Theythem Army

2022Catchphrase / image macrodeclining

Also known as: Woke Military · Woke Army

They/Them Army is a political meme that started on Twitter in January 2022, mocking the U.S. military as weak because of its diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. The phrase originated from a viral tweet during early Russia-Ukraine tensions and quickly spawned image macros using Wojak templates and other reaction formats. The meme became a shorthand in online culture war debates about military readiness versus social progressivism.

Overview

They/Them Army refers to a wave of memes built around calling the United States military a "they/them army," using gender-neutral pronouns as a stand-in for perceived weakness. The joke frames the U.S. armed forces as too focused on diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion to be a serious fighting force, typically contrasting it against Russia's military during the lead-up to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine2. The memes drew heavily on Wojak templates, Impact font image macros, and reaction images, with most versions positioning the "they/them army" as something Russia shouldn't fear1.

On January 24, 2022, verified Twitter user SameeraKhan posted a tweet directed at President Joe Biden, warning he should be "very afraid" of Russia and labeling the U.S. Army a "They/Them Army"2. The tweet framed the military's alignment with LGBTQ+ vocabulary and progressive values as a sign of weakness. It picked up roughly 2,000 likes over two days2.

The first person to turn the tweet into an image macro was Twitter user xaviersonline, who layered a Soyjak with its mouth open over SameeraKhan's original tweet. That post earned about 1,300 likes in two days2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Key People
SameeraKhan, xaviersonline
Date
2022

On January 24, 2022, verified Twitter user SameeraKhan posted a tweet directed at President Joe Biden, warning he should be "very afraid" of Russia and labeling the U.S. Army a "They/Them Army"2. The tweet framed the military's alignment with LGBTQ+ vocabulary and progressive values as a sign of weakness. It picked up roughly 2,000 likes over two days2.

The first person to turn the tweet into an image macro was Twitter user xaviersonline, who layered a Soyjak with its mouth open over SameeraKhan's original tweet. That post earned about 1,300 likes in two days2.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast. On the same day as the original tweet, Twitter user delphic_1 posted an image of Vladimir Putin holding his head in his hand with Impact font text reading "He Couldn't Handle The They/Them Army," a riff on the existing They/Them Pussy meme format2. That version got 176 likes on its own, but when Twitter user isTrashAccount reposted it as a reply beneath SameeraKhan's original tweet, it blew up to roughly 11,800 likes in two days2.

More variations followed quickly. Twitter user DylanBurns1776 posted a meme using a Crying Wojak alongside a female SJW Wojak to represent "the average They/Them soldier," pulling in about 11,100 likes over two days2. On January 25, the account RealYouTubeKids quote-tweeted using the Uncle Ben "What Happened?" format, which earned roughly 25,700 likes in a single day, making it one of the highest-performing early versions2.

The meme jumped platforms by January 25. Instagram account the_southern_leftist reposted a version that got about 1,300 likes in one day, while Facebook page RookMoment shared another that earned over 400 reactions2.

Beyond the meme templates, the "they/them army" phrase fed into a broader right-wing talking point. Conservative commentators like Matt Walsh tweeted sarcastically about trans-inclusive militaries, while Jake Bequette, a former Patriots tight-end running for Senate in Arkansas, complained about "pronouns-in-bio" types leading the military1. Michael Flynn issued a statement suggesting that America's collective "wokeness" was to blame for emboldening Russia's aggression toward Ukraine1. The phrase became a quick punchline across right-wing Twitter, with thousands of users riffing on the concept1.

How to Use This Meme

The They/Them Army format typically works in one of two ways:

1

Contrast format: Place a "tough" military figure (often Russian) next to a stereotypically progressive or sensitive character. The joke is that the "they/them army" is no match for the tough opponent.

2

Reaction format: Take SameeraKhan's original tweet or the phrase "they/them army" and layer a reaction image over it, commonly a Soyjak, Wojak variant, or other image macro template.

3

Quote tweet / caption format: Use the phrase in a caption with any image suggesting military weakness or progressive excess.

