The 'Hale Hortler' meme originated from a photograph of a botched graffiti attempt where an individual failed to correctly draw a swastika, resulting in a nonsensical geometric scribble accompanied by the misspelled phrase 'Hale Hortler.' First gaining traction on platforms like Reddit and 4chan around 2016, the image quickly became a symbol of mocking the perceived low intelligence of those attempting to spread hate. It is now commonly used as a reaction image to highlight cases of extreme incompetence, poorly executed 'edgy' humor, or any situation where someone fails spectacularly at being serious or intimidating.