The 'Freedom of Speech' meme is based on a 1943 oil painting by American artist Norman Rockwell, part of his 'Four Freedoms' series inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address. The image depicts a blue-collar worker standing up at a town hall meeting to express his dissent while his neighbors listen respectfully. In internet culture, the template surged in popularity on platforms like Twitter and Reddit as a way to introduce 'unpopular' or 'brave' opinions. It is frequently used to mock the feeling of being the only person with a specific (often trivial or humorous) take, framing the user as a courageous truth-teller in a crowd of onlookers.