I Love Democracy

I love democracy refers to a popular quote, from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, said by Senator Palpatine.

The screenshot of the scene is circulated online as a reaction image macro, usually mocking or making fun of the institution of elections.

via GIPHY

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones premiered in the United States on May 12^th, 2002.

In one of the scenes, Senator Palpatine (played by Ian McDiarmid) is giving a speech to the Galactic Senate, after he has been elected Chancellor.

He utters the words “I love democracy” in this scene, assuring the Senate that he will lay down the power he’s been given.

The first instance of the phrase used in a humorous manner originates from a 2004 post from the TheForce.net forum, where a user likened Joe Lieberman to Senator Palpatine.

Reaction images of the scene started spreading on the r/PrequelMemes subreddit in April, 2017.

“I love democracy” would remain a popular reaction image format on numerous platforms, including Imgur, Reddit, 9GAG, Instagram and Facebook, emerging in relation to topics such as political elections as well as games like Stellaris or Among Us.

• Fandom – Star Wars Memes Wiki