Counter Signal Memes

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Counter Signal Memes, often called "Smuggies," are crude MS Paint comics that caricature people with left-wing views. They started on a Facebook page called "Counter-signal Memes for Fashy Goys" in August 2015 and spread through 4chan's /pol/ board and right-wing subreddits.

far right memesms paint memes4chan memesculture war memesdismissal memes

Overview

Counter Signal Memes, widely known as "Smuggies," are crude MS Paint comics that caricature people holding left-wing political views3. The joke usually centers on a self-satisfied figure making a strawman argument, with the artwork's ugliness working as part of the punchline1. They spread mainly through 4chan's /pol/ board and adjacent right-wing subreddits like /r/parodymemes5.

The visual style is deliberately low-effort. Blob-headed figures, wobbly Paint lines, and simple speech bubbles carry every panel1. That amateur look positions the artist as too dismissive of the target's argument to bother drawing well, which is why cleaner bootleg versions never caught on in the same way3.

How It Spread

On September 2, 2015, Twitter user @wcsolo began reposting images from the Facebook page6. Reddit picked them up in late October. On the 26th, user kingy123 posted a Smuggie about Polandball comics to /r/me_irl and pulled roughly 4,300 upvotes at 89% approval4. Two days later, Red_Pilled_Redditor posted a comic mocking SlutWalk participants on /r/justlegbeardthings3.

The format hit /pol/ hard by mid-November 2015, when a comic pushing back on "chillax with the islamophobia" reactions to the Paris terrorist attacks went around the board3. On March 6, 2016, the /r/parodymemes subreddit was created specifically for Counter Signal submissions5.

The peak came on May 10, 2016, when Redditor Alpha-as-fuck posted an Imgur gallery titled "Smuggies from /pol/" containing 82 MS Paint comics to /r/4chan, pulling over 7,500 upvotes and 920 comments in a month1. FunnyJunk user fappafappafap had already posted a similar collection on April 11 of that year7.

How to Use This Meme

The template typically shows a smug, poorly drawn figure making a strawman version of a progressive position. Common conventions include exaggerated facial features, wobbly Paint linework, and dialogue that "wins" the argument by making the character's view sound absurd on its face1. Anyone posting one is expected to draw badly. Clean art breaks the format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Counter Signal Memes

2015image macroclassic

Counter Signal Memes, often called "Smuggies," are crude MS Paint comics that caricature people with left-wing views. They started on a Facebook page called "Counter-signal Memes for Fashy Goys" in August 2015 and spread through 4chan's /pol/ board and right-wing subreddits.

far right memes ms paint memes 4chan memes culture war memes dismissal memes

Overview

Counter Signal Memes, widely known as "Smuggies," are crude MS Paint comics that caricature people holding left-wing political views3. The joke usually centers on a self-satisfied figure making a strawman argument, with the artwork's ugliness working as part of the punchline1. They spread mainly through 4chan's /pol/ board and adjacent right-wing subreddits like /r/parodymemes5.

The visual style is deliberately low-effort. Blob-headed figures, wobbly Paint lines, and simple speech bubbles carry every panel1. That amateur look positions the artist as too dismissive of the target's argument to bother drawing well, which is why cleaner bootleg versions never caught on in the same way3.

How It Spread

On September 2, 2015, Twitter user @wcsolo began reposting images from the Facebook page6. Reddit picked them up in late October. On the 26th, user kingy123 posted a Smuggie about Polandball comics to /r/me_irl and pulled roughly 4,300 upvotes at 89% approval4. Two days later, Red_Pilled_Redditor posted a comic mocking SlutWalk participants on /r/justlegbeardthings3.

The format hit /pol/ hard by mid-November 2015, when a comic pushing back on "chillax with the islamophobia" reactions to the Paris terrorist attacks went around the board3. On March 6, 2016, the /r/parodymemes subreddit was created specifically for Counter Signal submissions5.

The peak came on May 10, 2016, when Redditor Alpha-as-fuck posted an Imgur gallery titled "Smuggies from /pol/" containing 82 MS Paint comics to /r/4chan, pulling over 7,500 upvotes and 920 comments in a month1. FunnyJunk user fappafappafap had already posted a similar collection on April 11 of that year7.

How to Use This Meme

The template typically shows a smug, poorly drawn figure making a strawman version of a progressive position. Common conventions include exaggerated facial features, wobbly Paint linework, and dialogue that "wins" the argument by making the character's view sound absurd on its face1. Anyone posting one is expected to draw badly. Clean art breaks the format.

Frequently Asked Questions