Where You at Know Your Meme

This is fine does not hateful this is fine — not on social media.

The three-discussion phrase at present doubles as shorthand for when a state of affairs becomes and so terrible our brains turn down to grapple with its severity. An oil spill has covered the Gulf of Mexico? This is fine. The polar water ice sheets are melting faster than ever? This is fine. Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for president of the U.s.a.? This, too, is fine.

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Things are going to be okay

The new alt definition comes from a 2013 webcomic called "On Fire." In the 6 panels, a dog wearing a hat sits at a kitchen table. The room is engulfed in flame, but the domestic dog smiles and says, "This is fine." The dog calmly lifts a coffee mug to its lips. "I'm okay with the events that are unfolding currently," says the dog, taking a gulp from the mug. Its arm incinerates into ruby gore. "That'southward okay," says the dog. "Things are going to exist okay." And then the dog'southward face melts like one of the Nazis at the terminate of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The outset two panels are above, but here's the total strip, courtesy its creator, artist KC Green:

The comic is role of Green'due south long-running serialGunshow, but like many of Green'south other successful creations, including "Dick Butt" and "Staredad," "This Is Fine" has accomplished mainstream popularity as a meme.

Co-ordinate to Know Your Meme, the showtime two panels — the canis familiaris saying "This is fine" while surrounded by fire — were posted on Reddit and Imgur in 2014, where they received thousands of upvotes. Since then, the two panels have get a popular meme. In January of this year, Adult Swim animated the entire comic as a aqueduct identification interstitial.

"This Is Fine" is unique as a meme for 2 reasons. One, while sometimes modified, information technology's almost commonly used in an unaltered land. On Twitter, for example, someone might write some troubling news and attach the image. 2d, information technology's even so climbing in popularity and usage, despite now being about two years old.

To unravel what gives "This Is Fine" both relatable and timeless qualities, we spoke with its creator.

Chris Plante: What inspired "On Burn"?

KC Light-green: This was in 2013. I think I was still struggling with myself — with getting my anti-depressants and stuff right. Y'all know, every now and then you have these off days where shit is worse, but you're trying to ignore it. It'southward just a feeling you take. I wrote this comic and that was all there was to it.

Do you remember a moment when it came back into your life?

This isn't anything new, but information technology's the beginning in awhile since "Dick Butt" that's gotten every bit big as it has. I [first] saw the two top panels shared somewhere on Twitter or Facebook. [The post] said, "What finals are similar" — everyone was going through finals at the time in college or whatever. And information technology was but "This Is Fine," and that was information technology. And it just kept going from there. [Laughs]

Why has information technology become then popular?

Because information technology'due south a feeling we all accept, plain. It'south a feeling we all go of, only similar, "Things are burning downwardly around me, but you got to have grinning sometimes." Information technology's a basic human [feeling], "Well, what are y'all going to exercise?"

Why do you think meme is only the first ii panels and not the full comic?

Brevity. But quick memes. That's all people want. And that's all that some of them have seen. I was actually in Seattle ii weeks ago for a comic show, and I decided, alright, I'll print out some prints of this ane, and I made "Dick Butt" stickers. I put them all together. Everyone recognizes it and says, "I've just seen the top two panels. Oh my gosh, there'southward more to this comic." I had some kid come up and shout, "Memes! Expect at all the memes!"

Is information technology weird or hard that, at its most pop, your creation is essentially freely available?

It's just the webcomic model that we've all sort of figured out over the years — "we" meaning other webcomic artists. I have a store through TopatoCo where we sell prints of this comic. I make shirts and stuff. I basically try to monopolize this one image, because, hey, if people want it, I could utilize it. I sell books of all my work. I have Patreon. There'south always a lot of different things that help me make a living off of what I do. Plus I do a lot of freelance hither and there. Sometimes Developed Swim comes up to you and says, "Can nosotros animate 'This is Fine'?"

It was last yr when they contacted me, and I said absolutely. Nosotros did 10 full based off different Gunshow comics since they wanted "This is Fine." That ane came out start, and nosotros got Dana Snyder, voice of Master Milk shake, to do the vocalism.

What sort of coin is fabricated off of a meme? Could "This Is Fine," for instance, pay for a year of your life?

Well the Adult Swim thing was nice. It wasn't just "This Is Fine," just "This is Fine" helped it. I don't know if it paid for a twelvemonth of my life, but information technology did help for awhile, particularly around tax time. I dissever that with the animator, Shmorky, who animated all of the stuff. The shirt is actually selling super well, I will say that. We made a brown version then a black version. I don't know figures off the top of my head, simply it'south sold a lot. The prints went really well at Emerald City [Comic-Con]. We accept mugs and stuff, also, with the image on there. Like if I wanted to, yep, information technology probably could if I pushed it more, only I'one thousand still making comics of my own. I'yard yet drawing and making new stories. I'thousand more focused on that. And the money only comes from diverse places. I'm making a fine living off information technology. Not slap-up. I'chiliad not super rich, or anything, if that'south what information technology's coming to.

You're able to go on doing it.

Yep, I'g able to keep at where I'm at.

Is it possible "This Is Fine" has endured, because it'southward like our generation's "Hang in there" poster?

[Laughs] Yeah, it has a similar feeling, like just hang in at that place, nosotros're nearly to Friday.

Maybe that's why the two panels are pop. At that place's all the same promise.

That's what I've wondered. He doesn't cook — and information technology is kind of grotesque at the end. It's easier to sell the outset two than the entire panel where the canis familiaris melts into nothingness.

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Source: https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/5/11592622/this-is-fine-meme-comic

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