'Those Who Know' memes, a popular template used by the Sigma male community, signify the superior knowledge or hidden meaning in media that only the evolved and culturally superior Sigma males can identify. Originating on September 5, 2021, by Redditor @Dapper_Dildo on /r/animemes, the first iteration of this meme was born in the form of 'People Who Know/People Who Don't Know,' better known as 'Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny'.
Trending
Shortened throughout the 2020s, the current 'People who know' memes trending in 2024 take a more ironic spin in light of the oversaturation of Sigma male edits. It is now considered to be 'brainrot' and 'cringe'. These memes are frequently represented by Sigma male characters in media (or their sigmafied version) like The Jonkler, Lightening Eyes Patrick Bateman, Phonk Trollge, Al Rick Laughing, and more. These characters, with their dank-like features and oversaturated and deep-fried nature, symbolize the meta-ironic nature of contemporary meme culture.
The 15 Funniest 'Those Who Know' Memes of 2024
1. X user @iamsropb tweeted alongside a picture of a mango fruit, seemingly sincerely:
"Whats wrong? It’s just a normal fruit"
To which user @SigmaBarrier responded:
"those who know..."
(With three skull face emojis - a classic with this meme trend!)
Mangoes mean something different to Gen Alpha.
2. This post cleverly plays on the popular "Those who know" meme format by incorporating the phrase "Those who don’t care," creating a self-aware meta-commentary on internet culture. By juxtaposing different attitudes toward meme consumption, it adds a layer of irony that resonates with those familiar with the trend, elevating it beyond typical brainrot content.
3. An X account, @AMAZINGNATURE, posted a video of a lion pushing its child into the water without the awareness that there was water ahead.
User @ge5arluffy retweeted, saying:
"stillwater....those who know"
The lion may not have known it was water, but it still was.
'Stillwater' is another common brainrot term used in these memes, along with 'Mango', 'Phonk', 'Prime' and more.
4. Another tweet by X user @SigmaBarrier employed the Matt Damon movie, 'Stillwater,' to cleverly reference the trend.
5. This school child's answer sheet went viral as it referenced and doodled most brainrot memes of 2024. This includes the saturated, grainy, black-and-white meme monster and the PRIME energy drink by Logan Paul and KSI. Along with mentioning brainrot trending words like 'Stillwater', 'Winter Arc' and 'Balkan Rage'.
6. The 'Winter Arc' trend
This reel (originally posted on TikTok) popularised the 'Winter Arc' trend used in many 'Those Who Know' memes.
7. Some out-of-context oversaturated memes under the hashtag for this trend:
8. The "Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny"
The "Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny" effect takes Mr. Incredible’s features and cranks them up to 11! Exaggerating features like size, expressions, and proportions to create a caricatured appearance. When applied to animals, this adds extra humor by anthropomorphizing them, making their reactions or poses appear more exaggerated and relatable.
9. Another mango reference, iykyk!
10. X user @ibukun_xi tweeted
"You can't post a picture and expect people to understand"
A few days later, user @dent_debeste retweeted that with an image of Welsh singer Tom Jones, saying,
"Those who know"
(with the skull emoji, of course)
It's a reference to Tom Sings - crowned 'The 'KING of brainrot' by some members on YouTube.
11. Sometimes, Gen Alpha steps away from brain rot and gives us poetry and pizzazz!
12. Queue 13+ Gen Alpha slang words! Its illogical absurdity will make you chuckle, if nothing else!
Whatever that means. It's brainrot after all, take it easy.
13. EVERYTHING can be a brainrot meme if you squint hard enough, even pretty clothing stores with the name of a fruit. Remember the mango mango mango meme from earlier?
14.
It does radiate that energy. Most things deep-fried and emo-fied in this context do.
15. The ultimate #ThoseWhoKnow meme
By now, I'm sure you know what this means.
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