There are many reasons to love Back to the Future. It’s the perfect nostalgia movie for the 1950s, 1980s, and even its timeless hopefulness about the future.

It’s also fun to look at the film as being a predictor of the future. After all, Marty McFly inspired Chuck Barry’s career and heavy metal in one fell swoop. And Biff Tannen predicted the cellphone.

The Original Internet Troll

Seriously, it happens pretty early on. When Marty is at the cafeteria talking to his father George McFly, he spots Biff inappropriately touching his (Marty’s) mother Lorraine Baines. So he grabs Biff and pulls him up by the collar of his shirt. This precipitates a physical confrontation, which is only thwarted by the domineering presence of Mr. Strickland.

And then comes the cellphone.

Biff is the original clueless Internet troll. He perfected the self-own by trying and failing to make a clever mic drop with his infamous, “Now why don’t you make like a tree… and get out of here.” Little does the bully know that no one is intimidated by his statement. Instead, they’re silently laughing at his stupidity.

So that’s how Back to the Future predicted the self-own. Oh wait. Did I spell that wrong earlier? I suppose it makes little difference. Many a troll has used his or her cellphone to self-own.

Silver Lining

At least Biff got to literally slap some sense into himself in the sequel.

This is the Deja Reviewer telling you to make like a tree and come back soon.

Both video clips are the copyright of their owner.

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