Two Buttons

Sometimes the most philosophical memes emerge from the simplest moral dilemmas. The "Two Buttons" meme, also known as "Daily Struggle," crystallized a universal human experience—the agony of choosing between equally problematic options—into a format so effective that it has become a standard template for expressing cognitive dissonance across the internet.

The meme's creation story represents a rare instance of clear authorial attribution in internet culture. On October 25, 2014, animator Jake Clark posted the original comic to his Tumblr blog, depicting a visibly distressed character wiping sweat from his brow while contemplating two red buttons labeled "BE A DICK" and "DON'T BE A DICK" (Know Your Meme, 2016). This original formulation captured something profound about moral decision-making: the recognition that sometimes all available choices carry unwelcome consequences.

Clark's inspiration drew from multiple sources within internet culture's visual vocabulary. He has acknowledged that the comic was influenced by the "Sweating Towel Guy" illustration and the character Hank Nova from the video game TimeSplitters 2 (Know Your Meme, 2016). This synthesis of gaming culture and meme aesthetics reflected the cross-pollination between different forms of digital entertainment that characterized mid-2010s internet culture.

The comic's initial reception on Tumblr was substantial but not immediately explosive. Over its first two years, the post accumulated over 9,700 notes, indicating strong community engagement within Tumblr's ecosystem (Know Your Meme, 2016). This gradual growth pattern reflected the platform's culture of slow-burning content that gained influence through reblogging and commentary rather than immediate viral explosion.

The meme's transition from Tumblr creation to broader internet phenomenon occurred through Reddit's aggregation and amplification mechanisms. On February 20, 2016, a Reddit user reposted Clark's original comic to r/funny, where it gathered over 2,000 votes and 40 comments (Know Your Meme, 2016). This cross-platform migration demonstrated how successful content moves between different internet communities, gaining new audiences and interpretations at each stage.

The template's true potential was revealed through user-generated variations that applied Clark's format to contemporary political and social issues. On March 29, 2016, a variation titled "Tumblr's dilemma" presented buttons labeled "People can be born as the wrong gender" and "Gender is a social construct," garnering over 4,400 votes on r/funny (Know Your Meme, 2016). This adaptation demonstrated how the meme could highlight perceived contradictions in political ideologies, transforming Clark's simple moral framework into a vehicle for social commentary.

The format's versatility became its greatest strength. Users discovered that the two-button structure could expose hypocrisy, highlight difficult choices, or simply create humor through absurd juxtapositions. A June 2016 post on r/Libertarian featured buttons reading "cops are evil and racist" and "you don't need a gun because you have police," demonstrating how the template could illuminate political contradictions across the ideological spectrum (Know Your Meme, 2016).

The meme's evolution continued through visual innovations that expanded its expressive range. In November 2020, visual artist Petirep created a variation showing both buttons being pressed simultaneously, representing the human tendency to embrace contradictory positions rather than choosing between them (Know Your Meme, 2016). This development showed how established meme templates could spawn new formats that addressed different aspects of human psychology.

Clark's background as a professional animator added biographical depth to the meme's cultural significance. His work on the critically acclaimed video game Cuphead, which featured hand-drawn animation reminiscent of 1930s cartoons, demonstrated his commitment to traditional artistic techniques (Among Us Wiki, 2025). His later employment at Innersloth, creators of the social deduction game Among Us, positioned him at the center of contemporary gaming culture while maintaining his meme creator legacy.

The "Two Buttons" meme succeeded because it captured a genuinely universal experience: the recognition that many decisions involve choosing between imperfect alternatives rather than selecting an obviously correct option. This psychological insight resonated across cultural and linguistic boundaries, making the format adaptable to countless local contexts and specific situations.

The meme's lasting influence can be measured through its continued usage and evolution years after its creation. Unlike many internet phenomena that burn brightly and fade quickly, the Two Buttons template has achieved the rare status of becoming part of the internet's permanent visual vocabulary, available for deployment whenever users need to highlight contradictory choices or impossible decisions.