'Die Hard Level: Romanian' – Self-irony and Humour in English-Language Memes about Romanians

This article tackles the issue of Romanian national identity and stereotypes, drawing on the most recent research on digital forms of communication, more specifically, memes. The paper addresses the following research question: How do English-language memes about Romanians simultaneously reinforce and undermine national stereotypes through self-irony and visual humour? Post-communist Romanian national identity has been discussed in political and social arenas and academic circles for over 30 years (after the 1989 Revolution). Romanian national identity remains shaped by the legacy of its communist past while simultaneously embracing a European, Westernized orientation, whether examined in scholarly debates or within the context of establishing (new) roots in a democratic environment. This ‘transitional’ position may also be traced in the digital space. The present article focuses on analysing memes linked to stereotypes about Romanians to yield fresh interpretations of how self-irony and humour either strengthen or undermine perceptions of Romanian national identity and values. The discussion will tap into theories of memetic communication (see Kien 2019), visual rhetoric (see Foss 2005), and media rhetoric (see Mateus 2021). A noteworthy aspect of the analysis is the linguistic one, since all selected memes have been circulating with English texts, ensuring a broader audience and, hence, a better chance of going viral. To thoroughly conduct the analysis, this study will draw upon various theories surrounding the virality of digital multimodal texts and explore their profound implications in perpetuating stereotypes on a global scale.