Aaron Hernandez Arrest Launches ‘Hernandezing’ Internet Meme
Move over Tebowing and Kaepernicking … Hernandezing appears to be the new craze on social media.
Hernandezing is unfortunately inspired by murder suspect Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end, rather than something spiritual, positive, or benign, however.
The meme comes from the attire that the ex-NFL player was wearing when police came to his home to take him into custody yesterday — a sequence that has been shown on television in a seemingly continuous loop (sometimes called a “b-roll” in the media business) about four gazillion times by now. It’s embedded above just in case someone has been out of touch for the past 24 hours.
Proper Hernandezing, according to the Sports Grid, requires a white T-shirt and “hands must be together in the back, as if cuffed.”
There’s even a website devoted to this meme which defines Hernandezing as “The act of putting your arms in your t-shirt, as to appear you have no arms, and to hang your head in shame.”
Based on Twitter, a secondary form of Hernandezing evidently is a selfie holding a gun.
Hernandez has been charged with murder and firearms violations in connection with the death of his friend Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found in an industrial park near the former NFL star’s home in North Attleboro Massachusetts on June 17. Video evidence showed that Hernandez and Lloyd were together hours before the murder.
He is currently being held without bail. To make matters worse, Hernandez is also reportedly under a separate criminal investigation for a 2012 double homicide in Boston last year.
The ex-Pats star is also being sued in civil court for personal injuries for allegedly shooting a man in Florida after they argued in a Miami strip club.
@sportspickle my mom wanted to get in on this #hernandezing craze pic.twitter.com/1Jb0uhhmh2
— Jeff Olin (@JOlinOfficial) June 27, 2013
Do you think that Hernandezing is acceptable based on the irreverent standards of social media or in poor taste under the circumstances?
