# STFU STFU, short for "Shut the Fuck Up," is a vulgar internet initialism that showed up in Usenet flame wars as early as February 1999. What began as a blunt put-down in a Word virus thread grew into a staple online insult, later fueling the "STFU, X" Tumblr snowclone behind blogs like STFU Parents. ## Origin The earliest documented online use of STFU appears in a February 1999 thread on the Usenet newsgroup alt.comp.virus[1]. A user named Kryten asked whether anyone was still coding viruses for Microsoft Word 95/96, and a poster called THE PHOENIX fired back with a message reading "BAD KRYTEN, NOW STFU, AND GO TO YOUR ROOM!!" wrapped in alerts meant to crash Outlook Express[1]. The imperative "shut up" itself is much older, showing up as a command in Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit in 1857[8]. - **Platform:** Usenet (alt.comp.virus) / Tumblr (STFU, X snowclone) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1999 ## Overview STFU works as an all-caps punch-up of "shut up," with the expletive tacked on for shock and emphasis. Users type it in gaming chats, comment threads, and group texts when they want someone to stop talking without spending keystrokes. The #STFU hashtag on Twitter passed 240,000 uses by 2013[4]. On Tumblr, the "STFU, X" snowclone took the acronym in a different direction, turning it into blog branding for running critiques of a group or trend. Blair Koenig launched the format with STFU Parents on March 13, 2009, a site that reposts Facebook screenshots of oversharing parents, especially entries involving diaper content[2]. Copycats followed with STFU Twihards, STFU Conservatives, STFU Cat Ladies, STFU Couples, and dozens more. ## How to Use Writers typically drop STFU into a reply when a longer rebuttal feels wasted, either as a standalone comment or paired with a target ("STFU, Karen"). The Tumblr snowclone follows a common convention of "STFU, [group]" as a blog title, with each post screenshotting or quoting something from the target group that the blogger wants mocked[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is STFU? STFU is an internet acronym for "Shut the Fuck Up," a profanity-boosted version of "shut up" typed at people who won't stop talking[3]. ### Where did STFU come from? The earliest documented online use appeared in a February 1999 alt.comp.virus Usenet thread, where a user named THE PHOENIX told another poster "NOW STFU, AND GO TO YOUR ROOM"[1]. ### What does STFU mean? STFU stands for "Shut the Fuck Up," though Urban Dictionary also lists joke backronyms like "Save The Freaking Unicorns" and "Special Task Force Union"[3]. ### How do you use STFU? Type STFU as a blunt reply when someone won't shut up, or use the "STFU, X" Tumblr title format to brand a blog critiquing a specific group, as Blair Koenig did with STFU Parents[2]. ### Is STFU still popular? The acronym is still a fixture of online chatter, and the KYM entry documents its spread across Reddit, Facebook, and Tumblr's "STFU, X" blog family[4]. ## References 1. [https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.virus/iiAiGkuIcLQ/yWcHdmAz5voJ]() 2. [http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/]() 3. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stfu]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/stfu]() 5. [http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0002gN]() 6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/STFU/]() 7. [http://stickgrappler.tripod.com/ug/jhr2.html]() 8. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Dorrit]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/stfu Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library