Nipple-pinching parody of Harris and Walz get thumbs up from Meta’s Oversight Board

Meta’s Oversight Board on Wednesday announced that a “Dumb and Dumber” parody meme posted on Facebook depicting US Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz twisting each other's privates should be allowed to stay on the social media site.

In a reversal of fortune for, well, no one in particular, the Oversight Board said it had reversed its earlier decision to remove the slapstick satire from Facebook fearing the ban could be seen as “suppressing political speech” ahead of the November 2024 US Presidential elections.

The controversy began back in August when a Facebook user posted an AI-generated meme of the 1994 movie poster for the comedy film “Dumb and Dumber” – only in this version, the faces of Haris and Walz were superimposed on the copycat image instead.

For those who don’t remember, in one version of the movie poster, Jim Carey and co-star Jeff Daniels are shown pinching each other's nipples – and therein lies the issue.

In Wednesday’s summary, the Board said it had initially removed the post under its 'Bullying and Harassment Community Standard' which prohibits “derogatory sexualized photoshop or drawings,” including of political figures, also mentioning its further restrictions on "explicit AI images of female public figures."

Below is an image of the original movie poster next to the altered image of Harris and Walz, the latter of which, ironically, has been made into a t-shirt and is being auctioned off on eBay for just over $20 bucks.

Soon after the post was removed, another Facebook user decided to appeal the Board’s decision to banish the meme from the platform.

Deciding to reverse its original ban, Meta explained that “overenforcing the ‘Bullying and Harassment’ policy can, especially in the context of an election, lead to the excessive removal of political speech and undermine the ability to criticize government officials and political candidates, including in a sarcastic manner.”

For those Harris and Walz supporters unhappy about the decision, it appears candidate memes are equal opportunity fodder in the US, as another AI-generated version of the movie poster, this time depicting Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, has since been created.

The spoofed 'Dumb and Dumber' image – complete with nipple-twisting – was made into a front yard sign and is currently up for sale on Etsy. The double-sided sign will set you back about $26, ships anywhere in the US, and is guaranteed to arrive before election day.

Labeled as party decor, the Trump version is described as “effective and eye-catching, making a noticeable impact in any setting.”

As Meta described in its summary, both the Harris/Walz and Trump/Vance parody memes are “nothing more than a commonplace satirical image of prominent politicians” and should be instantly recognizable as such.

At least let’s hope so.