Creating Drug Eradication Stickers Using Internet Memes
Made at Supporters' Own Expense, Not by the Ministry of Justice
Amid the ongoing occurrence of drug-related incidents and accidents, a brief anti-drug message has recently become a hot topic in online communities. It all started with a netizen sharing a photo of a card. The photo features a yellow background with the phrase, "In case of alien invasion, drug addicts will be eaten first." On one side of the photo, there is an alien wearing a school uniform, and in the bottom left corner, the word "Beommubu" (Ministry of Justice) is written in small letters.
The author of the post wrote alongside the photo, "This was handed out at a high school attended by someone I know; it’s a work by the Ministry of Justice. It’s crazy that tax money is being used like this." The phrase parodies a diet flyer that gained attention online around 2020 for its unique content. The original flyer read, "In case of alien invasion, overweight people will be eaten first. Maybe it could be me!" This flyer phrase later became an internet meme.
Netizens’ reactions to the card photo were mixed. Those with positive responses said, "The phrase is so striking that it makes you look again," "It’s well made to suit students’ level. If the anti-drug message had been distributed as a formal letter, students would have thrown it away without reading," "Students probably carried it around because it was funny," "It catches the eye, so you look again. Since it’s for prevention, the tax money isn’t wasted," "Adults don’t even read official documents, so a lighthearted phrase like this is better," and "I want one too," among other comments.
This phrase is a parody of a diet flyer that gained attention online around 2020 for its unique content. It says, "When aliens invade, overweight people are the first to be eaten. What if it's me!" Since then, this flyer phrase has been used as an internet meme. [Photo by Online Community]
On the other hand, some netizens mainly responded with, "Why use meaningless words?" Some expressed sour reactions such as, "What kind of parody is this? It’s neither funny nor meaningful," "Feels like a forced attempt to mimic YouTube’s B-grade sensibility," and "Is it appropriate to use such irrelevant content as a campaign phrase?"
Ministry of Justice: "University Student Supporters Produced It at Their Own Expense"
The controversial sticker that drew mixed reactions from netizens was confirmed not to be part of the official Ministry of Justice anti-drug campaign but was distributed independently by university student supporters. On the 18th, the Ministry of Justice announced that the university student volunteer group it operates, called "Justice Supporters," conducted drug prevention activities targeting students at a high school on the 14th.
These university student supporters decided to use internet memes to convey anti-drug messages to high school students in an easy and fun way and produced the stickers at their own expense. Teachers and students who participated in the campaign reportedly took the stickers and found them amusing. The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will educate the supporters to refrain from producing and distributing materials containing provocative content and expressions to prevent misunderstandings among citizens unfamiliar with trending phrases."
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