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Where Did The 'I'm Doing My Part' GIF Come From? The 'Starship Troopers' Meme And Reaction Explained
In the multiverse of internet memes, few have the staying power of "I'm Doing My Part," a meme that features a snippet from a military recruitment commercial in the 1997 film Starship Troopers, where eager citizens declare their contributions to the war effort.
Ironically, some might say that the original scene's satirical take on propaganda is funnier than the memes it inspired. Here's why the "I'm Doing My Part" scene from Starship Troopers has had an everlasting internet impact.
What's The Origin Of The 'I'm Doing My Part' Meme?
Starship Troopers is a 1997 sci-fi film set in a future where humanity is at war with giant alien bugs. The movie satirizes militaristic propaganda through interstitial sequences, including a recruitment commercial in which enthusiastic soldiers proclaim, "I'm doing my part!" even as the camera continues to pan to younger and younger recruits.
The meme's journey began on June 1, 2013, when Imgur user galebourn uploaded a GIF of the scene with altered subtitles referencing The Flintstones and the I Like Turtles meme. This edit garnered over 1.8 million views and 4,000 upvotes, marking the meme's entry into internet culture.
How Did The 'I'm Doing My Part' Meme Spread And Evolve?
The meme continued to spread online after its Imgur debut, as seen in a December 2018 post to the subreddit /r/PewDiePieSubmissions. The meme was created by Redditor /u/BillyBoiHere in support of YouTuber PewDiePie in the Great Subscriber War.
The meme resurfaced again in September 2019 when Redditor Kev_heisen90 used it to rally participants for the planned Area 51 raid, receiving more than 1,800 upvotes before voting was disabled.
What Are Some More Examples Of The 'I'm Doing My Part' Meme?
For the full history of I'm Doing My Part, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
