RIP in Peace

About

“R.I.P in Peace” is an online slang expression marked by its redundant phrasing which can be used to commemorate an individual who has either passed away or some who has been a target of an Internet death hoax. The phrase is often cited as an example of the “redundant acronym syndrome syndrome” (RAS syndrome).^[7]

Origin

The earliest known use of the phrase “RIP in peace” was posted in a thread titled “RIP in Peace Shane Cross” by Newgrounds Forums^[3] member Glue-Sniffer on May 12th, 2007, which lamented the death of professional skateboarder Shane Cross.

Spread

On October 24th, 2007, Urban Dictionary^[1] user purple_february submitted an entry for “R.I.P. in peace,” noting that the phrase is often used in Internet forums. On September 27th, 2008, GRcade Forums^[4] member Peter Crisp posted a thread asking why other users add “in peace” to the abbreviation “RIP,” to which several members replied that it was a common expression used on Internet forums. On April 2nd, 2010, UTD Forums^[5] member Sloppy posted a thread claiming the phrase “RIP in peace” originated from a page titled “RIP Grandad” on the teen blogging platform Piczo^[6] (shown below).

On December 18th, 2011, YouTuber KernelGaddafi uploaded a video titled “RIP in peace,” featuring a photograph of deceased North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il with a death hoax slide falsely identifying him as actor Jackie Chan (shown below).

On March 7th, 2013, Path of Exile Forums^[8] member DavosTheOnionKnight submitted a thread questioning why people used the phrase “RIP in peace.” On February 1st, 2014, YouTuber Mjau uploaded a Gordon Hurd testimonial video titled “RIP in peace, bro” (shown below). The same day, the video was posted to the /r/nl_Kripparrian^[2] subreddit, where it garnered upwards of 380 up votes and 40 comments in two months.