You Gotta Hit Them With the Stare
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About
You Gotta Hit Them With the Stare is a catchphrase used in a series of reaction image macros of people staring captioned with the phrasal template "The X Stare: When Y Says Something So Z You Gotta Hit Them With the X Stare." Spawned by a version of The Fluoride Stare meme, the format gained virality on iFunny in December 2022.
Origin
The "You Gotta Hit Them With the Stare" meme format derived from the Fluoride Stare memes, circulated within conspiracy theory communities online since 2016.
On April 15th, 2016, the Facebook[1] group Flat Earth Matters shared a meme that had text in Impact font reading, "When You Mention Flat Earth And All You Get Back Is That Fluoride Stare" (shown below, left). The post gained over 650 reactions and 1,500 shares in six years. On April 21st, 2022, Instagram[2] page welding_irony posted a version that gained over 2,900 likes in two years (shown below, right).
The phrase "they hit you with the fluoride stare" spawned the snowclone. Prior to June 13th, 2022, an unknown user posted the earliest meme within the format, an image macro featuring American religious leader Joseph Smith (shown below). On June 13th, Twitter[3] user @BronzeAgeRetard made the earliest found repost of the image, used as a reaction to another post.
Spread
In the second half of 2022, the image saw spread online, used as a reaction on Twitter[4][5] and other sites.
In November 2022, the image spawned a phrasal template image macro format on iFunny. On November 16th, iFunny[6] user NewDixieParty posted the earliest found derivative meme based on the format that received over 30 smiles in four months (shown below, left). On December 6th, 2022, Twitter[7] gimmick account @NoContextVarg posted a Varg Vikernes meme that received over 110 retweets and 1,700 likes in three months (shown below, right).
More versions of the meme, many referencing video games and other subcultures, went viral in late 2022 and early 2023. For example, on January 15th, 2023, iFunny[8] user PeshySoddle posted a version previously posted by now-defunct TikTok[9] account @sun.and.steelv11, with the image garnering over 5,000 smiles in two months (shown below, left). On March 3rd, iFunn[9]y user Sectionalism posted a The Elder Scrolls meme that received over 430 smiles in three weeks (shown below, right).
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Facebook – Flat Earth Matters
[2] Instagram – welding_irony
[3] Twitter – @BronzeAgeRetard
[4] Twitter – @purplerainblue
[5] Twitter – @AniaKoniec
[6] iFunny – NewDixieParty
[7] Twitter – @NoContextVarg
[8] iFunny – PeshySoddle
[9] TikTok – @sun.and.steelv11
[9] iFunny – Sectionalism
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