The Exaggerated Swagger of a Black Teen
Published October 16, 2026
GameSpot reviewer Jordan Ramée praised Miles Morales' character animations in his November 2020 review by saying they had the 'exaggerated swagger of a Black teen,' a line pulled out of context on Twitter the same day and used to accuse the reviewer of racism. Ramée is Black and his editor defended him, but the clip spread onto Instagram and TikTok anyway, where creators built image macros and rhyme edits around the phrase through mid-November 2020.
Overview
Posts in this format usually pair the clipped audio or a transcribed quote with footage unrelated to Spider-Man, using the line as an absurd blanket description of any character or person moving on camera4. A common convention lifts the single sentence out of Ramée's review of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and leaves out the surrounding analysis of the character's Black and Puerto Rican heritage5.
Image macro versions overlay the quote on screenshots or GameSpot's logo, making it look as if the publication had endorsed a strange racial generalization5. TikTok edits lean into shock humor, with creators adding rhymes or captioning random clips with the phrase for comic effect4.
Gallery
Origin & Background
On November 6, 2020, GameSpot published Jordan Ramée's video review of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, in which Ramée discusses the character's Black and Puerto Rican background1. At the 2:58 mark, Ramée says the game's animations give Miles the 'exaggerated swagger of a Black teen'1. Within two weeks, that video drew around 245,000 views and 26,000 downvotes against 5,200 upvotes5.
How It Spread
Timeline
2020-11-06
GameSpot publishes Jordan Ramée's video review of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which includes the 'exaggerated swagger of a Black teen' line at the 2:58 mark[1].
2020-11-06
Twitter user @RenRenHa shares the clipped quote with the caption 'Yoooo wtf GameSpot??,' kicking off the viral backlash[2].
2020-11-06
GameSpot editor Alessandro Fillari defends Ramée on Twitter, noting the reviewer is Black and that the full review examined Miles' experience as a Black character[3].
2020-11-09
Instagram user @atlglocky reposts the review clip, drawing more than 42,000 likes in under a week[5].
2020-11-11
TikToker @.darealgoat posts a 'Roses are red' rhyme using the phrase, hitting around 1 million views[5].
How to Use This Meme
People typically clip the single sentence from the GameSpot review and paste it under footage of someone walking, dancing or gesturing on camera, letting the mismatch between the clinical analysis and the random subject do the comedic work4. Image macro versions often slap the quote over a GameSpot branded still as if it were an official pull quote5.