You are not special

Why Do People Hate The 'You Are Not Special' Comic? The Nihilistic Children's Comic Book Explained

A short, minimalist story written in the form of a children's comic made the rounds last year for being too pessimistic for kids, and according to some people, too nihilistic for adults. The comic, called You Are Not Special, was a series commissioned by Twitter user @steviepxyz and illustrated by webcomic artist Haus of Decline.

1 ly YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL.


The webcomic acquired haters that edited its various panels to reflect less depressing messages, but in hindsight, many have come to believe that the original post was well-camouflaged bait. Here's how a short webcomic became Haus of Decline's most reviled post.

What Is You Are Not Special?

Back in March 2023, Twitter user @steviepxyz posted a 16-tweet-long thread about his children's book You Are Not Special, conceptualized by him and illustrated by the artist Haus of Decline. The comic featured sparse imagery, and showed a sad-looking guy learning how deeply banal he is.

steviep @steviepxyz Not many people know this, but 12 years ago I wrote a children's book. It sat in the vault, unreleased, for over a decade before I commissioned @hausofdecline to illustrate it for me. For the first time ever, I present: You Are Not Special YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. 9:08 AM Mar 19, 2023 35.3M Views 1 ly YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. ! L THERE ARE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU. + S MANY OF THEM ARE SMARTER THAN YOU.

11 MORE CREATIVE, TOO. (1+a+b)G₁x(^b)=1+√ [dp +√dq (G) - ²0₂ - Galaxb)) GX(a₁17)-Gala₂6) 9-6 G₂(a₂b) G SOME PEOPLE ARE. GOOD AT MATH." { 2 الرسا AZE, SOME PEOPLE ARE GOOD AT MAKING MUSIC ( 2+2=22 YOU ARE GOOD AT NEITHER.


Despite Twitter's general sardonic tone compared to other social media outlets, the comic was not particularly well received. The thread saw over 19,000 quote tweets and 23,000 likes, a quote-to-like ratio that typically indicates that you're getting flamed online.

What Did People Think About 'You Are Not Special'?

Initial reactions to the post saw people criticizing it, especially considering the fact that it was put forward as a children's book. Twitter user @blktomekurata tried to turn a panel into something positive by invoking a quote from Mob Psycho, writing, "If everyone is not special, maybe you can be what you want to be."

Another Twitter took the book to its logical extreme, posting a drawing that made fun of the book and its author by depicting him as a maniacal man reading a book titled Kill Yourself to a bunch of toddlers.

ww5 if everyone is NOT SPECIAL. maybe you can be what you want to be ६ с NM Get ready to have your lives changed, gays. loom X KILL YOURSELF BY ME M m الا :)) M


More parodies of the book's first page were posted by users on Twitter in the following days, as seen in posts by @vivbluetea and @itsaaudraw.

1 ♥ ✓ YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL, and that's okay! 1 HEY NOW, YOU'RE A ROCK STAR.


How Did The Creators Of The Webcomic Respond To The Hate?

The man responsible for the idea behind the book tweeted about the intense backlash he received online, saying that he was getting death threats on top of the typical hate comments. Meanwhile, Haus of Decline, the artist commissioned to draw the piece, chortled at how badly it was received, and confirmed that it was actually a joke. He also added that every comic artist needs their "Bike Cuck moment."

steviep @steviepxyz Looks like I'm making pretty good progress on my OKRS for the first quarter: Get verified on OpenSea Get collected by Fingerprints Write the most controversial children's book of the year, which leads to me getting ratio'd + death threats steviep @steviepxyz . Mar 19 Not many people know this, but 12 years ago I wrote a children's book. It sat in the vault, unreleased, for over a decade before I commissioned @hausofdecline to illustrate it for me. For the first time ever, I present: You Are Not Special Show this thread YOU ARE ARE NOT SPECIAL. : 10:50 PM Mar 19, 2023 · 80.4K Views Haus of Decline @hausofdecline - 22h You ever make a joke that lands so poorly you become discourse? Would not recommend. 301 434 Haus of Decline @hausofdecline 13.3K ₁587K 1 every comic artist needs their 'bike cuck' moment. I feel like I have truly arrived . 3:38 PM Mar 20, 2023 109K Views



For the full history of 'You Are Not Special,' be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.




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