Corbynmania: feeling the online love for new Labour leader
AFP
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM- The rise of Jeremy Corbyn from fringe socialist to new leader of Britain's opposition Labour party has unleashed a wave of "Corbynmania" ranging from devoted fandom to tongue-in-cheek mockery.
An army of youthful fans -- many of them getting involved in party politics for the first time -- helped fuel a colourful campaign, both online and off, around the rumpled, soft-spoken vegetarian.
Here are a few examples:
-- POETRY: Twenty poets clubbed together to publish an e-book in honour of the 66-year-old which was downloaded 5,000 times in its first week.
One of the most pointed was an ode called "For the Love of God" by Nick Telfer, who wrote "No Blair" 21 times in a black and white grid, giving expression to the widespread hatred of former Labour premier Tony Blair in leftwing circles.
During the campaign, Corbyn himself revealed that he writes poetry on the train to work, and also creates "totally random paintings".
-- MUSIC: He has also inspired music, with fans publishing videos on YouTube, including one with the lyrics: "Here comes the man, the man with the plan, can he change a thing? Well, yes, he bloody can."
Entitled "Jez We Can" it was written by guitar-strumming taxi driver Gary Duncan, and includes the lyrics: "I think that we can win 'cos we've got Jeremy Corbyn."
Another combines images of revellers with Corbyn speeches with the lyrics: "Who's the man that we love? Corbyyyn" and "Hot young Corbynites are gonna turn this party round".
-- #SEXYJEZZA: The hashtag for memes depicting Corbyn as James Dean, Superman and Braveheart. One rather memorable image shows his face on David Beckham's body, wearing only a vest and boxers.
Speaking of vests, the trademark cheap singlets worn by Corbyn -- often under a shirt and rumpled jacket -- have sparked a media frenzy around the market stall in Islington, north London, where Corbyn buys them.
-- COMRADE CORBYN: From Che Guevara-style t-shirts bearing Corbyn's face, to a mug with a Soviet-style poster bearing his name, much of the paraphernalia available online has a predictably communist theme.
There are also "I love Corbyn" pillowcases, a Corbyn teddy bear and a "JezWeCan" baseball cap.
A disposable coffee cup said to have been used by Corbyn after a trip to a theatre in Nottingham was sold on eBay for £51 to a group of Oxford University students, with the proceeds going to charity AgeUK.
-- MUMSNET: One of the most talked-about points of the campaign was a discussion on the popular online forum Mumsnet that began with the post: "Anyone else think Jeremy Corbyn is very sexy?"
One respondent said he was attractive "in a world-weary, old sea dog sort of way," while another said: "He's got a coolness about him".
A third wrote: "Passion is sexy."
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-- POETRY: Twenty poets clubbed together to publish an e-book in honour of the 66-year-old which was downloaded 5,000 times in its first week.
One of the most pointed was an ode called "For the Love of God" by Nick Telfer, who wrote "No Blair" 21 times in a black and white grid, giving expression to the widespread hatred of former Labour premier Tony Blair in leftwing circles.
During the campaign, Corbyn himself revealed that he writes poetry on the train to work, and also creates "totally random paintings".
-- MUSIC: He has also inspired music, with fans publishing videos on YouTube, including one with the lyrics: "Here comes the man, the man with the plan, can he change a thing? Well, yes, he bloody can."
Entitled "Jez We Can" it was written by guitar-strumming taxi driver Gary Duncan, and includes the lyrics: "I think that we can win 'cos we've got Jeremy Corbyn."
Another combines images of revellers with Corbyn speeches with the lyrics: "Who's the man that we love? Corbyyyn" and "Hot young Corbynites are gonna turn this party round".
-- #SEXYJEZZA: The hashtag for memes depicting Corbyn as James Dean, Superman and Braveheart. One rather memorable image shows his face on David Beckham's body, wearing only a vest and boxers.
Speaking of vests, the trademark cheap singlets worn by Corbyn -- often under a shirt and rumpled jacket -- have sparked a media frenzy around the market stall in Islington, north London, where Corbyn buys them.
-- COMRADE CORBYN: From Che Guevara-style t-shirts bearing Corbyn's face, to a mug with a Soviet-style poster bearing his name, much of the paraphernalia available online has a predictably communist theme.
There are also "I love Corbyn" pillowcases, a Corbyn teddy bear and a "JezWeCan" baseball cap.
A disposable coffee cup said to have been used by Corbyn after a trip to a theatre in Nottingham was sold on eBay for £51 to a group of Oxford University students, with the proceeds going to charity AgeUK.
-- MUMSNET: One of the most talked-about points of the campaign was a discussion on the popular online forum Mumsnet that began with the post: "Anyone else think Jeremy Corbyn is very sexy?"
One respondent said he was attractive "in a world-weary, old sea dog sort of way," while another said: "He's got a coolness about him".
A third wrote: "Passion is sexy."
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