what if i told you / that freedom of speech applies to everyone, including people you disagree with?
A What if I told you / Matrix Morpheus post.
Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix (1999), mirrored sunglasses on, about to explain reality to Neo. The image macro started on Reddit in February 2012, with a Mac screenshot tip. Here's the twist: Morpheus never says "What if I told you" in any of the films. It's a paraphrase of the scene where he tells Neo his world is a simulation. The meme about mind-blowing truths is built on a misquote. Neat. The top line is always "What if I told you". The bottom line is the revelation - sometimes genuinely surprising, usually painfully obvious. "What if I told you" / "you don't have to reply to every comment." "What if I told you" / "the gym is open on Mondays too." "What if I told you" / "you can just close the tab." The joke is the gravity. A man who offers people red pills, delivering news a sticky note could handle. **Why it caught on:** everyone knows someone who needs the obvious explained slowly, in sunglasses.