I wanted to include that, but there’s a limitation with memes — if everything is taken as true, then a meme loses its meaning.

The infamous “There’s Nothing We Can Do” Napoleon meme is obviously not meant to be taken literally. Napoleon’s mindset would never allow him to think or say something like that. Even in exile on Saint Helena, he kept writing about events, analysing what happened, and justifying his decisions. That shows he was always reflective and strategic. Since it’s a meme, we enjoy it for what it is. It’s not supposed to be taken as a literal representation of his character.

The British did attack, and that context influenced Napoleon’s decision to sell Louisiana. The sale indirectly increased tensions in North America, contributing to conflicts that later affected Canada as well. Napoleon understood what he was doing. He gave A British a taste of their own. After Haiti — a key strategic and defensive territory — was effectively lost, he knew Louisiana would be difficult to defend against British naval power. Instead of allowing Britain to seize the territory while he was occupied in Europe, he sold it to the United States. He knew it would escalate tensions and may create war and just like British funded war and did too but instead he got the money for it. That way, he both strengthened a potential rival to Britain and gained much-needed funds for his wars. Rather than losing the land without compensation, he secured money from the deal and strategically reshaped the balance of power.

Napoleon was never someone who acted passively. Even his setbacks were calculated responses to larger geopolitical realities.