You’re surprised by some of the idiocy being spouted on social media – what do you do?
Reply with the white guy blinking meme, of course.
As with any given topic, there’s a meme for it – but how often do you know the identity of the person behind the meme?
It turns out that white guy blinking is actually Drew Scanlon, whose face is now the go-to meme for users puzzled by things online.
But Drew is much more than just a blinking face. Turns out, good guy Drew is a pretty charitable dude as he’s just fundraised for an MS charity.
The 33-year-old used his fame to direct users to donate to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society by going on a bike run.
He managed to cycle 120 miles (193 kilometres), all the way from San Francisco to Wine Country, raising $30,750 (£24,910.88).
Naturally, his followers, and people just realising that Drew is the man behind the meme, are big fans.
Drew raised awareness for the charity bike ride on his Twitter, saying: ‘Hi Internet! I’m Drew and THIS IS MY FACE.
‘If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease!’
What is the white guy blinking meme?
You’ve probably seen the short gif of Drew blinking incredulously but where does it come from?
Drew works as a video editor and podcaster at video game website Giant Bomb.
In a game with several other players, Drew was caught off guard by another player’s comment that he was ‘farming with my hoe’.
According to Know Your Meme, the earliest use of the gif was in 2015.
Then in 2017, it became a meme after a Twitter user made a joke about being lost in a biology exam.
Over on his fundraising page, he added a bit more detail about his reasons for getting involved.
He wrote: ‘I’m not usually one to toot my own meme horn but in this case, I’ll make an exception.
‘You see, two close friends of mine and members of their families suffer from MS, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system that interrupts communication between the brain and the body.
‘If a fraction of those who have seen my goofy face donated to MS research, I have a feeling we could kick this thing in no time!’
Folks online were touched by his commitment to raising funds for the charity and quickly pledged their support.
Of course, some people couldn’t help but reply with a few memes of their own (some were pretty funny).
MS: *exists*
Drew: pic.twitter.com/1fb3Bg7XrK
— Ann (E forthcoming) (@AnnDVine) September 19, 2019
One person was particularly touched by Drew’s charitable actions. They wrote to him: ‘Hey Drew, I’ve always been a huge fan and patron of your work, but as someone with a mum with MS, I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder to call myself a fan of yours.’
And now we’re all fans.
You can learn more about the work the National MS Society does on their website.
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