Once upon a time,I became a meme and didnt even know it.
It was the summer of 2016 and I was hanging out with friendsafter a long day of work.
What did that mean?
A very large, very orderly, very well-stocked display of Funko Pops.Photo: Gabe Ginsberg (Getty Images)
The words sounded familiar but I couldnt quite place them.
I asked Mike what he was talking about and he looked at me with utter shock.
He proceeded to remind me ofan article Id written the year beforewhich I certainly hadnt forgotten about.
A New York City event on that fateful Force Friday.Photo: Michael Loccisano (Getty Images)
That article I remembered.
This line I did not.
A war cry for people to use pointing out idiocy in consumerism, among a bunch of other things.
Fake decimation at Funko’s store in Hollywood, CA.Photo: John Sciulli (Getty Images)
I shook my head in disbelief.
That couldnt be true.
Mike took out his phone, put the phrase into Twitter, and there it was.
Nine months later, at that very moment, tweet after tweet of people talking about decimated Funko Pops.
What the hell was happening?
Where that line came from while I was writing, Ill never quite know.
I was the entry point but I also quoted dozens of other people who shared my shitty experience.
In a way, I saw the article as more of a trend piece than anything else.
Minutes later, the replies began rolling in.
People were very mad at how spoiled I sounded.
How stuck up and annoying I was being.
People literally sent me death threats about it.It wasnt prettyand went on for a long time.
They had, however, been shuffled all around the shelf in a very haphazard way.
And people keyed into that.
Thats not the case.
The way I look at it though is, Ive written tens of thousands of articles in my career.
At least people remember one of them.
Plus, in the years that followed, the phrase somehow became oddly prescient.
The year prior, Funko bought the super cool company Mondo, only todismantle and destroy it soon after.
Say it with me, the Funko Pops had decimated.
When I lined up for Star Wars toys in 2015, it was the thing for collectors to do.
It was somethingI myself had done several times dating back 15 years.
Indeed, a whole facet of the hobby has been decimated.
Why should anyone care about the Funko Pops are decimated guy?
Frankly, you probably shouldnt.
Maybe instead, take it as a cautionary talk about the power of words.
To consider how what you say might be interpreted by others.
As a result, maybe dont say everything that comes to mind.
Think of things differently.
Choose to be more selective, more thoughtful, less reactive.
Maybe the Funko Pops were decimated for a reason.
And that reason is progress.
Oh my God, I cant believe I just said that.
Im decimating my own lessons already.
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