Cultural Impact

The They/Them Army meme plugged into a much larger political debate about military recruiting and diversity initiatives. The U.S. Army had released recruitment commercials focused on diversity, and a TikTok video of a comedian pretending to be a White House intern had already been circulating in conservative circles for months1. The meme gave these anxieties a punchy, shareable label.

Wonkette's Robyn Pennacchia pushed back on the premise, pointing out that U.S. military spending dwarfed Russia's and noting the irony of calling the military "woke" while it spent $1.7 trillion on F-35 stealth planes and $84 million annually on erectile dysfunction drugs1. The counter-argument was that a few diversity ads didn't change the fundamental nature of the world's most expensive fighting force1.

The meme also dovetailed with two competing right-wing narratives about Russia's invasion of Ukraine: one that blamed Biden for ignoring Putin's "legitimate security concerns," and another that blamed progressive culture for making the U.S. appear weak1. The They/Them Army meme became the most viral expression of the second narrative.

Fun Facts

The most popular single They/Them Army meme post was the Uncle Ben "What Happened?" edit by RealYouTubeKids, which hit roughly 25,700 likes in just one day2.

The meme drew attention to a year-old TikTok video of a comedian pretending to be a White House intern, which conservatives had been sharing as evidence of military softness1.

Jake Bequette's response tweet called for military leaders in the mold of Patton, Halsey, MacArthur, Grant, and Jackson, prompting mockery from some who noted the mixed historical records of those figures1.

The Wonkette rebuttal article pointed out that the U.S. spends more on its military than the next 11 countries combined, with Russia only coming in third on that spending list1.

Derivatives & Variations

They/Them Pussy:

An earlier meme format that the They/Them Army meme directly referenced, using the same pronoun construction for a different subject[2].

Putin reaction edits:

Multiple versions showed Putin looking unimpressed or amused by the concept of a progressive military[2].

Wojak military variants:

Custom Wojak characters dressed in military gear but displaying stereotypically progressive traits, used as stand-ins for "they/them soldiers"[2].

Uncle Ben "What Happened?" edits:

The Spider-Man template was applied to the They/Them Army concept, becoming one of the most popular early derivatives[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Theythem Army

2022Catchphrase / image macrodeclining

Also known as: Woke Military · Woke Army

They/Them Army is a political meme that started on Twitter in January 2022, mocking the U.S. military as weak because of its diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. The phrase originated from a viral tweet during early Russia-Ukraine tensions and quickly spawned image macros using Wojak templates and other reaction formats. The meme became a shorthand in online culture war debates about military readiness versus social progressivism.

Overview

They/Them Army refers to a wave of memes built around calling the United States military a "they/them army," using gender-neutral pronouns as a stand-in for perceived weakness. The joke frames the U.S. armed forces as too focused on diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion to be a serious fighting force, typically contrasting it against Russia's military during the lead-up to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine2. The memes drew heavily on Wojak templates, Impact font image macros, and reaction images, with most versions positioning the "they/them army" as something Russia shouldn't fear1.

On January 24, 2022, verified Twitter user SameeraKhan posted a tweet directed at President Joe Biden, warning he should be "very afraid" of Russia and labeling the U.S. Army a "They/Them Army"2. The tweet framed the military's alignment with LGBTQ+ vocabulary and progressive values as a sign of weakness. It picked up roughly 2,000 likes over two days2.

The first person to turn the tweet into an image macro was Twitter user xaviersonline, who layered a Soyjak with its mouth open over SameeraKhan's original tweet. That post earned about 1,300 likes in two days2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Key People
SameeraKhan, xaviersonline
Date
2022

On January 24, 2022, verified Twitter user SameeraKhan posted a tweet directed at President Joe Biden, warning he should be "very afraid" of Russia and labeling the U.S. Army a "They/Them Army"2. The tweet framed the military's alignment with LGBTQ+ vocabulary and progressive values as a sign of weakness. It picked up roughly 2,000 likes over two days2.

