How the AI Slur "Clanker" Became a Meme

Know Your Meme

Is robophobia trending? The term “clanker,"  first heard in the 2005 game Star Wars: Republic Commando, started as a tongue-in-cheek insult for droids. It became a popular meme in the Star Wars fandom, especially on the PrequelMemes subreddit.  In June 2025, TikTokers began using it in real life, yelling “clanker” at delivery robots and racking up millions of views. The trend quickly spread to Twitter, inspiring more robot “slurs” like “oil leaker,” “copper head,” and “rust bucket.”  The meme has even been covered on mainstream news, with some suggesting it reflects a growing skepticism toward AI.  Check out our new MEME STORE: https://thememestore.com/  Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrPqq29C9Q_TQP7OFFRzcw?sub_confirmation=1  00:00 The Rise of Robophobia 00:11 Origins of the Term 'Clanker' 00:31 The Spread of 'Clanker' in Memes 00:44 Robophobia in Popular Culture 01:05 Viral Trends on TikTok 01:30 The Impact on Social Media 01:50 Mainstream Media Coverage 02:50 Is 'Clanker' Just a Joke?  #meme #memes #memesvideos

Transcript

00:00Is Robophobia on the rise?

00:02I ain't gonna let no Clanker take a drink from my fountain.

00:06AI haters are going viral for cursing out robots with the term Clanker,

00:11an insult that comes directly from Star Wars.

00:13Clanker was coined in the 2005 video game Star Wars, Republic Commando,

00:17where the character Delta-07 can be heard yelling,

00:19Lousy Clanker.

00:21The term became a joke in the Star Wars fandom and started inspiring memes in 2013.

00:26Then, in 2018, the Prequel Memes subreddit turned it into one of their most popular memes.

00:31Prequel Memes helped popularize the term's ironic use as a slur,

00:35inspiring countless memes using it in that context.

00:37The idea of there being slurs for robots can be linked to the concept of Robophobia,

00:42meaning an irrational fear of robots.

00:44Robophobia is a common theme in sci-fi,

00:46with the term itself notably being used in a 1997 episode of Doctor Who titled The Robots of Death.

00:52Now, the term Clanker and the concept of Robophobia are going viral across social media

00:56as a way of showing just how much you hate AI.

00:59You know, you're one of the good Clankers.

01:01Really?

01:02No.

01:03The best Clanker is a dead Clanker.

01:05The whole thing started around June 20th, 2025,

01:08when memes using the term started popping up on TikTok.

01:10TikToker Nikaholme13 helped popularize the term after posting a video where he yells

01:15Clanker at a delivery robot rolling down the street.

01:17What are you doing here, Wirebox?

01:19Huh?

01:20You got a permit to be here?

01:21Huh?

01:22Stupid!

01:23Get the fuck on my property, Wireback!

01:24Fucking Copperhead!

01:25Get the fuck on my face!

01:27Get out of here!

01:28The video gained over 4 million views.

01:30Now, calling robots Clankers has become a trend.

01:33Videos are going viral that show people calling robots not only Clanker,

01:36but a variety of ironic slurs, including Oil Leaker, Copperhead, and Rust Butter.

01:41The meme has also spread to Twitter, where users are uploading images of robots

01:44and treating them just as poorly.

01:45Others are showing some empathy and uploading images of their favorite robots,

01:49asking the question, would you call them a Clanker?

01:51Clanker has gotten so popular that it's even being discussed on mainstream news networks like NBC,

01:56where Jason Abrazzisi suggests that the rise in the word is a sign of our skepticism towards AI.

02:01I think if you're looking for evidence of an early sentiment of people pushing back on AI,

02:07pushing back on automation, this word is a really fascinating example of that.

02:11It's a slur.

02:12It is something that people are using very much as a slur.

02:15They're using it as a derogatory term to try to label something, some sort of machine,

02:20as lesser than or othered, you're a Clanker.

02:24It might be a reasonable theory, considering how many of the memes using the term

02:28are undeniably negative towards AI and robots,

02:31whether it's memes about fighting in the Clanker Wars

02:33and having to take out your favorite fictional robots,

02:35or memes about daughters bringing their AI robot boyfriends home to meet their parents,

02:39only for their parents to shout every robophobic slur in the book at them.

02:43No daughter of mine will be seen with a Clanker.

02:46Get out of my house right now, you Clanker!

02:50Now, some people are starting to wonder whether or not they should use the term

02:54out of fear that the AIs will remember that they used it as they continue to get more powerful.

02:58Is the Clanker meme just an innocent joke, or should we be careful of what we say to AI?

03:13No are they calling the Chinese?

03:15Absolutely the AIs going not the $luscon.

03:15My answer is due when my girlfriend was asked in the case,

03:17no one is discrimination or left conflict with a failed consistent Interior Move arm,

03:18we can get anyuguay to go of peace feeling.

03:20Obviously, if the Hmm & America may be successful,

03:21it sounds ban Crying is important to her own thing.

03:23Usey escalation functions to the kids besides their own issues!

03:24Take care of everything from inside the bossätze,

03:25use a similar course and then your head back to the 200-year head.

03:26I will just ask them the others who want to pick them up if that easy to find the difference,

03:27tothe first ofбо

03:34we will be shared and selling for the wishlist.

03:36Quite the strategy as it is.

03:37Wasn't there yet to be the 구�s this week.

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