In a world where social media skill means more than physical strength, Photoshop is a superpower.
Accordingly, a recent parody Tumblr called Guns Replaced with Selfie Sticks depicts silver screen heroes slinging benign bayonets of vanity, aka the selfie stick. From the Terminator to True Grit, the action films’ protagonists below have all been Photoshopped to hold tools of self-distraction, instead of mass destruction.
While the Tumblr’s author has stopped publishing new images since last February, a platoon of Photoshop-savvy jokesters—notably Slack tech writer Matt Haughey—have also posted similar selfie-stick scenarios, as the photography blog PetaPixel points out.
Quartz reached out to the mysterious Photoshop pacifist but did not hear back.
As it happens, an actual martial arts school in Russia began offering classes last year using selfie sticks as self-defense weapons. As the Telegraph reports, instructors at the M-Profi martial arts center say its selfie-stick maneuvers could be especially useful for tourists battling pickpockets and petty thieves.