Radical Memes

This is basically water's dramatic breakup story! The H₂O molecule on the left is having a perfectly stable existence until—BAM—photolysis hits and one hydrogen atom gets yeeted away. The remaining OH radical is left behind like "where did my hydrogen go?!" It's the molecular equivalent of getting ghosted after what seemed like a perfectly good relationship. Chemistry doesn't care about your feelings or molecular bonds apparently.

This meme is playing with the dual meaning of "radical" in chemistry and politics. On the left, we have a standard Lewis structure with evenly distributed electrons around the Islamic crescent symbol. On the right, the "Radical Islam" has an unpaired electron—which is exactly what makes a molecule a radical in chemistry. Chemists have been making this pun in their labs for decades while mixing volatile compounds. The real question is: does that lone electron make it more reactive or just more misunderstood?