Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Cropped to its first two panels, the dog became shorthand for cheerful denial in the face of obvious disaster. People post it over election results, work crises and climate news; Slate described his attitude as somewhere between bemused acceptance and outright denial. In the full strip the scene is bleaker, which is part of why the meme works.
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In context
Spoilers for GunshowShow the scene
'This is fine' comes from 'On Fire', a six-panel 2013 strip in KC Green's webcomic Gunshow. An anthropomorphic dog, sometimes called Question Hound, sits calmly with a cup of tea in a room that is burning down. The first two panels have him simply say this is fine. As the fire reaches him and his body begins to melt, he keeps his composure and says that things are going to be okay.
Sources (2)
- Gunshow (webcomic), Wikipedia'This is fine' sectionReference checked
- List of Internet phenomena, WikipediaentryReference checked
Context reviewed