Sudden Clarity Clarence
November 23, 2011 — June 2014
"The clarity faded; returned to blissful ignorance"
Obituary
What if... what if it was all connected?
On November 23, 2011, Redditor NorthernSkeptic posted "Introducing Sudden Clarity Clarence" to r/AdviceAnimals. The image showed a young man at what appeared to be a concert or festival, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, wearing an expression of profound realization. He looked like someone who had just understood the universe.
The original photo came from Australia's Schoolies festival in 2009—a post-graduation celebration where epiphanies are traditionally fueled by substances other than pure insight. But the internet saw something universal in that face: the moment when scattered thoughts suddenly coalesce into understanding.
"What if 'Let It Go' is what Elsa's dad said to her mom during childbirth?" "What if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?" "What if your dog only brings back the ball because he thinks YOU like throwing it?"
The format peaked in early 2012, spreading from Reddit to Tumblr to every corner of the internet where people had shower thoughts they wanted to share. Clarence became the avatar of the mind-blown moment—that instant when a mundane observation suddenly seems profound.
Multiple people claimed to be Clarence, though the actual identity of the Australian festivalgoer remains unconfirmed. Perhaps it's better that way. We are all Clarence. We have all had that moment of sudden, possibly chemically-assisted clarity.
The meme faded as Advice Animals gave way to newer formats, but the epiphanies continue. Somewhere, right now, someone is having a Sudden Clarity Clarence moment.
What if... what if this obituary was the meme all along?