Well, Well, Well / Like a Moth to a Flame (TikTok)

About

Well, Well, Well and Like a Moth to a Flame, sometimes combined, are controversial catchphrases posted under videos of people, often Black or Jewish, doing something that is seen as stereotypically negative in regards to their race as if to say the behavior is not surprising. Commonly labeled as dog whistles by many online, the phrases were popularized on TikTok throughout 2022 and 2023, with the former, "well, well well" sometimes being associated with The Boondocks character Uncle Ruckus, a Black man who hates his own race and Uncle Ruckus' theme song. The terms are also sometimes used in parody videos.

Origin

It is unclear when the phrases "well, well, well" and "like a moth to a flame" first appeared on TikTok in the context of their perceived usage as a dog whistle. One of the earliest known instances of the "like a moth to a flame" comment in the given context was posted by TikToker @raiismynickname on July 14th, 2022, as a comment under a comedy video by TikToker^[1] @daye.lim in which he wafts bags of fried chicken in front of some sleeping Black people, captioned, "how to wake up black people." The video garnered over 2.9 million views in a year, with the comment gaining over 50,000 likes in a similar timeframe (shown below, left).

On July 15th, the TikToker^[2] reuploaded the video as a response to the comment, adding the Uncle Ruckus theme song, garnering over 3 million views in a year (shown below, right).

The "well, well, well" comment became popularized around August 2023 and is often used under videos of Jewish people. One early example of the comment can be seen in an August 3rd, 2023, upload by TikToker^[3] @berelsolomon in which he offers a "Jewish business secret," resulting in numerous comments of "well well well" with high upvote counts (shown below with comments).

Spread

The comments spread throughout mid-2023 as users continued to post them under videos of Black and Jewish people doing things they perceive as negatively stereotypical of their race or religion. On June 15th, 2023, TikToker^[4] @sunsetsl posted a video criticizing people for commenting "like a moth to a flame" over a video of a Black man eating fried chicken with a pet monkey, garnering over 309,000 views in two months (shown below, left).

On August 11th, TikToker^[5] @clemiscommunications posted a video expressing confusion over the comments under a video of the Oxford Street Riots, showcasing the number of "well well well" comments, garnering over 207,000 views in 10 days (shown below, right).

On August 20th, TikToker^[6] @cakebroken7 posted a video showcasing a number of "well well well" comments under an upload about someone who regretted their choice to transition, garnering over 800,000 views in under 24 hours (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References