Leeroy Jenkins is a World of Warcraft character that actually started out as a meme from a player who displayed impulsive and reckless behavior during a raid. The clip showed Leeroy charging into battle without thinking about the consequences, ultimately leading to him and his group being killed numerous times. While Leeroy’s antics may seem foolish, they actually perfectly encapsulate the spirit of World of Warcraft as the game is all about taking risks and embracing the chaos of combat.
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People often use the Leeroy Jenkins meme to describe someone who is acting without thinking or to describe a situation where things have gone wrong because someone was not thinking. On January 4th, the 118th session of Congress convened to decide on the next Speaker of the House. Representative Jared Huffman entered the room to vote for Representative Hakeem Jeffries, and his manner of voting by shouting “Hakeeeeeem Jeffriessss” was reminiscent of Leeroy Jenkins.
Later, Jared Huffman tweeted that he will continue trolling House Republicans by referencing the Leeroy Jenkins meme until they stop nominating Quevin McCarthy for Speaker. To say that the Congress Representative’s use of the famous World of Warcraft’s Leeroy Jenkins meme was surprising would be an understatement. It’s unlikely that anyone would have expected a 58-year-old politician would be familiar with the meme, let alone using it during a serious session.
The Leeroy Jenkins meme is nearly two decades old, but it remains as relevant as ever. In 2016, a Game of Thrones battle scene was hilariously compared to the Leeroy Jenkins meme, and many people loved how funny the similarities were. In recent years, the Leeroy Jenkins meme has been used to comment on everything from politics to pop culture, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.
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