The first person to turn the tweet into an image macro was Twitter user xaviersonline, who layered a Soyjak with its mouth open over SameeraKhan's original tweet. That post earned about 1,300 likes in two days2.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast. On the same day as the original tweet, Twitter user delphic_1 posted an image of Vladimir Putin holding his head in his hand with Impact font text reading "He Couldn't Handle The They/Them Army," a riff on the existing They/Them Pussy meme format2. That version got 176 likes on its own, but when Twitter user isTrashAccount reposted it as a reply beneath SameeraKhan's original tweet, it blew up to roughly 11,800 likes in two days2.

More variations followed quickly. Twitter user DylanBurns1776 posted a meme using a Crying Wojak alongside a female SJW Wojak to represent "the average They/Them soldier," pulling in about 11,100 likes over two days2. On January 25, the account RealYouTubeKids quote-tweeted using the Uncle Ben "What Happened?" format, which earned roughly 25,700 likes in a single day, making it one of the highest-performing early versions2.

The meme jumped platforms by January 25. Instagram account the_southern_leftist reposted a version that got about 1,300 likes in one day, while Facebook page RookMoment shared another that earned over 400 reactions2.

Beyond the meme templates, the "they/them army" phrase fed into a broader right-wing talking point. Conservative commentators like Matt Walsh tweeted sarcastically about trans-inclusive militaries, while Jake Bequette, a former Patriots tight-end running for Senate in Arkansas, complained about "pronouns-in-bio" types leading the military1. Michael Flynn issued a statement suggesting that America's collective "wokeness" was to blame for emboldening Russia's aggression toward Ukraine1. The phrase became a quick punchline across right-wing Twitter, with thousands of users riffing on the concept1.

How to Use This Meme

The They/Them Army format typically works in one of two ways:

1

Contrast format: Place a "tough" military figure (often Russian) next to a stereotypically progressive or sensitive character. The joke is that the "they/them army" is no match for the tough opponent.

2

Reaction format: Take SameeraKhan's original tweet or the phrase "they/them army" and layer a reaction image over it, commonly a Soyjak, Wojak variant, or other image macro template.

3

Quote tweet / caption format: Use the phrase in a caption with any image suggesting military weakness or progressive excess.

Cultural Impact

The They/Them Army meme plugged into a much larger political debate about military recruiting and diversity initiatives. The U.S. Army had released recruitment commercials focused on diversity, and a TikTok video of a comedian pretending to be a White House intern had already been circulating in conservative circles for months1. The meme gave these anxieties a punchy, shareable label.

Wonkette's Robyn Pennacchia pushed back on the premise, pointing out that U.S. military spending dwarfed Russia's and noting the irony of calling the military "woke" while it spent $1.7 trillion on F-35 stealth planes and $84 million annually on erectile dysfunction drugs1. The counter-argument was that a few diversity ads didn't change the fundamental nature of the world's most expensive fighting force1.

The meme also dovetailed with two competing right-wing narratives about Russia's invasion of Ukraine: one that blamed Biden for ignoring Putin's "legitimate security concerns," and another that blamed progressive culture for making the U.S. appear weak1. The They/Them Army meme became the most viral expression of the second narrative.

Fun Facts

The most popular single They/Them Army meme post was the Uncle Ben "What Happened?" edit by RealYouTubeKids, which hit roughly 25,700 likes in just one day2.

The meme drew attention to a year-old TikTok video of a comedian pretending to be a White House intern, which conservatives had been sharing as evidence of military softness1.

Jake Bequette's response tweet called for military leaders in the mold of Patton, Halsey, MacArthur, Grant, and Jackson, prompting mockery from some who noted the mixed historical records of those figures1.

The Wonkette rebuttal article pointed out that the U.S. spends more on its military than the next 11 countries combined, with Russia only coming in third on that spending list1.

Derivatives & Variations

They/Them Pussy:

An earlier meme format that the They/Them Army meme directly referenced, using the same pronoun construction for a different subject[2].

Putin reaction edits:

Multiple versions showed Putin looking unimpressed or amused by the concept of a progressive military[2].

Wojak military variants:

Custom Wojak characters dressed in military gear but displaying stereotypically progressive traits, used as stand-ins for "they/them soldiers"[2].

Uncle Ben "What Happened?" edits:

The Spider-Man template was applied to the They/Them Army concept, becoming one of the most popular early derivatives[2].

Frequently Asked Questions