Im Mad Heres A Solution

2016exploitable webcomicclassic

"I'm Mad! Here's a Solution" is a 4-panel Poorly Drawn Lines webcomic from July 2016 in which an angry man burns a folder labeled as a fix because he would rather stay mad. It became an exploitable image macro on Reddit and Imgur, with editors relabeling the folder to mock groups who complain without wanting solutions.

Overview

"I'm Mad! Here's a Solution" is a 4-panel webcomic that became an exploitable template used to mock people who complain without actually wanting a fix1. The strip shows two men in conversation: one declares "I'm mad!" while the other holds up a folder saying "Here's a solution." The angry man burns the folder and shouts that he wants to be mad instead1.

The comic works as an object-labeling template where editors swap the dialogue and folder contents to skewer specific groups. Its structure fits fandoms, political factions, or online communities who reject practical fixes to problems they enjoy grumbling about4.

How It Spread

Reddit was where the exploitable format first took hold. On August 17th, 2016, user Myriod posted an edit to /r/meirl swapping "mad" for "depressed" and the final line "be mad" for "die," picking up around 260 upvotes2.

Image edits then jumped to Imgur. On August 25th, an anonymous user posted a Street Fighter V variation aimed at fighting-game complainers, which pulled over 20,700 views3. A few weeks later on September 8th, Lightyblue9 uploaded an iPhone-focused version that reached more than 113,000 views and 3,900 upvotes4.

The template kept surfacing on niche subreddits over the following years. In July 2019, asdf_qwerty27 posted an extended version to /r/sciencememes about the energy crisis5. In March 2020, spoonbones dropped a Doom Eternal edit on /r/Doom that hit around 2,100 upvotes6.

How to Use This Meme

People typically keep the four panels intact and rewrite the dialogue plus the folder label to name a specific group or issue. Common convention is to have the folder represent an obvious fix to whatever the first panel is complaining about, with the burn-the-folder punchline confirming the target would rather stay upset than accept the solution4.

Frequently Asked Questions