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Sharoyoby (Ball-Fuckers)

A FAMILIAR MEME. A NEW CONTEXT.

Sharoyoby (Ball-Fuckers)

What this meme means

A slang word linked to video blogger Maxim Ozherelyev, who publicly claims the Earth is flat, for people who believe it is a sphere. It quickly became an ironic label and a meme in the Russian-speaking internet.

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Who Maxim Ozherelyev is

Maxim Ozherelyev is a video blogger known in the Russian-speaking segment of the internet for his videos defending the flat Earth concept. A significant part of his content is devoted to attempts to disprove the generally accepted picture of the world, and it's exactly this topic that brought him fame. His public statements and manner of presentation have become a subject of discussion in comments and on forums.

Precise data on his subscriber counts and the chronology of his channels have changed over time across open sources, so specific figures are not given here. What matters is that Ozherelyev is a public figure, and his statements are described here only to the extent that they relate to the origin of the word and the meme.

Where the word came from

The word "sharoyoby" is built on a model common in Russian slang: the root "shar" (sphere/ball) points to the shape of the Earth, while the crude ending turns a neutral designation into a mocking label. It describes people convinced that the planet is spherical, and it's framed as irony directed at their position rather than as an address to a specific individual.

The meme's tags list the year 2017, and it's with this period that the term's spread is associated. The exact moment of its first use and the circumstances under which the phrase caught on could not be established, so claims about a specific date remain approximate.

How the word became a meme

Over time the term began to live apart from its original source. It started being used in comments on debates about the shape of the Earth, in captions for videos, and in jokes about any situation where someone stubbornly defends an obviously wrong point of view. In this way the word turned from a quote into a universal label.

Images and captions using this word most often appeared in communities and in video breakdowns. The meme holds up thanks to the combination of its funny sound and its easily grasped irony: the reader immediately understands which group is being talked about, even without being familiar with the blogger's videos.

The flat Earth and the community's reaction

The flat Earth idea draws criticism from most scientists and educated viewers. Astronomical observations, navigation, satellite imagery, and physics have long described the Earth as a sphere, which is why the blogger's conclusions are seen as dubious. Some viewers treat his videos as entertainment, while others see them as an attempt to mislead the audience.

The meme simultaneously mocks the position itself and turns its supporters into characters. It's important to separate criticism of the arguments from mockery of the person: the joke here is aimed at the claim, not at the person's appearance or private circumstances.

Use in speech

Today the word is used as a joking label in friendly conversation, in comments, and in discussions of internet culture. It sounds crude, so it's usually avoided in formal speech or in text aimed at a broad audience, while in informal arguments it works as a marker of ironic distance.

Since the word was formed out of a real dispute about the shape of the planet, it's convenient for jokes about any beliefs that contradict science. At the same time its meaning stays tied to that specific topic, and the meme keeps reminding people where it came from.