If you have looked at Twitter at any point since yesterday afternoon, you have almost certainly come across the phrase “feral hogs,” which spent a good chunk of the past 24 hours trending. “Feral hogs” became one of those running pile-on memes where everyone had to get their jokes off even if they didn’t know what everyone else was talking about. But as it turns out, the whole “feral hogs” saga is a strange but good example of the way the internet turns trauma into comedy. And it all started out with a Jason Isbell tweet.

As one of many people who spent the past few days reeling from the news of recent gun massacres in El Paso and Dayton, Isbell tweeted on Sunday about assault weapons: “If you’re on here arguing the definition of ‘assault weapon’ today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don’t need one.”

If you’re on here arguing the definition of “assault weapon” today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don’t need one.

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 4, 2019

However, one Isbell fan, an Arkansas gentleman by the name of William McNabb, responded by asking how else he was supposed to deal with the problem of “the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play.”

Legit question for rural Americans – How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

This response was both arcane and specific enough that Twitter had a field day with it. Isbell himself was among the first to respond, and his line about the feral hogs is hard to top.

If you have dozens of hogs chasing your children around your yard, you have problems no weapon will fix. https://t.co/5OmRjg8evw

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 4, 2019

But people still tried.

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, nevermind it’s 50 feral hogs.

— sarah schauer (@SJSchauer) August 5, 2019

I got 99 problems and feral hogs are 30-50 of them

— WeRateHogs (@hog_rates) August 6, 2019

Welcome to the jungle
We've got fun and games
We've got thirty feral hogs
Or fifty, in that range

— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) August 6, 2019

The 30-50 #feralhogs when they see the kids have been playing in the yard for 3-5 minutes pic.twitter.com/sjShNWsR3h

— Jamie (@JamieJB95) August 6, 2019

Telling people "I don't have kids"
- invites too many questions
- people feel entitled to tell you about why you should
- vague

Telling people "30-50 feral hogs ate my kids"
- specific
- no follow-up questions needed
- people stop talking to you

— Oliver Sachgau (@sachgau) August 6, 2019

Bae: Come over. 30-50Feral Hogs: I can’t. Bae: There’s been small children playing in my yard for 3-5 minutes. 30-50 #FeralHogs : pic.twitter.com/vSanferLun

— Mel. (@ChimneyChangas) August 6, 2019

stages of Feral Hog Twitter
1. confusion seeing everyone tweet “30 to 50 feral hogs”
2. find the tweet & assume it’s satire
3. read the tweet again & realize it’s for real
4. like and RT only feral hog tweets for 12 hrs straight
5. become 30 to 50 feral hogs

— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) August 6, 2019

There are so many tweets like those; check Know Your Meme for more.

For his part, Arkansas Twitter user William McNabb has spent the past day insisting that yes, feral hogs are a problem, one that he’s dealt with multiple times, he’s not kidding, etc.

Even though people have threatened my kids, taken pics of my home, driven by my house, my job and threatened me – I’m still a fan of your music.

And I never said my situation was applicable to the entire country.

It’s real. https://t.co/Gp2PUGVn3H

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 5, 2019

It’s not a hypothetical. It happened more than once.

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

In subsequent replies I answered this – it’s happened 4 times.

I do not own an assault rifle – never said I did. Some of my neighbors do and from personal experience – I can see how it helped them.

I simply posed a real question from my own experiences.

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

Never said I was being charged. Said they all came in my yard with 3-5 mins while my small children were outside playing.

Scared them. Scared me. I shot them. All I said.

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

It has happened more than once but doesn’t happen regularly. It does happen in rural areas in the South. People can use these weapons for this reason.

I was serious but the fact most people don’t think I am or it is a joke – Baffles me. It’s a simple Google search.

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

So really, the best part of this entire story is this exchange:

No sir – I am.

— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019

He’s serious.