#sum of all villainies: A Wesleyan Meme Goes Viral

Abstract

John Wesley’s greatest contribution to the discussion of slavery in the 19^th century can be summarized with four words: sum of all villainies. Tracking this phrase from his Journal to its entry into the North American abolitionist lexicon and into the 21^st century is a case study of how justice was perceived for slavery and other issues. The distinction is how that phrase will be tracked using memetic theory. Seeing the phrase as a meme gives greater analysis and nuance to its function as a medium in communication and rhetoric. To track the phrase haphazardly without taking into consideration how its existence as a meme changes its perception, function, and meaning as a type of rhetorical artifact is misguided. Seeing the phrase as a meme enhances understanding of its development and appropriation while giving greater precision regarding its use and function. After discussing the nature of memes, we will see how the sum of all villanies (SOAV) appeared in John Wesley’s Journal as an idea that morphed into a meme used in abolitionist rhetoric and beyond as it was reappropriated to other social issues, enabling the phrase to reappear in a variety of ways in other contexts. The result is the world of Wesley’s parish is further and farther extended into the digital world by means of the meme.