Meaning
What does You’re A Special Kind Of Stupid mean?
You’re a special kind of stupid (or you must be a special kind of stupid) refers to a series of image macros featuring a picture of the actor Sam Elliott in a cowboy hat from the movie The Big Lebowski.
These image macros are used online as reaction memes, usually conveying an ironic connotation, with the aim of satirizing boomer humor and Facebook meme culture that Gen-Z people usually regard as normie content.
The memes usually work with a very generic statement in the top text, and utilize the catchphrase then you’re a special kind of stupid as bottom text.
via MEME
Origin
What's the origin of You’re A Special Kind Of Stupid?
In the 1998 movie The Big Lebowski, Sam Elliott plays the role of a mysterious stranger who encounters the movie’s protagonist in a bowling alley, and talks wisdom to him in an old-fashioned way, dressed as a cowboy, resembling the archetype of elderly folk.
Meme creators on the internet were not hesitant to draw a parallel between Elliott’s performance and conservative culture, creating a multitude of memes about the topic starting from 2015.
Spread & Usage
How did You’re A Special Kind Of Stupid spread?
One of the earliest image macros of you’re a special kind of stupid landed in a Facebook group called Conservatives Are Destroying Our Future in 2015.
Later, the format spread on the various other social media platforms such as Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and of course Reddit as well.
External resources
- Urbandictionary.com – Special kind of stupid