During the Democratic National Convention, the Republican Party shared a popular meme to Twitter: a two-frame comic of a dog sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. The room is on fire.

This is fine.

The meme, derived from a webcomic by the 29-year-old illustrator K.C. Green, is a bit like those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters, just with an absurdist twist. It is halfway between a shrug and complete denial of reality.

“It’s a basic concept that can apply to a lot of differing situations,” Mr. Green wrote in an email on Wednesday. “That’s the whole idea behind memes and the like.”

Many memes, like “Dat Boi” or “Damn, Daniel,” exemplify the sort of flash-in-the-pan nonsense that can briefly take over pop culture before vanishing. But a durable meme, like “Crying Jordan” or “This Is Fine,” allows people to use it as cultural commentary.