About

We Need A Slur For X refers to a phrasal template that acknowledges the need for a new slur to represent a group of people that everyone collectively and ironically dislikes. Although the phrase was first used on Twitter in late 2017, it wasn't until 2020 that it saw prevalent usage online going into 2021.

Origin

On September 19th, 2017, Twitter^[1] user rhombusvibes posted a tweet that read, "we need a slur for people who chew on ice who's with me here," effectively being the first online to coin the snowclone. However, over the course of five years, the tweet did not receive any likes (shown below).

Spread

Almost a year later, on July 22nd, 2018, Twitter^[2] user arikmiguel posted a tweet reading, "we need a slur for all the people that care about shark week," earning 22 likes over three and a half years (shown below).

In 2020, the phrasal template picked up in usage after two tweets using it received increased engagement. On May 1st, 2020, Twitter^[3] user tomthicc posted a tweet reading, "we need a slur for gay people that are straight by association," that gained over 800 likes in two years (shown below, left). On August 11th, 2020, Twitter^[4] user ShieldOfThracia tweeted, "we need a slur for pedophiles," earning over 550 likes in two years (shown below, right).

In 2021, one tweet, in particular, cemented the phrasal template's notoriety going forward. On March 3rd, 2021, Twitter^[5] user ChopStacks posted a tweet reading, "we need a slur for people that drink milk," amassing roughly 195,700 likes over the course of one year (shown below, left). Another tweet reading, "we need a slur for toddlers," was posted on July 12th, 2021, by Twitter user methwaffles, who earned roughly 145,000 likes in three months (shown below, right). However, the original tweet has since been deleted despite multiple reposts to both Facebook^[6] and Instagram.^[7]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References