What's The 'Parkour Civilization' Meme? The Minecraft YouTube Series Turned 2024 Meme Trend Explained

A recent Minecraft YouTube series called Parkour Civilization has become a meme on Twitter / X and elsewhere this month.

Minecraft YouTuber Evbo is to blame, whose Parkour Civilization intro went viral after it was reposted to X. His now-iconic catchphrase, "Here in parkour civilization, no one chooses to jump for the beef," has become ironic meme fodder online. But, why exactly?

Curious about where the Parkour Civilization meme came from and why it's so viral? Let's explain.

What's The 'Parkour Civilization' YouTube Series?

Parkour Civilization is a Minecraft video series created by YouTuber Evbo in October 2023. In less than a year, the series' view count is well within the millions range. It's helped Evbo secure his place at the top of modern Minecraft YouTubers, clocking him in at 2.6 million subscribers at the moment.

In the original video of the series, Evbo outlines the series' gimmick. He's playing the part of a "parkour noob," establishing the quote, "Here in parkour civilization, no one chooses to jump for the beef."

Where Did The 'Parkour Civilization' Meme Come From?

Although the series started over a year ago, Parkour Civilization didn't become a meme until this month, when X user @clown_depot reposted the intro of Evbo's video. Something about the premise, based on the "jump for the beef" line, resonated with meme creators.

Why Is 'Parkour Civilization' A Meme?

It's hard to specifically track down why Parkour Civilization has resonated with meme makers. Maybe, we can chalk it up to Gen Z's nostalgia for rainy Sundays of days past when all they had to do was lay in bed and watch Minecraft parkour videos on their iPad.

This nostalgia, mixed with the modernness of the Parkour Civilization series, produces a strange mental gymnastics that makes shilling the series via memes prime irony.

Additionally, that intro quote — "Here in parkour civilization, no one chooses to jump for the beef" — is inherently funny. It builds an obtuse lore around a nonsensical civilization, using buzzwords that can be inserted into meme templates.

For the full history of Parkour Civilization, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.