"Fuck Dem Kids" - The Real Story Behind A Viral Phrase

Alexander Purdy 19 Jun 2025

The phrase, "fuck dem kids," has a way of popping up in all sorts of places, sometimes in jokes, sometimes as a quick way to say something else entirely. It's a saying that has truly made its way into the everyday talk of many people, showing up in unexpected corners of the internet and beyond, often leaving folks wondering just where it all began and what it truly means when someone says it.

What started as a rather quiet moment, with a simple online post getting only a small number of approvals, somehow sparked a huge wave of creative responses and new ways of using the idea over the years that came after. People began to take the spirit of the saying and put it into all sorts of pictures and short films, giving rise to a fresh pattern for how this particular bit of internet humor would spread, you know.

This story, you see, goes back a little bit, connecting to famous faces and unexpected happenings. From the basketball court to a president's speech, and even finding its way into music and movies, the path of this saying is rather winding, showing just how much a few words can travel and change meaning as they go along, in a way.

Table of Contents

Michael Jordan - A Legend Beyond the Court
Who Is Michael Jordan, and What Are His Personal Details?
How Did the "Fuck Dem Kids" Meme Begin?
What Happened After the Meme Took Hold?
Is There a Deeper Meaning to "Fuck Dem Kids"?
How Did This Phrase Show Up in Other Places?
The Phrase in Music and More
Article Contents at a Glance

Michael Jordan - A Legend Beyond the Court

Michael Jordan, a name known to nearly every sports enthusiast, truly stands out in any gathering of people. His remarkable story and achievements on the basketball court have only grown larger in people's minds, especially after the release of a well-received series of films about his career, which many people watched. His presence is something that just about every fan can spot from a distance, that's for sure.

Before this series of films came out, Jordan was already a part of something that became a widely shared bit of internet humor, something people called the "f**k them kids" picture or short video. This particular bit of internet humor, which started making the rounds in 2016, still gets used every now and then, showing its lasting power. It’s pretty interesting how some things just stick around for a long time, you know?

Beyond his on-court brilliance, which saw him claim three consecutive scoring honors in the mid-to-late nineties, thanks to his highly effective jump shot, there are also personal stories that add to the picture of Michael Jordan. For instance, it's mentioned that Michael felt a kind of bitterness related to race, which began when he watched a television series about family history and came to understand things about his cherished great-grandfather. This part of his personal background shows a different side to the public figure, which is quite something.

Who Is Michael Jordan, and What Are His Personal Details?

Here is a quick look at some details about Michael Jordan, based on the information provided, which helps paint a more complete picture of the person connected to this widely recognized phrase.

Detail Category	Information
Public Recognition	Every sports fan can point him out of a crowd.
Legend Status	His legend has grown even bigger following the release of "The Last Dance" documentary.
Connection to Meme	Part of the "f**k them kids" internet humor a few years before the documentary.
Meme Origin Year	This internet humor piece originated in 2016.
Meme Usage	Used even now from time to time.
Racial Bitterness	Admitted he turned racist when abused by a girl at school.
Origin of Racial Bitterness	Began when he watched TV's "Roots" and realized things about his beloved great-grandfather.
Basketball Achievement (1990s)	Won three consecutive scoring titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998 thanks to his deadly jumper.

How Did the "Fuck Dem Kids" Meme Begin?

The true account behind how this widely shared piece of internet humor came to be is quite interesting, and it all started with Michael Jordan and another basketball player, Chris Paul. They were running a sort of training gathering for young people who play basketball. This particular incident, which sparked the whole thing, happened during a charitable event with young people in the warm months of 2016. So, you see, it wasn't some planned thing, just a moment that happened.

Now, it's important to be clear: Michael Jordan never actually said the words "f*** them kids." What did happen, though, was that he ended up winning a friendly competition against a group of young people. The setup was that Jordan, while on the basketball playing area, made a friendly wager with the young participants. He told them that if he failed to make three shots, they would receive free basketball equipment. This moment, surprisingly, became the root of the widely known saying. It’s pretty wild how a simple bet can lead to such a big thing, you know?

A short online message, which only gathered a small number of positive reactions – just twenty-two, to be precise – somehow became the spark for a great many creative variations in the years that came after. Eventually, a fresh pattern for this internet humor piece came into being. People who create these online bits would give titles to their pictures and short films using the phrase, "if fuck them kids was [blank]." This often meant giving human qualities to the phrase itself, making it seem like a person or a character. It's almost like the internet just took a small idea and ran with it, creating something much bigger.

What Happened After the Meme Took Hold?

The use of this internet humor piece became very common after a significant basketball game in 2016. This was when the team from North Carolina, which is Michael Jordan's old school, lost a championship game to the Villanova team. Michael Jordan himself was there watching this game, and his presence during this particular defeat seemed to give the internet humor piece even more fuel, or so it appears. It’s a bit funny how a sporting event can connect to something completely different like that, is that not so?

Later that same year, on November 22, 2016, when Michael Jordan was being given a special honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the leader at the time, President Barack Obama, made a lighthearted comment. He joked that Jordan was much more than just a piece of internet humor, which really shows how widely recognized this particular saying had become, even reaching the highest levels of public life. It's quite something to think about, really.

