The 'First They Came...' meme is based on a famous 1946 post-war confession by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller. The poem reflects on the cowardice of German intellectuals and the clergy following the Nazis' rise to power and the subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group. In the digital age, this solemn structure has been adapted into a versatile meme format used to highlight systemic injustice or, more colloquially, to complain about minor inconveniences through hyperbole. It typically follows the repetitive cadence of the original text, ending with the chilling realization that by the time the authority figure comes for the narrator, there is no one left to speak up for them.