The Grand Canyon Squirrel Kicker meme originates from a controversial 2014 viral video showing a man luring a squirrel to the edge of a cliff before kicking it into the abyss. While the original footage sparked significant backlash and international outrage, the internet eventually repurposed the shocking moment into a metaphor for being blindsided or ruthlessly discarded. It is typically used to represent life’s unexpected hardships, sudden failures, or a person being 'yeeted' out of a favorable situation. The meme captures the cold absurdity and suddenness of the act, making it a go-to template for dark humor regarding bad luck, corporate layoffs, or unavoidable personal catastrophes.