year’s US presidential election.

Bone’s star fell as quickly as it ascended when Reddit users dug through his past to discover he had occasionally commented on erotic subreddits including one called “preggoporn,” and argued that the killing of Trayvon Martin was “justified”.

pixelated boat (@pixelatedboat) The whole internet loves Milkshake Duck, a lovely duck that drinks milkshakes! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the duck is racist

Or more recently, Keaton Jones – a young boy in Tennessee who became a viral hit for tearfully denouncing his bullies – became the focus of a different sort of internet attention when photos of Keaton’s mother were unearthed on Facebook in which she is smiling and holding the Confederate flag.

After previously losing out to portmanteaus of dubious origin such as “youthquake” and “Kwaussie”, it might have seemed as though Milkshake Duck’s chance for dictionary fame had passed.



But on Monday Macquarie announced it had chosen the word over runners up “framily”, which apparently refers to a group of people not related by blood but who constitute an intimate network, and endling, the last surviving member of a species.

What is a milkshake duck? And why isn't it the word of the year? Read more

The Macquarie Dictionary judging committee said milkshake duck reflected a growing phenomenon.

“Even if you don’t know the word, you know the phenomenon,” the committee said in a statement.

“Milkshake duck stood out as being a much-needed term to describe something we are seeing more and more of, not just on the internet but now across all types of media. It plays to the simultaneous desire to bring someone down and the hope that they won’t be brought down.

“In many ways, it captures what 2017 has been about. There is a hint of tall poppy syndrome in there, which we always thought was a uniquely Australian trait, but has been amplified through the internet and become universalised.”