Do ya really know why is fried chicken central to cyber culture?

If you don’t know what a Tendie is, then your either dead or probably never dream of living with your mum after hitting 30. Anyone who follows cyber culture memes will be familiar with Tendies. Why is fried chicken central to cyber culture? It began with one of the earliest references to cyber culture by mathematician Alice Mary Hilton in her landmark 1963 book, Logic, Computing Machines, and Automation.

Hilton, an exceptionally mathematician, was one of the most powerful advocates of the forthcoming cyber revolution. She explored the effect that the widely predicted revolution would have on human nature and interestingly fried chicken was a part of the scenario:

“In an era of cyber culture, all the plows pull themselves and the fried chickens fly right onto our plates.”

Alice Mary Hilton, Logic, Computing Machines, and Automation (Washington, DC: Spartan Books, (1963), xvi.

Tendies was once an abbreviation for chicken tenders, but more recently refers to financial gains made on the stock market, originated by cyberpunk traders on Reddit’s Wall Street Bets (WSB).

The phrase comes from old 4CHAN greentext stories about grown men living with their mom. A man who relies on his mom for everything is rewarded for good behaviour and taking care of himself with “Good Boy Points” (GBP), which he redeems for his favourite food, chicken tenders.

“Tendies” has roots in the WallStreetBets’ use of self-deprecating humour. The logic is, if these stock players advertise themselves as tendie-eating retards who live in their mom’s basement playing video games, there’s not much other people can tease them for.

Long live fried chicken, plant-based or not.

#tendies #WallStreetBets #cyberculture #cyberpunk