Photo via le monke/Facebook Introducing le monke, a meme so pointless you can’t help but love it Le monke does not deserve to die. Internet Culture Miles Klee We have a lot of fun killing memes around here—to the point where the meme community is now circulating a petition begging us to stop. But when it comes to this new meme, even a heartless meme assassin like myself must pause and reflect: Le monke does not deserve to die. [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/1525280924441754/photos/a.1525284051108108.1073741827.1525280924441754/1550995668536946/?type=3 embed.] Perhaps it is the lingering trauma of Harambe the gorilla‘s death at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday that sparks pity for this bizarrely Photoshopped orangutan. In any event, le monke’s face is a transfixing sight. [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/the.meme.man.420/photos/a.1460998624169918.1073741828.1460673227535791/1716225538647224/?type=3&theater embed.] [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1408252439201676&id=1403805079646412 embed.] [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/1403805079646412/photos/a.1403807262979527.1073741827.1403805079646412/1406454476048139/?type=3&theater embed.] [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/1403805079646412/photos/a.1403807262979527.1073741827.1403805079646412/1407536199273300/?type=3&theater embed.] [Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/1403805079646412/photos/a.1403807262979527.1073741827.1403805079646412/1407146535978933/?type=3&theater embed.]

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Where did le monke come from? It’s difficult to say. There appears to be an indirect lineage from “le monkey face,” a fairly obscure ragetoon drawing of years past, and the French article “le” is favored by 4channers mocking redditors (as well as by Reddit itself).

At least one 4channer recently lamented that the meme has been appropriated by “normie” Facebook groups, which suggests that le monke had its beginnings on the board.

At any rate, it’s no surprise that le monke has already bumped off SpongeGar (technically Primitive Sponge) to ascend to his rightful place as king of memes.

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The Internet moves so fast, and everything’s always changing. Yet somehow, le monke stays the same. Just don’t look at pre-Photoshop le monke, because it kind of ruins the whole thing:

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Miles Klee Miles Klee is a novelist and web culture reporter. The former editor of the Daily Dot’s Unclick section, Klee’s essays, satire, and fiction have appeared in Lapham’s Quarterly, Vanity Fair, 3:AM, Salon, the Awl, the New York Observer, the Millions, and the Village Voice. He's the author of two odd books of fiction, 'Ivyland' and 'True False.'