Adding ‘Triggered’ to stock photos of white men creates Netflix comedy special thumbnails

Twitter users are putting the word “triggered” over stock photos of “smug” white men to create Netflix comedy special thumbnails. They’re poking fun at Netflix’s real comedy special thumbnails.

“If you put ‘Triggered’ over any stock photo of a smug man on a plain background it actually looks like a genuine Netflix comedy special thumbnail,” Jay Baylis tweeted, kicking off the trend.

And the results are a little too on the nose. “I thought these were legit before I read the tweet lol,” Twitter user @dreamsarentrea1 wrote.

https://twitter.com/eviltaylorhicks/status/1172581929167785984

https://twitter.com/dreamsarentrea1/status/1172616462210490368

https://twitter.com/theacard/status/1172596720674443267

People began sharing their own versions of the tweet–even featuring the likes of right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump Jr. “No way this works so well,” a shocked Twitter user wrote, along with their own, similar creation.

https://twitter.com/tjpc3/status/1172609439192555523

https://twitter.com/NoHumanzA/status/1172615570635857925

Even Art Decider dubbed the trend “art.”

White male comedians are known to say they’re “pushing boundaries” or “being edgy” when they use offensive content. They often go against “cancel culture,” which is when people refuse to purchase or watch content from others who are racist, sexist, or homophobic.

“They wax poetic about how stand-up comedy today is too politically correct, too serious, too analytical,” wrote Cristina Ouch for Medium in 2018.

For example, earlier this week people criticized Saturday Night Live for hiring stand-up comedian Shane Gillis. People began sharing videos of offensive comments he made in his bits, such as in a 2018 podcast. During the podcast, he and his friend made fun of Chinese and Asian people’s food and culture.

“That’s more annoying than any other minority playing music at a restaurant … An Asian trying to learn English bothers me more than someone listening to like Lil Uzi Vert while I’m trying to eat fucking dinner,” Gillis said in the podcast.

He follows up the comment by saying, “nice racism, that’s good racism.” Gillis and his co-host go on to talk about how people are too politically correct and that white men shouldn’t be held to a different standard than minorities.

https://twitter.com/sasimons/status/1172257211697025025

In response to the backlash, Gillis released a statement on Twitter, saying he’s a comedian who “pushes boundaries.”

“My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks,” he tweeted on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/Shanemgillis/status/1172340437752807424

People seem divided on what they think about white male comedians making offensive comments for the sake of “pushing boundaries.” “Damn PC culture has really killed comedy,” Twitter user @tacoflashlight wrote.

https://twitter.com/tacoflashlight/status/1172570337818497024

But many pointed out that “pushing boundaries” is just an excuse to make racist, sexist, and other offensive comments and that the bar is too low for white male comedians. “The comedy industry is so fucking boring and bland and stock full of white men (and other) who dribble out the same shitty harmful jokes and jerk themselves off for providing ‘real’ insights into how the world is,” Twitter user
@_cirrocumulus stated.

https://twitter.com/_cirrocumulus/status/1172849771695898625

READ MORE: 

• The best Netflix comedy specials of 2019
• 12 underrated Netflix comedy specials you should watch now
• Bill Burr tackles PC culture, parenthood, and fear of robots in ‘Paper Tiger’
• SNL newcomer Shane Gillis made racist jokes about Asians and Muslims