This internet humor piece, which first appeared in 2016, continues to be used every now and then, showing its enduring appeal. The core story behind it, as mentioned, involves Michael Jordan and Chris Paul at a training session for young basketball players. A video shows that MJ will give Jordan, though the precise meaning of this part is not fully clear from the given information, it is a detail that is there.

Is There a Deeper Meaning to "Fuck Dem Kids"?

The phrase "fxck dem kids" is described as a well-known, city-based, and almost proverb-like expression. Its use, however, does not really mean that someone feels a strong dislike for young people. Instead, it carries a sense of understanding that a mother or a father also needs to have a life of their own, beyond just focusing on their children. It’s a way of saying, in some respects, that adults have their own needs and desires too, which is pretty relatable for many people.

This particular interpretation gives the phrase a different kind of feeling, moving it away from a harsh statement and turning it into something that speaks to the experiences of grown-ups. It suggests a balance, where caring for young ones is important, but so is taking time for oneself. This nuance helps to explain why such a phrase, which sounds a bit rough at first, has become so widely accepted and understood in certain circles, you know.

It also brings to mind other general truths about the different feelings adults and young people have. For instance, young people often dislike the time when they must go to bed, while grown-ups, on the other hand, often do not like the time when they must wake up. These are just common observations that, in a way, connect to the broader idea of different life stages having their own particular challenges and perspectives, which is kind of interesting to think about.

How Did This Phrase Show Up in Other Places?

The influence of this phrase and similar ideas can be seen in various other areas of public interest and culture. For example, a piece of sound from a scene in a 2023 film called "The Reading" features a person saying, "girl, fuck them kids and fuck you too." This particular short audio clip was seen a very large number of times, reaching 5.4 million views, which shows how such direct language can capture public attention, very much so.

Beyond just internet humor and film clips, the idea of children's books and their content has also been a topic of discussion, sometimes with a similar intensity to the phrase itself. For instance, from the magical woods of King Arthur stories to the mountain home of Heidi, certain places are thought to bring favorite young people's stories to life. Yet, on the other hand, there are instances where books meant for young readers become points of disagreement.

An example of this occurred on June 26, 2011, when a school district in Ohio decided to ban a book for young people that had a cover showing a rainbow. This kind of action shows how strongly some people feel about what young people should or should not be exposed to, and how even something as simple as a book cover can become a subject of public debate. It's quite a bit to take in, honestly.

There is also a very specific kind of book described as being dark yet having a strange emotional quality. This particular book is said to be perfect for those who enjoy stories like "The Walking Dead" and also books for young people. This combination suggests a niche appeal, where seemingly different interests can come together in one creation, showing how varied tastes can be, pretty much.

The Phrase in Music and More

The phrase has also made its way into the world of music, specifically with a group called NOFX. This group recorded a collection of songs called "7" in a similar way to their earlier release, which was titled "fuck the kids." The original "fuck the kids" collection was quite a feat, containing thirteen songs that were all put down on tape in just one day. Only one member of the group, Fat Mike, knew the songs before the day of recording, and the whole process involved only four hours of recording and four hours of mixing. That was it, a very quick process, you know.

The newer collection of songs, "7," is planned to have fourteen songs and will be given the name "Surfer." This shows a continuation of the group's particular style and approach to making music. It's interesting how they keep to a certain method, which is kind of their signature.

There was also a compact disc release that contained two earlier collections of songs, "fuck the kids" and "Surfer." Each of these earlier collections had around thirteen very short songs that had only been available before on smaller vinyl records. When putting together this compact disc, Fat Mike made a deliberate choice to leave one song off of each of the collections. He did this just to cause a little bit of annoyance for people, which is a rather playful, if slightly mischievous, approach to releasing music, basically.

In another separate instance, it's noted that the incoming leader, President Trump, made a request to the highest court in the land. This detail, while not directly tied to the "fuck dem kids" phrase itself, shows how various events and public figures are mentioned in the context of the larger narrative, painting a broader picture of the times and topics that were being discussed, as a matter of fact.

Article Contents at a Glance

This article has covered the origins and spread of the "fuck dem kids" phrase and meme, exploring its connections to:

Michael Jordan's involvement in a charity event and a bet with young people.
The evolution of the meme from a small online post to a widely recognized template.
Its presence during significant sports events and even in a presidential speech.
The phrase's broader meaning as an expression of adult needs and life balance.
Its appearance in a 2023 movie sound clip.
References to children's books and related controversies.
The phrase's influence in music, specifically with the band NOFX and their recording processes.
Other tangential references including Michael Jordan's personal history and political events.

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"Fuck Dem Kids" - The Real Story Behind A Viral Phrase

Michael Jordan - A Legend Beyond the Court

Who Is Michael Jordan, and What Are His Personal Details?

How Did the "Fuck Dem Kids" Meme Begin?

What Happened After the Meme Took Hold?

Is There a Deeper Meaning to "Fuck Dem Kids"?

How Did This Phrase Show Up in Other Places?

The Phrase in Music and More

Article Contents at a Glance

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