The Origins of the 'Which Way, Western Man?' Meme

About

Which Way, Western Man?, also misquoted Which Way, White Man?, is a catchphrase originating from the name of a 1978 book by white nationalist author William Gayley Simpson. The catchphrase regained popularity in the late 2010s, first used in political image macros and later gaining larger popularity in ironic memes, similar to Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition.

Origin

Which Way Western Man? was written by white supremacist William Gayley Simpson. First published in 1978, Simpson contends that there is an organized conspiracy by an alleged globalist, Jewish network against the "Western Man." Simpson argues in favor of mass deportations of minorities and argues that internal weakness has contributed to the West’s decline. Though it isn't possible to trace the exact origins of its online usage, the phrase "Which Way, Western Man" started appearing in memes and image macros around 2017, with one of the earliest found examples being uploaded to imgflip by an anonymous user nine years ago. Seen below:

The phrase began to be used on posts that presented the choice between traditionalism and modernity and became a common response used in comment sections, used with varying degrees of seriousness or irony.

Spread

Though the phrase had entered regular usage in certain online spheres from 2017 through 2020, it had not yet breached into the wider internet zeitgeist. The phrase would see a sudden urge of interest following its convergence with the Dramatic Crossroads meme. On February 5th, 2021, X user @WereInHellYT posted an edited version of the Dramatic Crossroads exploitable with the caption "Which way Western man?" The post has received 40,000 likes as of February 2026.

The post prompted a new post format on the platform, and the phrase and image came to be associated with each other. Examples below:

Though the new format was utilized to express white supremacist and pro-traditionalist views, the phrase, in conjunction with the image, began to take on a largely ironic usage. As a result, the phrase has taken on an innocuous nature for those unaware of its white supremacist origins.

Further Spread

On August 11th, 2025, the official X account for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, @DHSgov, posted an image to recruit for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The image depicts Uncle Sam before directional signs labeled with different paths and the caption “Which Way, American Man?” The post has been viewed 5.5 million times as of February 2026. Post seen below:

The post sparked mass outrage, though Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, maintained that the post was not a reference to Simpson's book, stating: "Calling everything you dislike 'Nazi propaganda' is tiresome. Uncle Sam, who represents America, is at a crossroads, pondering which way America should go."

Despite the controversy stoked by the DHS post, the official X account for the White House, @WhiteHouse posted a similar image on January 14th, 2026, this time reading: "Which way, Greenland man?" and featuring an image similar to the Dramatic Crossroads macro. The post has been viewed 17 million times in just over a month.

The post was once again met with mass outrage and criticism, with a second instance sparking conversation surrounding the intentionality of the "Which Way, Western Man?" reference used in the Administration's posts.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References