Yes Sir, Glory to X

About

Yes Sir, Glory to X, also known as P-please S-tand for the N-n-national Anthem, refers to a series of four-panel memes that depict a person reacting differently to the same idea expressed by two people, typically world leaders asking for someone to stand for a national anthem. Originating from a viral meme mocking comments on the Hong Kong protests made by basketball player LeBron James in October 2019, the format gained popularity as a way of mocking hypocrisy and favoritism.

Origin

On October 14th, 2019, basketball player LeBron James made two tweets^[1][2] in response to an October 4th, 2019, post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in which Morey supported the 2019 Hong Kong protests (shown below). In the tweets, James described Morey's post as "uneducated." In the following days, James became a subject mockery online, with users criticizing him for taking a non-stance on the issue.

On October 22nd, 2019, Redditor biohazard227 posted a four-panel meme that referenced both LeBron James' participation in the the U.S. national anthem protests and his October comments on China, with the post gaining over 100 upvotes in the /r/nbacirclejerk^[3] subreddit in six months (shown below).

The caption in the third panel of the meme reads "LeBron. Please stand for the national anthem. I won't ask anymore."^[4]

Spread

In the following months, the post received viral spread online through multiple reposts. For example, on October 28th, 2019, an unknown Redditor reposted the image to the /r/okbuddyretard^[5] subreddit, where it gained over 2,300 upvotes in six months.

Prior to January 26th, 2020, an unknown user posted the earliest known derivative version of the meme, replacing the panel with Xi Jinping with a panel with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and changing the caption accordingly (shown below, left). On January 26th, the image was reposted by Instagram^[6] user peachfvn, with the post gaining over 400 likes in one year.

Prior to April 28th, 2020, a version of the meme featuring North Korean politician Kim Yo-jong, at that time a popular subject of hornyposting (shown below, right), was posted by an unknown user. In late April and early May 2020, the image received viral spread through reposts on iFunny,^[7][8] Instagram and other platforms.

Starting in May 2020, the format gained moderate popularity online, with users creating versions featuring national leaders, influencers and fictional characters, sometimes also replacing LeBron James with other characters. For example, on May 6th, 2020, Instagram^[9] page jeff_cavaliere_posting posted a meme featuring fitness guru Jeff Cavaliere that received 4,300 likes in one year (shown below, left). On May 12th, Instagram^[10] page yourlordandsaviorpoopjesusreposted a a version of the meme featuring Estonian Minister of the Interior Mart Helme that gained over 7,500 likes in one year (shown below, right).

Starting in August 2020, versions of the meme referencing various media gained notable spread. For example, on September 30th, 2020, an unknown Redditor posted an ironic Breaking Bad meme that gained over 5,600 upvotes in the /r/okbuddychicanery^[11] subreddit in six months (shown below, left). On December 19th, iFunny^[12] user logba posted an Attack on Titan meme that garnered over 2,100 smiles in six months (shown below, right).

The format maintained a notable presence online in late 2020 and 2021. In many examples, both the snowclone and the panels used are altered, with the snowclone "Yes Sir, Glory to X" remaining the key part of the format.

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References