White People Don't Say X Anymore — Denzel Washington meme with text 'White people don't say Awesome Sauce anymore, they say kafkaesque'

White People Don't Say X Anymore

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Published November 4, 2026

White People Don't Say X Anymore began in May 2021 when Instagram page @sssnark edited an older Denzel Washington image macro to joke that 'white people don't say hip hip hurray anymore, they say let's go'1. By November 2022, a 'kafkaesque' edit reposted on Twitter by @bozobubby collected over 14,000 likes in a week, carrying the format into wider meme-page circulation4.

snowclone memes slang memes image macro memes ironic memes instagram memes

Overview

This snowclone fills X with a dated or earnest phrase and Y with a specific piece of internet or subcultural slang. Common pairings swap 'hip hip hurray' for 'let's go'1 or 'awesome sauce' for 'kafkaesque'4. The joke works best when Y is so niche that only a particular online community actually says it.

The template image stays the same across every edit: a still of Denzel Washington from the 2007 crime drama American Gangster, slightly moldy from years of recompression. Before any 'white people' phrasing attached to it, the same picture carried the line 'Snakes don't hiss anymore, they call you babe, bro or friend'3. The 2021 rewrite swapped a cynical observation about fake friends for self-mockery about shifting online vocabulary1.

The tone falls between irony-meme detachment and genuine commentary about how slang mutates online. A reader who recognizes 'based and redpilled'2 or 'kino'6 gets both the reference and the format at once.

Origin & Background

Platform
Imgur (2014 source image) / Instagram (viral spread)
Creator
@sssnark
Date
2021

The image first circulated on Imgur on September 29th, 2014, with the text 'Snakes don't hiss anymore / they call you babe, bro or friend'3. It then moved through Twitter and Instagram as a standalone image macro about fake friendships, with no 'white people' phrasing yet attached5.

On May 21st, 2021, Instagram page @sssnark posted the first edit reworking the caption into 'White people don't say hip hip hurray anymore / they say let's go'1. That version collected over 140 likes in the following year and was soon reposted by other irony meme accounts5.

How It Spread

Other irony meme accounts picked up the hip-hip-hurray version in the weeks after @sssnark's post. On July 15th, 2021, @meetmeintranspecos ran the format with 'based and redpilled' as the replacement phrase, reaching over 500 likes2. On June 19th, 2022, @wetbrainupdates posted a variant swapping in a slur-adjacent phrase, which drew over 800 likes8.

The snowclone reached its biggest moment in late October 2022. @type.green posted a 'kino' version on October 27th that drew over 400 likes and was reposted across Twitter and Instagram6. Two days later, @maslows_hierarchy_of_memes replaced 'awesome sauce' with 'kafkaesque'; that edit broke 1,000 likes on Instagram7. On November 4th, 2022, Twitter user @bozobubby reposted the kafkaesque version, where it gained over 14,000 likes in its first week4.

After the kafkaesque spike, the format stayed inside irony-meme accounts on Instagram and Twitter rather than crossing into mainstream feeds5.

Timeline

2014-09-29

The original Denzel macro with 'Snakes don't hiss anymore / they call you babe, bro or friend' is posted to Imgur[3].

2021-05-21

Instagram page @sssnark posts the first 'White people don't say hip hip hurray anymore / they say let's go' edit[1].

2021-07-15

Instagram page @meetmeintranspecos posts a 'based and redpilled' version, reaching over 500 likes[2].

2022-06-19

Instagram page @wetbrainupdates posts a variant that draws over 800 likes[8].

2022-10-27

Instagram page @type.green posts the 'kino' version, which is reposted to Twitter and Instagram[6].

2022-10-29

Instagram page @maslows_hierarchy_of_memes posts the 'kafkaesque' variant, which breaks 1,000 likes[7].

2022-11-04

Twitter user @bozobubby reposts the kafkaesque edit, gathering over 14,000 likes in a week[4].

Frequently Asked Questions