Meaning
What does It’s Happening mean?
It’s happening is a popular phrase, that is associated with two widely famous memes, one originating from the television series The Office, while the other one is connected to Ron Paul.
In either case, the phrase is used as a reaction image macro or GIF, to announce the arrival of an apocalyptic scenario, similar to So It Begins.
Other memes from The Office include Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica and No God Please No.
Origin
What's the origin of It’s Happening?
Both “It’s happening” meme sources emerged in 2009, with the first Ron Paul image macro having been uploaded to 4chan, eventually leading to the creation of the infamous /pol/ board itself.
At the same time, The Office episode “Stress Relief” was first aired on February 1st, 2009.
In one of the scenes, Dwight (portrayed by Rainn Wilson) is causing a fire in the workplace, to test everyone’s knowledge of the safety procedures.
It is here, Michael (played by Steve Carell) is shouting “It’s happening”.
Spread & Usage
How did It’s Happening spread?
Initially, Ron Paul image macros enjoyed a large amount of publicity, however with time, their popularity have subsided.
In the meanwhile, during the mid-2010’s, The Office meme has taken over the popularity of the Ron Paul meme, as reaction images and GIFs became rampant online, from sites like Facebook to Reddit to Twitter.
External resources
- Screenrant.com – The Office’s Hilarious “It’s Happening!” Reaction Meme Explained
- Urban Dictionary – It’s happening
- Reddit – r/OutOfTheLoop