The Thousand Yard Stare meme, also known as the PTSD meme, features hot takes and funny captions on a World War II painting by Thomas Lea, The 2,000-Yard Stare. The painting features a soldier with a stunned expression, staring directly ahead as scenes of war play out behind him.
The image—and many others like it—is for all those who feel astonished by the world around them and everything playing out in it. However old you are and whatever you stand for, there are plenty of times people are left completely transfixed.
What does the 1,000 yard stare meme mean?
The painting is meant to represent the shock and genuine post-traumatic stress soldiers experienced after returning home from battle. It inspired the phrase “thousand yard stare,” which references a blank stare that usually results from a form of traumatization.
The Thomas Lea painting was first featured in LIFE Magazine in 1996. As the internet began to flourish, the painting came to be used as a reaction meme, with others later putting their own spin on it.
Kurt Angle meme, aka Kurt Angle’s Thousand Yard Stare
Professional wrestler Kurt Angle is among those with their own take on the Thousand Yard Stare meme. Used as a reaction meme, fans laughed at the intensity of the WWE pro’s stare at the camera.
@realkurtangle Oh #ItsTrue! YOUR Olympic Gold Medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is NOW on #TikTok! 🥇🇺🇲 #ProWrestling #Wrestling #OlympicWrestling #Olympics #WWERaw #Smackdown #NXT #WWE #KurtAngle #AEW ♬ WWE: Medal (Kurt Angle) – WWE & Jim Johnston
The Lorax Thousand Yard Stare
The Lorax also has its own version of the Thousand Yard Stare. The image itself was illustrated by Instagram’s user @briman2000 in March 2023, where he joked in the caption, “Lorax has the thousand-log stare.”
Thousand Yard Stare Cat
There’s also a Thousand Yard Stare meme starring a cat. The cat is photoshopped with a helmet on his head and scenes of war playing out behind him.
All of the variations of this meme speak to how popular and relatable it is. It seems like there’s a variation for everyone, which is one of the things people most value in a meme.
While war and the chaos it brings may speak to some populations more than others, it’s clear that we all know that feeling of disbelief and living through an “unprecedented” situation. However you may have incurred some trauma in life, and chances are this meme has a way to express it.
Meme examples
