This Post Was Made By X Gang

About

This Post Was Made By X Gang refers to a series of satirical image macros that are stylized to make them appear as if they are sponsored by a particular organization, usually a fictional one. Images of this meme tend to feature an image macro describing one object in a negative light in impact font, accompanied by a watermark or label that is an image macro for a "gang" centered around an object related to the image's subject. Some images of this kind are subject to deep frying.

Origin

The trend started on 8chan in the /leftypol/ board between communist shitposters who masqueraded as the Nazbol (National Bolshevik) Gang in various threads, performing acts of ironic shitposting through both text and images. Nazbol Gang image macros typically involve exaggerated or surreal elements that reflect various themes such as supernaturalism, strength in brotherhood, and denouncing Jews, the bourgeoisie, or the Jewish bourgeoisie. Figures regularly featured in Nazbol Gang image macros include Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump, and Jason Unruhe. Nazbol Gang related posts on /leftypol/ date back to early 2016, with it being referenced in 4chan archives as early as November 2016^[1].

The following video slice is a brief explanation of National Bolshevism and its presence online:

Two examples of Nazbol Gang image macros are shown below:

In early 2017, leftypol/ YouTube content creator Bat'ko published a /leftypol/ Choir music video about Nazbol titled "NAZBOL PARTY" (the original video was taken down by YouTube but mirrors have sprung up across the website to replace it).

Outside of /leftypol/, National Bolshevism is featured in many video-based memes on YouTube. Notable videos include:

Fuera Sionista | Nazbol Gang Anime Opening | Tyrone Introduces the Nazbol Gang

Spread

One of the first groups to popularize this trend was Gang Weed. The group centered around making ironic image macros involving Heath Ledger's The Joker (shown below), the struggles of being a gamer in society, and revolt. Gang Weed memes typically involve a watermark featuring The Joker and at least one of the other aformentioned elements. Numerous Gang Weed-ers originated from /leftypol/, which explains why the signature catchphrase "Gamers Rise Up" and other key features of Gang Weed often embody a revolutionary tone.

The trend saw further spread with the popularity of the M14 gang, an ironic group of shitposters who make image macros heaping hyperbolic praise on the M14 gun in Call of Duty Black Ops. The group originated as a Facebook page^[1] which launched on September 13th, 2018.

The group saw a surge in interest after it was mentioned by PewDiePie on September 25th, 2018 in a "Meme Review" episode on his channel that also covered Bowsette and Bongo Cat. The video gained over 3.7 million views (shown below). After the video was posted, the Facebook page gained many new members, and has over 12,000 likes as of October 3rd, 2018.

The popularity of groups like this and Nazbol Gang led to parodies on subreddits like /r/dankmemes and /r/me_irl in October of 2018, where users posted memes against certain items and invented their own "gang" to watermark their posts with. For example, an October 22nd post by user stuntmanboi666 gained over 8,800 points (shown below, left). Another post by RealShooterMcGavin gained over 23,000 points (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References