# Are You Serious Face > Are You Serious Face is a 2011 rage comic reaction image of American Atheists president David Silverman's bewildered expression, rendered as a black-and-white hand-drawn face used to express scorn and disbelief. Are You Serious Face is a black and white hand-drawn reaction face used in rage comics to express disbelief at someone's ignorance or stupidity[2]. The drawing originated from a screencap of American Atheists president David Silverman making a bewildered expression during a Fox News debate with Bill O'Reilly in January 2011[2]. It became one of the standard faces in the rage comic toolkit during the format's peak years. ## Origin The face traces back to a televised debate between Bill O'Reilly and David Silverman, president of American Atheists, on Fox News[1]. During the exchange, O'Reilly deployed his now-infamous "tide goes in, tide goes out" argument for the existence of God. Around the two-minute mark of the clip, Silverman made a deeply perplexed expression that perfectly captured wordless disbelief[1]. That same argument later spawned the separate "You Can't Explain That" image macro meme[1]. On January 18th, 2011, a Reddit user posted a thread titled "Do your worst:) (FIXED)" that included a black and white drawing tracing Silverman's expression[1]. This hand-drawn version stripped the face down to its essential lines, making it easy to drop into the multi-panel rage comic format that dominated Reddit and other platforms at the time. - **Platform:** Fox News (source footage), Reddit (meme format) - **Creator:** Unknown (Reddit user who drew the face), David Silverman (subject) - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview The Are You Serious Face is a simple black and white sketch of a person with a furrowed brow and slightly open mouth, conveying a mixture of confusion and exasperation[1]. The expression captures that specific moment when someone says something so baffling that you can't quite process it. Both male and female versions of the face exist, though the male version based on David Silverman came first[1]. Within rage comics, the face typically appears in the final panel as a punchline reaction to an absurd statement or situation. ## How It Spread The face spread quickly through Reddit's rage comic communities, where users adopted it as a go-to reaction for depicting encounters with frustrating ignorance[1]. It joined a growing roster of rage faces like the original Rage Guy, Forever Alone, and the Troll Face. The "Are You Serious" face filled a specific emotional niche that the other faces didn't quite cover: not anger, not sadness, but pure bewildered disbelief. The female version of the face appeared sometime after the original male drawing, expanding its use to a wider range of comic scenarios[1]. Both versions became standard fixtures in rage comic generators and template libraries across sites like Reddit, 9GAG, and dedicated rage comic communities throughout 2011 and 2012. As rage comics declined in popularity during the mid-2010s, the face's usage dropped along with the format. But the underlying expression and concept survived in other reaction image formats[2]. ## How to Use The Are You Serious Face works best as a reaction to statements or situations involving obvious ignorance, flawed logic, or baffling stupidity. In the classic rage comic format, the face typically appears in the final panel after a setup showing someone saying something ridiculous. Common scenarios include: - A friend or coworker making an obviously wrong claim with total confidence - Encountering absurd rules, policies, or instructions - Hearing someone misunderstand a basic concept The face is often paired with the text "Are you serious?" or just "Seriously?" as a caption. In modern usage outside rage comics, the original Silverman screencap or the drawn face can work as a standalone reaction image in group chats or comment threads. ## Cultural Impact The Are You Serious Face rode the broader rage comic wave that dominated internet humor from roughly 2010 to 2013. Rage comics were one of the first truly participatory meme formats, where anyone could create their own comic using a shared vocabulary of expressive faces. The "Are You Serious" face was part of this shared language, recognizable to millions of internet users during that era. The source material also had its own cultural moment. The Bill O'Reilly vs. David Silverman debate became a touchstone in online atheism communities, generating multiple memes beyond just this face[1]. O'Reilly's "tide goes in, tide goes out" line became a shorthand for confidently incorrect reasoning. ## Fun Facts - The face captures David Silverman's expression at approximately the 2:00 mark of the O'Reilly debate clip[1]. - Both the "Are You Serious" face and the "You Can't Explain That" meme came from the exact same televised exchange[1]. - The Reddit post that launched the meme was a "(FIXED)" post, meaning it was a response or correction to someone else's earlier submission[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Are You Serious Face? It's a black and white hand-drawn face used in rage comics to express disbelief at someone's ignorance or stupidity[1]. ### Where did Are You Serious Face come from? It originated from a Reddit post on January 18, 2011, where a user drew a sketch based on David Silverman's bewildered expression during a Fox News debate with Bill O'Reilly[1]. ### What does Are You Serious Face mean? The face conveys a reaction of stunned disbelief, typically directed at someone who has said or done something overwhelmingly foolish[1]. ### How do you use Are You Serious Face? Place it in the final panel of a rage comic after showing someone making a ridiculous statement, or use it as a standalone reaction image in chats and comments[1]. ### Is Are You Serious Face still popular? The face peaked alongside the rage comic format in 2011-2012. While rage comics are no longer a dominant meme format, the face is still recognized as a classic piece of early 2010s internet culture. ### Who is the person in the original Are You Serious Face? The face is based on David Silverman, president of American Atheists, who made the expression during a debate with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News[1]. ### What was the debate about? Bill O'Reilly argued for the existence of God using the logic that tides going in and out couldn't be explained, which prompted Silverman's now-iconic baffled reaction[1]. ### Is there a female version of the face? Yes, a female version with similar expression and longer hair was created after the original male face gained popularity[1]. ## References 1. [List of Internet phenomena]() 2. [Are You Serious Face - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/are-you-serious-face Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library