Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. It premiered in New York City on March 15, 1972. 48 years haven't been able to dim the relevance of this classic gangster period-drama.
At the heart of The Godfather is the Corleone crime family headed by Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone. Founder, patriarch, and the most powerful Mafia don in the country, Vito is a man of few but impactful words. He is grieved when his oldest, impulsive son, Sonny Corleone is killed in an ambush by Don Barzini's men. Lamenting Sonny's bullet-riddled body, Vito Corleone says the impactful words, "Look How They Massacred My Boy." The Godfather has left a huge imprint on popular culture. The fact that these memorable words have been turned into hilarious memes shows its contemporary significance.
10 Disney/Fox Merger
In 2019, Walt Disney acquired the global entertainment company 20th Century Fox. After the landmark deal went through, Disney rebranded the 20th Century Fox TV as 20th Television. By dropping the names "Century" and "Fox," Disney brought an end to one of the biggest names in the Television industry.
This meme indeed is a perfect fit since making changes to the dearly held Fox logo is anguishing for so many people across the world.
9 Pop-less Bubble Wrap
In 2015, the manufacturer of Bubble Wrap, Sealed Air Corporation introduced a new version of the packaging material without the signature popping sound. In all honesty, the two versions looked indistinguishable from one another, but people weren't too pleased to hear Bubble Wrap was going pop-less. Although Sealed Air continued to face outrage even after it assured fans it would continue to make the traditional version alongside the newer version.
Also, in response, fans chose to illustrate their disappointment and grief with the "Look How They Massacred My Boy" meme.
8 Book Owners' Sentiments
Any bibliophile, if sentimentally attached to a book, will be able to relate to this meme. Even though humorous in nature, it encapsulates the exact same feelings of a person who lent a favorite book but received it back in a torn condition.
Memes have become a way for people to cope with stress, grief, or in this case, damage caused to a loved book!
7 Stabbing Erasers
The "Look How They Massacred My Boy" meme works well for varied situations. In this respect, the entire elementary school experience! People who helplessly saw their friends poke pencils or carve things out of their erasers would be able to relate to this meme.
Though the image still from The Godfather is a tragic reminder of Sonny Corleone's assassination at the Long Beach Causeway, it's utterly hilarious how it also has relevance to the eraser-stabbing joke.
6 That Brutal Rejection
The internet is but a domain full of savage memes poking fun at people who have been rejected by their crushes.
The "Look How They Massacraed My Boy" meme speaks particularly to overly intellectual, albeit socially awkward boys who have a hard time asking girls out. Being shot down is hard as it is, but having a meme commemorate the whole experience is just plain brutal. For what it's worth, rejection isn't tied to self-worth and one's integrity.
5 Low-Quality Memes
The thing about distorted memes is that they are barely recognizable from their former selves.
Deep-fried memes, as they are commonly known, are reposted over and over again to the point they become grainy and washed-out. When memes are continuously reposted on Instagram and/or Twitter, they keep getting compressed due to excessive amounts of distortion. The humor lies in the fact that the reposted memes are nowhere their original quality, therefore no one shouldn't be posting them at all.
4 Joke Theft
The "Look How They Massacraed My Boy" meme holds meaning for people who have helplessly watched as their jokes were stolen and retold by those around them.
Not only is stealing jokes an unjust and despicable act but it can be quite painful to be in the same room while the joke thief is applauded. However inconsequential the theft maybe, a stolen joke is always a source of misery for the person who originally came up with it.
3 Bob The Builder's Revamp
A cult favorite series, Bob the Builder ran between the years 1998 and 2012. It had an everlasting impact on kids who watched it in the noughties. Bob the Builder traced the story of a building contractor Bob, his colleague Wendy and his gang of anthropomorphic work vehicles such as Scoop, Muck, and Lofty.
In 2015, the revamped version of Bob the Builder made a comeback and fans weren't too pleased with the changes in Bob's design. In the rebooted version, Bob looked like a ghost of his former caricature. Disappointed fans find the original version irreplaceable and the modernized version unacceptable.
2 The Controversial Pineapple Pizza
What does a Sicilian say about putting pineapples on pizza? Cinema's tragic hero, Vito Corleone calls it a massacre. For there is no better way to ruin Italy's savory dish than to put a tropical fruit on it.
The question of whether pineapple is an appropriate pizza topping continues to polarize the world. Apart from the fact that the practice is inauthentic, any self-respecting Italian (Godfather included) wouldn't come to terms with it. Of all the bad things that could have happened to pizza topping, pineapples are just the worst.
1 Global Warming
Global warming is one of the greatest concerns of the 21st Century. The scientific consensus points to the rising concentration of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity as the biggest cause of climate change.
Amidst growing global calls for action, and tackling climate change as a matter of global justice, Godfather's words drive the point home. The situation is so troubling for so many that Marlon Brando's expression of grief perfectly sums up people's feelings on the subject through some bittersweet humor.
