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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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