When the Villain Has a PhD

Text on the meme

*when the villain in the movie has a PhD* Viewers without a PhD: Ah, they are just saying he’s a smart villain. Makes sense. Viewers with a PhD: Ah, grad school and academia drove him to madness. Makes sense.

What it means

A screenshot-style meme contrasts viewers without a PhD, who simply see a smart movie villain, with viewers who have a PhD and assume that graduate school and academia drove the villain mad. The joke pokes fun at academics projecting their own experiences onto fictional characters. EN: A screenshot-style meme contrasts viewers without a PhD, who simply see a smart movie villain, with viewers who have a PhD and assume that graduate school and academia drove the villain mad. The joke pokes fun at academics projecting their own experiences onto fictional characters.

Objects

text post / текстовый пост social media profile / профиль в соцсети man’s profile photo / фотография мужчины в профиле yellow shirt / жёлтая рубашка white background / белый фон movie villain / злодей из фильма PhD diploma / диплом PhD graduate school / аспирантура academic institution / академическое учреждение written captions / письменные подписи