The 'Absolutely Barbaric' meme features an illustration of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I looking visibly distressed or disgusted. Originating from historical artwork, it gained massive popularity as a reaction image on sites like 4chan and Reddit. It is typically used to hyperbolically condemn someone for a minor social faux pas, a lack of etiquette, or an unconventional way of doing something, like putting milk in the bowl before the cereal. The humor stems from the dramatic juxtaposition of an ancient, powerful monarch being utterly appalled by trivial and harmless modern-day behaviors.