AboutWhat does the meme depict?
The 'Homeless Man Doing Kung Fu' meme features a series of videos depicting a South African man, identified as TikTok user @oom_jan_the_china, demonstrating kung fu moves on a street. The meme saw the man being humorously dubbed as performing a 'domain expansion,' a reference embellishing his display of martial arts skills. These videos transformed into memes and further inspired various stylized edits, often accompanied by 'High Off Life' by Babykjj playing in the background.
OriginWho did it first?
The meme originated from four videos uploaded by @oom_jan_the_china on TikTok between October 14th and October 15th, 2023. They featured a man practicing kung fu movements in public areas. By November 2023, these videos were recontextualized in new meme formats, linking the man to ongoing ironic conversations about violence against the homeless. This included comparisons to the so-called 'microwaved honey bun' meme series popularized by TikTok user @hoop.angel. An early example of this recontextualized use was a video uploaded by TikTok user @iambandhunter on November 16th, 2023.[1]
Origin: 2023