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Government shutdown just one big joke on the Internet 

KnowYourMeme.com
KnowYourMeme.com

No one told Hitler about the government shutdown, apparently. At the time of this post, a shutdown edition of the popular YouTube meme — which replaces subtitles to a much-abused scene from the 2004 German film "Der Untergang" ("The Downfall") to make der faux führer freak out over any number of current events — has yet to surface. 

Not so for the rest of the Internet, which was prepared with the obligatory quips, image macros (words over pictures that y'all call "memes") and sundry other reactions even before Congress failed to pass health care funding for Oct. 1.  

Wikipedia was prepped and ready on Sept. 30, with a mostly blank page waiting update from the last government shutdown 17 years ago. 

Wikipedia
Wikipedia

In the spirit of Down For Everyone Or Just Me? and the still-running Is Lost A Repeat?, Is The Government Shut Down?, the single-serving website designed by Quartz editor Zach Seward,  was ready with an answer even before midnight. As a bonus, the site displays tweets from the Congress members who helped it get that way. As Seward notes — and Google Analytics reports — the House of Representatives ranks as one of the top 10 IP addresses checking the site. (You'd think they'd know ... )

http://www.isthegovernmentshutdown.com/
http://www.isthegovernmentshutdown.com/

Even before that, former Obama staffer Salim Zymet created the @AdorableCareAct Twitter account, to educate the public on a complex issue via the one thing that never fails to keep our attention: Cute animals. 

@AdorableCareAct
@AdorableCareAct

Twitter users who don't support funding healthcare reform countered with their own cute animal education:

via KnowYourMeme.com
via KnowYourMeme.com

Speaker of the House John Boehner didn't even mention the shutdown in his press conference about the shutdown. So the Internet spoke for him, sticking his face on the body of Miley Cyrus in a "Wrecking Ball" edit that's only slightly less horrifying than the Nicholas Cage version.

Everybody got to work retweeting funny things other people were posting on Twitter. 


Also, #shutdownpickuplines started trending.


The Internet was so distracted brainstorming funny things to say about the #governmentshutdown, it totally forgot to wish @4chan happy birthday! That's gratitude, for ya! 

4chan via KnowYourMeme.com
4chan via KnowYourMeme.com

And of course, those image macros we mentioned earlier, totally ensued ... including one with Nicolas Cage!

KnowYourMeme.com
KnowYourMeme.com
Bear Grylls gov shutdown
KnowYourMeme.com

And believe it or not, some real news happened. Here are some stories that are totally true!

If Hitler reacts to the government shutdown (via YouTube), we will update this post. 

Helen A.S. Popkin goes "blah blah blah" about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook.