The "High IQ" meme has become a staple of internet culture, serving as a satirical tool to mock individuals who excessively boast about their intellectual capabilities. This phenomenon has manifested in various forms across social media platforms and online communities, each iteration highlighting the absurdity of self-proclaimed intellectual superiority.
One of the most prominent examples emerged in 2019 when a Twitter user responded to a woman's tweet about being single by declaring: "I have an IQ in the high 130s and I'm a member of MENSA. I'm smarter than you and everyone you know." This response was immediately met with widespread mockery and quickly evolved into a copypasta meme. Users began pairing the text with humorous images, creating a template that highlighted the ridiculousness of using IQ scores as a measure of personal worth or dating eligibility.
Perhaps the most famous iteration is the "To Be Fair, You Have To Have a Very High IQ to Understand Rick and Morty" meme. This copypasta, which gained popularity in 2017, parodied fans who claimed that the animated series required exceptional intelligence to appreciate. The text typically begins:
"To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head..."
This meme effectively satirized the gatekeeping mentality that sometimes emerges in fan communities, where appreciation for media becomes conflated with intellectual superiority.
In November 2024, the concept took a real-world turn when Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), issued a call for "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries." The job posting sought individuals willing to work over 80 hours per week on cost-cutting initiatives with no compensation, sparking significant public discussion about work expectations and the practical value of intelligence in government roles.
Also known as the "midwit" meme, this variation uses the statistical bell curve graph to comment on intelligence distribution in society. The meme typically depicts individuals with average intelligence as "midwits" who conform to mainstream thinking, while those at both extremes of the curve are portrayed as having unique perspectives. The left side often represents simple, practical wisdom, while the right side represents complex, unconventional thinking.
The persistence of High IQ memes reflects broader societal attitudes toward intelligence and intellectualism. These memes serve multiple purposes:
The appeal of these memes lies in their ability to simultaneously acknowledge and mock intellectual insecurity. They tap into common anxieties about intelligence while providing a humorous outlet for addressing them. The format allows people to engage with complex social dynamics in an accessible, shareable way.
High IQ memes have demonstrated remarkable staying power in internet culture, evolving to address new contexts while maintaining their core satirical function. They've become a versatile tool for commenting on everything from pop culture fandom to political appointments, proving that the tension between intellectual achievement and social awareness remains a fertile ground for humor and critique.
As internet culture continues to evolve, the High IQ meme serves as a reminder that intelligence, while valuable, becomes problematic when weaponized for social positioning rather than genuine understanding and connection.
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