My name is Brandon. I’ve been hearing, “Let’s go, Brandon,” when people meant “Fuck you, Brandon,” for years (I went to Catholic school in the Midwest. I’m not Catholic. I talked and still talk a lit of shit. I heard a lot of thank yous. Midwest Nice is real.). 

I live in Washington, D.C. and am from Chicago. Neither place have many anti-Biden flags and signs. So whenever I step outside my little blue bubbles, it’s somewhat jarring to see flags and signs cheering me on.

I’ve written about the Let’s Go, Brandon flags and signs before and I’m surprised there are still Let’s Go, Brandon flags and signs. We’re 10
months from its accidental origin and, shame on me, I thought memes die a quick death. But this thing isn’t dying. And now my kid knows my name.

It’s easy to keep an infant ignorant of their parents’ legal names. It’s more difficult with toddlers. We’re at the point where the kid is learning their own last name so that leads to questions about mom’s name and dad’s name and dad’s name is on a bunch of flags and signs a few hours from home.

The kid is starting to recognize words and logos. They clocked a Ramones shirt in Target because they love the Ramones and the logo on the shirt is the same logo from a Ramones compilation and now they own that Ramones shirt from Target. Associations between words and symbols are becoming clearer and clearer. The only time my kid sees my name in big letters is in reference to the current POTUS. And my name isn’t even being used correctly. 

So I’m days away from having to answer a very simple question: why are strangers cheering you?

I don’t want to lie. I currently don’t lie to my kid. I know this will change and I know it has to change but I really don’t want it to change over this. I want to explain this meme/signage accurately. 

I do my best to avoid swearing in front of my kid. I obviously slip up from time to time but I’m pretty good at having a clean vocabulary in their presence. But I do not know how to explain this meme/signage without using expletives (I’m all for swearing, I’m just aware that a kid using the word fuck frequently may alert some folks that may alert DCF so I keep the seven word you can’t say on television to a minimum.).

Do I say strangers are cheering me on because they don’t want to say what they mean?

Do I say strangers are cheering me on because their identity is wrapped up in a WWE Hall of Famers’ identity?

Do I say strangers are cheering me on because they have a need and desire to support overseas flag and sign manufacturers?

I do not want to teach my kid hatred. But when people are showcasing extremely large flags and signs based in hatred, how does any parent avoid the motivating factor in a very large flag or sign (apologies if you think I’m stuck on the largeness of these flags and signs, maybe I’m just hung up on who buys let alone showcases they very large flags and signs)?

It’s important to me, as a parent but also as a person that respects as many people as possible, to say what I mean and mean what I say. I want to just say, “They mean fuck Joe Biden but something in them prevents acknowledging their truth and their exploration of truth was polluted by a really bad businessman and relatively OK WWE Hall of Famer (celebrity wing) that knows empires are built on cults of personality and not fact so as soon as the actual truth is acknowledged it’s over.” But I won’t. Because I don’t want to use the word fuck.

Maybe I’ll tell my kid everyone just really likes me and feels the need to express it on larger than average American flags and signs. 

Today I saw about a dozen Let’s Go, Brandon flags and signs and one Fuck You Biden flag. Underneath the Fuck You Biden was a smaller statement: And Fuck You For Voting For Him. I appreciate this person because their flag means what it says and also acknowledges more people voted to Biden. It’s a beautiful self-own on a really big flag. I like this guy. I may not agree with them but at least they’re using the proper words.

So, if there’s a person in your life with a Let’s Go, Brandon flag or sign, please buy them a Fuck Joe Biden flag or sign. If they’re not willing to use a bad word, they shouldn’t be allowed to use my name. 

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