That cycle is broken every time someone contributes a good meme at a good time. It's about talent and timing...and a little bit of luck. Getting comments going will greatly increase a meme's desirability, and encourage more views.
The vicious cycle of popular memes:; A meme hits the front page. It gets more views, because it's on the front page. Less-popular memes are pushed to the bottom. The poor get poor, the rich get rich.