What's Up With Memes About Smoke Alarms Beeping, And Is It A Racist Dog Whistle?

If you've seen an increase in online discussions or memes about smoke detectors beeping in the past few weeks, you aren't alone.

There has existed a lasting cultural discussion about smoke detector beeps in America for years, but it wasn't until fairly recently that much of the conversation turned into one with a racial tilt.

Many Black Americans have embraced the notion that they carry a seeming resistance to changing the batteries in their smoke alarms as a longtime inside joke in their community, but the joke has also somewhat spread to discussions among much less sympathetic groups.

Here's how memes about smoke alarm chirps turned from lighthearted jokes into a purported racist dog whistle.

What Are 'Smoke Detector Beeping' Memes About?

Memes about smoke detectors chirping simply speak to the idea that some people don't change the batteries in their home smoke detectors, leading to the machine emitting a repeated beeping signal to indicate that it needs a replacement. In the early 2020s, this unwillingness to change one's smoke detector batteries became a stereotype associated with Black people.

Where Did Jokes About 'Smoke Detectors Beeping' Originate?

One of the earliest prominent longstanding bits about smoke detectors beeping took place on episodes of the radio show Loveline, hosted by Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla, that date as far back as 1998. The hosts noticed that listener calls to Loveline would often feature smoke detector beeps in the background, and guessing the frequency of such beeps would become a lasting bit on the show for over 20 years.

Some of the earliest viral jokes about smoke detectors beeping simply speak to how once you hear it, you can't "unhear" it. Smoke detector beeping is universally acknowledged as an annoying sound, which is sometimes hard to mute even after changing batteries.

When Did Jokes About 'Smoke Detectors Beeping' Become Associated With Black People?

While disparate discussions in Black communities about smoke alarm beeps have continued until 2020, the joke arguably gained viral traction due to a series of lighthearted TikTok videos posted by TikToker @damedamian. A brief skit posted by @damedamian showed the difference between "White people chillen in their house," and "Black people chillen in their house," with the only notable difference being the distant sound of a smoke alarm chirping in the latter scene.

The video went immensely viral, gathering millions of views in the following months. The skit was also well-received by some Black users on the platform, such as TikToker @shaelovve, who stitched the video to join the joke and gathered over 20 million views herself.

Other people made memes about the concept, with Twitter user @14froger14 posting an edit for a made-up Jordan Peele movie called "Beep," and Twitter user @Spottedcanine posting a meme from the viral "Popeyes Runs Out Of Chicken, White Guy Indifferent" video.

Are Jokes About 'Smoke Detectors Beeping' A Racist Dog Whistle?

While lighthearted jokes about smoke detector beeps continued to gain popularity after the aforementioned viral meme, the joke was also coopted by less sympathetic groups. A 4chan thread posted to the site's /pol/ board titled, "NEW DOGWHISTLE DROPPED" gathered several replies after it called Black Americans "Beeping Americans" in reference to the smoke alarm sound.

The post also called back to a previous discussion about seasoning police, which is another meme term coopted by racists and directed towards Black people.

In June 2023, conservative activist Jack Posobiec tweeted a clip from his talk show, featuring fellow far-right Turning Point USA activist Charlie Kirk.

In the video, Posobiec talks about Black American television show host Joy Reid posting a video with an audible smoke detector beep, saying that "it goes back to this meme that people who are dumb are just paying attention to their smoke alarm" (seen below).

I explained the smoke detector meme to Charlie Kirk pic.twitter.com/HZ5HmPOoNc

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 16, 2023

For the full history of smoke detector beeping memes, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.