As we read on, we encounter the second line, “Forced to wipe”. This is where the true meaning of this meme makes itself apparent. While the first line focuses on our natural and primal side, more specifically the functions evolution has given us, the second line turns everything on its head by introducing wiping of one’s behind; a man-made practice requiring technology which is not found anywhere else in the animal world. Humans are the only species who clean their anus using hand-held tools. This immediately creates a disconnect from the themes introduced in the first line, replacing nature and biology with the human mind and technology. A division between man and animal has been created.
This is no simple separation. The introduction of our ability to shape the world around us and use it for our own comfort, is a complete game-changer. It is what has allowed humankind to become so massively advanced in comparison to other species. It has given us the opportunity to problematise what nature has equipped us with, finding our own solutions to problems we ourselves have created. No other animal worries as much about having a clean anus as we do. We made it a problem on our own, and invented the tools to solve it with. Yet, this meme does not convey a message about technological utopia. Rather, it is the opposite: this division, although it may seem good on paper, is shown to be involuntary. Deep down, we as a species did not want this separation of man and nature. We were, as is said, “forced to wipe”.