The 'Coal Miner Blackface' meme stems from a viral AZCentral article and social media discourse surrounding a Kentucky coal miner who rushed from the mines to attend a basketball game with his family, still covered in coal dust. While a small segment of the internet initially misinterpreted his soot-covered face as blackface, the story quickly shifted to highlight the miner's hard work and the absurdity of modern outrage culture. The meme is frequently used to satirize virtue signaling, lack of context in online accusations, and the disconnect between blue-collar reality and social media perceptions. It often features the headline or the image of the miner at the game to mock reactionary behavior.