Twitter users are putting the word “triggered” over stock photos of “smug” white men to create Netflix comedy special thumbnails. They’re poking fun at Netflix’s real comedy special thumbnails.
“If you put ‘Triggered’ over any stock photo of a smug man on a plain background it actually looks like a genuine Netflix comedy special thumbnail,” Jay Baylis tweeted, kicking off the trend.
If you put “Triggered” over any stock photo of a smug man on a plain background it actually looks like a genuine netflix comedy special thumbnail pic.twitter.com/Zry3Ayq6va
— Jay Baylis ▶️ BAFTA Game Awards (@SamuriFerret) September 13, 2019
And the results are a little too on the nose. “I thought these were legit before I read the tweet lol,” Twitter user @dreamsarentrea1 wrote.
https://twitter.com/eviltaylorhicks/status/1172581929167785984
https://twitter.com/dreamsarentrea1/status/1172616462210490368
I legit got angry at Netflix for a moment like “what the hell you guys” before I saw it was fake, that’s how generically real these white dude ‘comedians’ look
— 🕸cobwebs and good wishes 🕸 (@Ser_NightYorb) September 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/theacard/status/1172596720674443267
People began sharing their own versions of the tweet–even featuring the likes of right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump Jr. “No way this works so well,” a shocked Twitter user wrote, along with their own, similar creation.
WTF it works pic.twitter.com/MLMuI3aywy
— 🥚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒈𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 🥚 (@MMStinks) September 13, 2019
— Jen🐇🐇 (@JenDifatta) September 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/tjpc3/status/1172609439192555523
i offer you my original netflix comedy special pic.twitter.com/YIz9Ru298g
— waluigi (@YourDadWaluigi) September 13, 2019
Here’s mine: pic.twitter.com/YPxU2pm1bg
— Chris Amburn, New Experience Workshop (@NEWgamespage) September 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/NoHumanzA/status/1172615570635857925
Even Art Decider dubbed the trend “art.”
Art.
— Art Or Not Art (@ArtDecider) September 14, 2019
White male comedians are known to say they’re “pushing boundaries” or “being edgy” when they use offensive content. They often go against “cancel culture,” which is when people refuse to purchase or watch content from others who are racist, sexist, or homophobic.
“They wax poetic about how stand-up comedy today is too politically correct, too serious, too analytical,” wrote Cristina Ouch for Medium in 2018.
For example, earlier this week people criticized Saturday Night Live for hiring stand-up comedian Shane Gillis. People began sharing videos of offensive comments he made in his bits, such as in a 2018 podcast. During the podcast, he and his friend made fun of Chinese and Asian people’s food and culture.
“That’s more annoying than any other minority playing music at a restaurant … An Asian trying to learn English bothers me more than someone listening to like Lil Uzi Vert while I’m trying to eat fucking dinner,” Gillis said in the podcast.
He follows up the comment by saying, “nice racism, that’s good racism.” Gillis and his co-host go on to talk about how people are too politically correct and that white men shouldn’t be held to a different standard than minorities.
https://twitter.com/sasimons/status/1172257211697025025
In response to the backlash, Gillis released a statement on Twitter, saying he’s a comedian who “pushes boundaries.”
“My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks,” he tweeted on Thursday.
https://twitter.com/Shanemgillis/status/1172340437752807424
People seem divided on what they think about white male comedians making offensive comments for the sake of “pushing boundaries.” “Damn PC culture has really killed comedy,” Twitter user @tacoflashlight wrote.
Just be be clear, if we continue to vet young comedians breaking into the mainstream more rigorously for political correctness violations than we did our president, the “comedy” of the future is going to be even more boring than it is today.#ThisIsWhyWeCantHaveNiceThings
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) September 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/tacoflashlight/status/1172570337818497024
But many pointed out that “pushing boundaries” is just an excuse to make racist, sexist, and other offensive comments and that the bar is too low for white male comedians. “The comedy industry is so fucking boring and bland and stock full of white men (and other) who dribble out the same shitty harmful jokes and jerk themselves off for providing ‘real’ insights into how the world is,” Twitter user
@_cirrocumulus stated.
making jokes that chinese food is bad and that asian people say words funny is literally the least risky form of comedy that has been peddled by decades of racist white men https://t.co/vNQKtmnDy1
— David Zhou (@dz) September 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/_cirrocumulus/status/1172849771695898625
when will white men stop thinking that homophobic and racist slurs is the epitome of revolutionizing comedy https://t.co/D6gcXgwdLB
— jo (@bussylipgloss) September 13, 2019
White people, men in particular, tend to build their “comedy” careers off of discrimination and slurs.
— Alex (@Alexandra_Pec) September 14, 2019
Saying it’s just a joke or laughing before or after discriminatory statements and words does not change their meaning or impact. https://t.co/vWJKbnZ1iY
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