Return to Monke
'Reject modernity, return to monke' — an anarcho-primitivist joke about abandoning civilization for ape simplicity.
A meme phrase pairing 'reject modernity' with 'return to monke' (deliberate misspelling of monkey). Usually illustrated with apes, chimps, or orangutans living simply while humans suffer modern life. It is ironic anarcho-primitivism — joking that tech, jobs, and discourse are unbearable and we'd be happier as apes. Often overlaps with Harambe nostalgia and 'monke' fandom humor.
History
Know Your Meme traces the phrase to 4chan and Reddit around early 2019, building on earlier 'monke' ape worship humor and Harambe meme legacies. Facebook groups like 'Reject modernity return to monke' helped push it mainstream in 2020. The intentional 'monke' spelling matches doge-era ironic broken English.
Cultural scores
Editorial estimates of cultural weight — Current Popularity tracks how much people are posting about this now, not historical fame.
Current Popularity = how actively people are posting about this today. Influence = lasting footprint. Cringe = online reception. Brainrot = absurdist energy. Scores last reviewed 2026-07-25. How scoring works
Timeline
Early 2019
'Reject modernity, return to monke' spreads on 4chan and Reddit
2020
Facebook meme pages and Twitter adopt the format widely
2020–2021
Peak use during pandemic 'civilization failed' irony
2022+
Remains shorthand for anti-modernity jokes and ape reaction images
Examples
- “Office job meltdown — 'reject modernity return to monke'”
- “Ape photo with caption about abandoning smartphones for banana”
- “Comparing complex politics to simple monke life”
Media
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
Cheems
MemeBalltze the Shiba — Doge's soft-spoken cousin from dogelore who says 'cheemsburbger' and lives for ironic wholesome chaos.
Dat Boi
MemeThe 2016 green frog on a unicycle — 'here come dat boi! o shit waddup!' — peak absurdist Tumblr/Twitter meme energy.
Wojak
MemeThe foundational 'Feels Guy' — a simple crying face that became the most versatile meme template on the internet.
Doge
MemeThe iconic Shiba Inu meme that defined an era — 'such wow, very internet' — and eventually inspired a cryptocurrency.
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Return to Monke — Wikipedia search
en.wikipedia.org