One Mother’s #HimToo Post Supporting Brett Kavanaugh Became A Strange Twitter Meme

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@MarlaReynoldsC3 has since deleted her account. pic.twitter.com/Q5XPj2I9Fe

— Holly Fιɢυeroα O'Reιlly (@AynRandPaulRyan) October 8, 2018

Memes are good for many things: blowing off steam, finding humor in hopeless situations, or maybe standing up to power. The latest big meme trend checks off all the boxes. But one that captured Twitter’s attention Monday night had a couple unusual twists, which wound up revealing a strange and, in the Trump-era, all-too-common family drama.

It began with a random woman’s tweet. In the wake of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings — in which the Supreme Court nominee-turned-Justice was accused of sexual misconduct — a woman who tweeted under the handle @BlueStarNavyMom3, decided to take his side. Sometime Sunday, she posted a picture of her young adult son, dressed in the an all-white sailor’s get-up. It read:

“This is MY son. He graduated #1 in boot camp. He was awarded the USO award. He was #1 in A school. He is a gentleman who respects women. He won’t go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo”

This didn’t go over well with social media, once enough people caught wind of it. Twitter has overflown with parodies. They tend to take one of two tacks: loopy send-up (usually with the same text and a ridiculous picture) or savage, angry satire. The woman has since deleted her account, but no one was sure if the person tweeting it was sincere.

But the story has more twists. Another one of her sons, one Jon Hanson, apparently took to Twitter to call out his mom and defend/laugh at his brother.

— Jon Hanson (@DancinJonHanson) October 9, 2018

It seems like what we have here is an old-fashioned Trump parent vs. non-Trump kids tussle. Elsewhere on his feed, Hanson says his mom’s simply “crazy” and she “just loves attention,” which she’s certainly got. As for the idea that her other son won’t date women for fear that they’re vengeful feminists who will invent sexual misconduct allegations to own the cons, Hanson says she “made it up.”

Eventually, the son in the picture himself, Pieter Hanson, joined Twitter (with the handle @Thatwasmymom, which amazingly wasn’t taken), and explained…well, almost everything.

— Pieter Hanson (@Thatwasmymom) October 9, 2018

Here, finally, are a couple handfuls of the good parody #HimToo parody tweets, of which the Hanson sons seem to approve. Some stuck with sons who aren’t quite ideal:

— Gritty is my king (@kmart93) October 8, 2018

This is MY son. He singlehandedly runs a small hotel. He's a homeowner. He knows a boy's best friend is his mother. He goes a little mad sometimes. He won't go on solo dates due to the current climate of false accusations by radical anti-shower-stabbing feminists. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/qSYY7Cy46E

— Night of the Living Marble (@living_marble) October 8, 2018

This is MY son. He graduated #1 in his class at time travel school. He received an award thanks to his flux capacitor. He is a gentleman capable of going 88 miles per hour. He won't go on solo dates because his mother made a pass at him at prom. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/EKTIVDeVHD

— Nina Bargiel (@slackmistress) October 9, 2018

This is my son. He’s a large adult holding an enormous gun. Sometimes he kills elephants for fun. Is he even divorced yet He thinks he’s the future of the Republican Party. He once dmed with Julian Assange. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/7Lt3EyDyI4

— Molly Jong☠️Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 9, 2018

Some went with movie psychos:

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) October 9, 2018

This is MY son. He graduated #1 in sewing class. He was awarded the Insect Identification Badge. He is a gentleman who respects curvy women. He won't go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists who don’t moisturize. I VOTE #HimToo pic.twitter.com/roylzrcM9X

— Zelda Zonk (@tikibetty) October 8, 2018

Or BoJack Horseman’s Vincent Adultman:

— landry shamus (@shamus_clancy) October 8, 2018

Some gave us animals:

— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) October 9, 2018

This is MY son. He just sits there; afraid to do ANYTHING in this current climate of false allegations ☹️ #himtoo pic.twitter.com/3bCgHJKqyC

— Chris (@swellpalchris) October 8, 2018

This is MY son. He graduated last in boot camp because he is a cat. He is a cat so he respects no one. He won't go on solo dates due to being a cat. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/vqT5rmE02P

— Gabe #DreamActNow Ortíz (@TUSK81) October 8, 2018

Or creepy dolls:

— S. Esmerie is voting Nov 6th (@lizardwedding) October 8, 2018

Or weird and gross monsters:

— Even Scarier Low IQ Mancino-Williams (@Manda_like_wine) October 8, 2018

This is my son. He circle jerks it with other guys and only after they’ve signed a consent form ever since his last “date” when a woman called the cops just because he was lurking outside her window for three days. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/NPzK9yeGuZ

— Spooky Sean Kent (@seankent) October 9, 2018

Some went with Rick Astley:

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) October 8, 2018

Henry VIII’s Twitter account actually went with Anne of Cleves

— Henry Tudor (@KngHnryVIII) October 8, 2018

Someone channeled William Blake:

— pixelated (something halloween-related) (@pixelatedboat) October 9, 2018

Some went with The Village People:

— Shaun Legacy (@shalegac) October 8, 2018

Another went with Guy Fieri:

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 9, 2018

Or this John Travolta deep cut:

— Gladstone (@WGladstone) October 8, 2018

Some thought outside the box and went with Tomi Lahren:

— m i t h (@ManInTheHoody) October 9, 2018

Some kept it real. Here’s Mike Pence:

— T.R. Morley (@TheRealMorley) October 8, 2018

And here’s Brock Turner:

— sweet_emmee/Emily (@sweet_emmee) October 8, 2018

And here’s the man who allegedly caused all of this:

— Diane N. Sevenay (@Diane_7A) October 9, 2018

By the way, don’t venture too far into the #MeHim search. Get down too far and you’ll find people actually supporting the whole thing.