# Fluoride Stare Fluoride Stare is a catchphrase and image macro conspiracy theorists use for the glassy, vacant look regular people give them mid-rant about Flat Earth or water fluoridation. Flat Earth Matters coined it on Facebook in April 2016, pairing the phrase with Alex Gross's 2014 painting Distractions. By 2022, Instagram page pite.mp4 was captioning Patrick Bateman and Ryan Gosling with it as part of the Sigma Stare joke. ## Origin On April 15, 2016, the Facebook group Flat Earth Matters published the first image macro carrying the phrase, overlaying Impact text about Flat Earth onto a reproduction of Alex Gross's 2014 oil painting Distractions[3]. The painting, part of Gross's commentary on tech-induced social numbness, shows a packed crowd of people lit by phone screens with hollow expressions[1]. Water fluoridation conspiracy theories reach back to the 1940s, but the catchphrase itself did not appear until early 2016 inside Flat Earth communities on Facebook and Twitter[4]. - **Platform:** Facebook (Flat Earth Matters) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (earliest known post by Facebook group Flat Earth Matters) - **Date:** 2016 ## Overview Posts combine Impact-font text with Alex Gross's painting Distractions, showing a crowd of blank-faced people clutching phones and staring forward like zombies[1]. Conspiracy theorists use the phrase to mock 'sheeple' who refuse to engage with theories about water fluoridation, chemtrails, or a flat Earth, suggesting the listener's dead gaze proves they have been chemically pacified[2]. The original caption read, 'When You Mention Flat Earth And All You Get Back Is That Fluoride Stare'[3]. Later variations swap in different image macros, including the Awkward Party Reaction template[6] and stills of Marvel, DC, and Harry Potter characters replacing the original crowd[7]. By the early 2020s, the phrase broke free of its conspiracy roots, with welders, woodworkers, and Sigma Male posters using it for any blank reaction, often ironically[8][9]. ## How to Use Typical posts overlay Impact caption text on an image of a blank-eyed crowd or face, usually Alex Gross's Distractions painting. The caption often follows the 'When you mention X and all you get back is that Fluoride Stare' pattern, where X is a conspiracy theory, hobby, or fringe belief. Later versions skip the original painting and apply the phrase to any flat, unresponsive expression. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Fluoride Stare? Fluoride Stare is a catchphrase and image macro conspiracy theorists use to describe the glassy, blank look regular people give them when they start explaining theories about Flat Earth, chemtrails, or water fluoridation[4]. ### Where did Fluoride Stare come from? The Facebook group Flat Earth Matters posted the first known version on April 15, 2016, using Alex Gross's 2014 painting Distractions as the image macro[3][1]. ### What does Fluoride Stare mean? Fluoride conspiracy theories claim the chemical pacifies the population, so a listener's blank expression supposedly proves they are too sedated to engage with fringe ideas[4]. ### How do you use Fluoride Stare? Overlay Impact-font text on an image of blank-eyed people, often Alex Gross's Distractions, with a 'When you mention X and all you get back is that Fluoride Stare' style caption[3]. ### Is Fluoride Stare still popular? Usage spread onto Instagram and TikTok through 2021 and 2022, including sigma male edits by pite.mp4 and a 'fluoride stare' dance from @monstermashstd[9][10]. ## References 1. [http://www.johnseed.com/2014/10/everyday-sheeple-alex-gross-future.html]() 2. [https://twitter.com/SuperSpacedad/status/723994921091244032]() 3. [https://www.facebook.com/fematters/photos/490223117844094]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/fluoride-stare]() 5. [https://twitter.com/DavidFutrelle/status/724148550175592448]() 6. [https://www.facebook.com/381607171894901/posts/1552955234760083]() 7. [https://www.facebook.com/1937877556476216/posts/2451907908406509]() 8. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CNVS2N7seP_/]() 9. [https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccc02I5NYMg/]() 10. [https://www.tiktok.com/@monstermashstd/video/6955973075754077445]() 11. [https://www.tiktok.com/@leekycartier/video/7057980609167117614]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/fluoride-stare Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library