Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List

2019catchphraseclassic

Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List is a March 2019 catchphrase from a since-deleted Emma Kennedy tweet, which users ironically paired with screenshots of harmless or wholesome 4chan and 8chan posts. The reaction format took off on Reddit's r/comedyheaven days after the Christchurch mosque attacks put both boards under scrutiny.

4chan memescatchphrase memesimageboard memesbackfire memesmoral panic memes

Overview

Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List is an ironic reaction format built around a March 2019 tweet by English actress and writer Emma Kennedy, who argued that every user of 4chan and 8chan should be added to a terror watch list1. Posters answered the take by pairing a screenshot of the tweet with off-topic, silly, or openly wholesome threads pulled from the same imageboards2.

The joke of the format is the mismatch. Kennedy's line reads as blanket condemnation of two boards, and the image below it shows anons swapping recipes, complimenting each other's drawings, or asking earnest questions about their pets3. The catchphrase itself is often quoted verbatim as the caption on top of the paired screenshot, which is what makes the meme instantly recognizable2.

How It Spread

On March 16th, 2019, a thread reacting to the tweet went up on 4chan's /pol/ board, where anons treated the takedown as a badge and started collecting the tamest, most harmless posts they could find from both sites5. Two days later, on March 18th, Redditor laluprasadji posted a combined image of Kennedy's tweet stacked over a 4chan thread to r/comedyheaven, where it pulled in more than 34,800 upvotes3.

From there the pairing template spread quickly. Copycat versions appeared across Reddit throughout late March 2019, sourcing new wholesome or absurd screenshots each time to sit under the same quoted caption6. A parallel wave hit Twitter, where accounts including @SoreYewTree reposted the joke with fresh 4chan and 8chan finds attached7.

Because the format only needs a screenshot of the tweet and any innocuous board post, the meme kept getting rebuilt long after Kennedy deleted her original message2. It settled in as a stock reference whenever someone wants to argue that imageboard culture is not only its worst threads.

How to Use This Meme

A typical post places the Emma Kennedy tweet screenshot at the top and a screenshot of a genuinely harmless or absurdly wholesome 4chan or 8chan thread underneath, letting the contrast do the work3. The caption often just repeats the phrase 'everyone on 4chan should be on a terror list' with no extra commentary2. Common conventions include picking board posts about cooking, pets, art advice, or heartfelt confessions, since the sweeter the source thread, the sharper the joke lands6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List

2019catchphraseclassic

Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List is a March 2019 catchphrase from a since-deleted Emma Kennedy tweet, which users ironically paired with screenshots of harmless or wholesome 4chan and 8chan posts. The reaction format took off on Reddit's r/comedyheaven days after the Christchurch mosque attacks put both boards under scrutiny.

4chan memes catchphrase memes imageboard memes backfire memes moral panic memes

Overview

Everyone On 4Chan Should Be On A Terror List is an ironic reaction format built around a March 2019 tweet by English actress and writer Emma Kennedy, who argued that every user of 4chan and 8chan should be added to a terror watch list1. Posters answered the take by pairing a screenshot of the tweet with off-topic, silly, or openly wholesome threads pulled from the same imageboards2.

The joke of the format is the mismatch. Kennedy's line reads as blanket condemnation of two boards, and the image below it shows anons swapping recipes, complimenting each other's drawings, or asking earnest questions about their pets3. The catchphrase itself is often quoted verbatim as the caption on top of the paired screenshot, which is what makes the meme instantly recognizable2.

How It Spread

On March 16th, 2019, a thread reacting to the tweet went up on 4chan's /pol/ board, where anons treated the takedown as a badge and started collecting the tamest, most harmless posts they could find from both sites5. Two days later, on March 18th, Redditor laluprasadji posted a combined image of Kennedy's tweet stacked over a 4chan thread to r/comedyheaven, where it pulled in more than 34,800 upvotes3.

From there the pairing template spread quickly. Copycat versions appeared across Reddit throughout late March 2019, sourcing new wholesome or absurd screenshots each time to sit under the same quoted caption6. A parallel wave hit Twitter, where accounts including @SoreYewTree reposted the joke with fresh 4chan and 8chan finds attached7.

Because the format only needs a screenshot of the tweet and any innocuous board post, the meme kept getting rebuilt long after Kennedy deleted her original message2. It settled in as a stock reference whenever someone wants to argue that imageboard culture is not only its worst threads.

How to Use This Meme

A typical post places the Emma Kennedy tweet screenshot at the top and a screenshot of a genuinely harmless or absurdly wholesome 4chan or 8chan thread underneath, letting the contrast do the work3. The caption often just repeats the phrase 'everyone on 4chan should be on a terror list' with no extra commentary2. Common conventions include picking board posts about cooking, pets, art advice, or heartfelt confessions, since the sweeter the source thread, the sharper the joke lands6.

Frequently Asked Questions