Shorting Meme? Trading guru Ansem goes head-to-head with a 500k-follower KOL in a heated debate over Meme's future

By TechFlow

Thanks to characteristics like fair launches and easily understandable cultural references, Memes have always represented the spirit of retail investors.

Seeing Memes rise is a shared hope among crypto retail traders.

Of course, since the birth of Memes, debates about their prices and future trends have never ceased. But if you publicly express bearish views on Memes, you're likely to trigger an intense argument.

The impact of the previous debate between a16z CTO and the community regarding Meme value has yet to fade. Last night, a bearish tweet from trader @CryptoDonAlt, who has 550K followers, sparked a new round of controversy:

DonAlt believes the Meme hype has ended and that the sector is about to face a major crash. He remains optimistic about other sectors' tokens and ends with a slightly mocking "special warning" directed at current Meme enthusiasts overly focused on cat-and-dog-themed projects.

Later, DonAlt explained his bearish stance on Memes:

1/ There are already countless MEMEs
2/ Thousands of new MEMEs emerge every day
3/ Many believe in the GME → Meme rotation narrative (which I think is utterly stupid)
4/ The charts overall look unimpressive
5/ Market sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish

In today's environment where Meme speculation has become somewhat of a "crypto political correctness," DonAlt’s “politically incorrect” remarks immediately triggered a strong reaction from Meme enthusiasts.

Well-known Meme influencer Ansem (@blknoiz06) quickly fired back at DonAlt's bearish take, posting a screenshot showing cryptocurrency data from the past year:

Ansem pointed out that Memecoins were the only altcoin sector that saw overall growth over the past year, questioning DonAlt’s decision to go bearish on Memecoins and retorting with a simple “We’ll see.”

After his rebuttal, Ansem posted another tweet strongly supporting Memecoins: "Memecoins are still in an acceleration phase. We will see new billion-dollar Memecoins like Pepe, Bonk, and Wif."

He then used humorous Meme images to describe this debate as "a war."

Indeed, this is a battle to defend the value of Memes within the hearts of crypto players. Memes show wealth effects, provide more liquidity and reasons for speculation, and spread more easily. To dismiss all Meme categories outright and publicly voice bearish opinions—Ansem naturally couldn’t stand by and watch.

As a highly influential KOL in the Memecoin community, Ansem’s firm defense of Memecoin value resonated strongly with fans. Some even compared DONALT—who voiced bearish views on Memes—to Citron Research, which shorted GME stock in early 2021, while likening ANSEM to Keith Gill, the legendary retail investor who rallied散户 to fight against Wall Street shorts on GME.

In response to Ansem’s "declaration of war" and the fierce backlash from Meme supporters, DonAlt responded lightheartedly: "Honestly, I'm not afraid of your fans attacking me online—I'm more worried about small accidents in real life."

The Debate Calms Down

This verbal clash seems unlikely to convince either side, nor will it dampen the daily creation of new Memes or degens’ enthusiasm.

After the direct confrontation temporarily subsided, both DonAlt and Ansem continued to uphold their respective bearish/bullish stances on Memecoins through their social media. DonAlt keeps sharing his bearish analysis on $WIF; Ansem firmly believes multiple Memecoins will reach market caps exceeding tens of billions of dollars.

This isn't the first bull-bear debate about Memecoins, and certainly won't be the last. What people are truly debating may not even be Memecoins themselves—the underlying appeal lies in the ideals they represent: freedom and the possibility of transcending class barriers.

Price fluctuations are natural market behavior—there's no need to obsess over short-term volatility. If you’re bullish, hold firmly. If not, sell and walk away. That’s how trading should work.

As for the two figures at the center of this debate, although DonAlt and Ansem stand firmly on opposite sides, they’ve managed to exchange views in a light-hearted and friendly manner. As for retail investors, of course they want Memes to go up—so siding with Ansem feels less like ideological conviction and more like a position-driven choice.

After all, if even Memes can't recover, it might truly signal the end of a crypto cycle.

Just as DonAlt and Ansem demonstrated today—defending your stance doesn’t require insults; a few “LMAOOOOOO”s will do.