Heat Street Editor and former British Conservative MP Louise Menschhas writtenan article agreeing with the establishment media and Clinton campaigns claims that Pepe the Frog is a white supremacist icon.Mensch apologized for another Heat Street article by Ian Miles Cheong, who defended the innocent green frog meme last week.
Under the title Hillary Clinton Is Absolutely Right, Pepe Meme Is Antisemitic An Apology, Mensch apologized for Cheongs defence of the cartoon frog, claiming that the piece was inaccurate.
We apologize for publishing it, she wrote, adding an editors note on Cheongs story:This article was wrong and we should never have published it.Pepe the Frog is antisemitic.
Heat Street, backed by Rupert Murdochs News Corp, boasts in its motto: Free speech celebrated. No safe spaces.
Quoting Cheongs claims that no single group or ideology has ownership of the meme, Mensch argues: That is untrue. While Pepe, once a harmless frog meme, may have started out as a widely used meme, the frog is now a symbol of the Nazi Jew-baiting of the alt-right.
Her hyperlinked evidence of this blanket statement is a Google Drive foldertitled Pepe that contains a dozen Nazi-themed Pepe alterations. A Trump/Pepe image, with no Nazi imagery, is included. Nineof the 22 images in the folder do not feature Pepe illustrations at all.
That is the entirety of her argument: one dozen Nazi variants out of thousands of Pepes across the Web. Below I show some handful of antisemitic Pepe / Trump memes, they are everywhere, she writes, before linking to the Drive folder again. She makes no case for theimplicit suggestion that using a Pepe meme without Nazi or anti-Semitic imagery (i.e., the vast majority of Pepe memes) is automatically an embrace of Nazism and anti-Semitism.
Cheong, the managing editor of Gameranx and aprominent playerin the GamerGate controversy, has since retracted the claims of his original piece, stating that he was wrong about Pepe. Cheong reiterates Menschs claims that It has, in fact, become an anti-semitic meme.
Mensch has not yet added an editors note to another Heat Street article contradicting the far lefts white nationalism narrative. Last week, contributor William Hicks posted a piece sarcastically calling pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj white supremacists for spreading Pepes on their social media accounts.
This article was likely pushing back on the political lefts claim that Donald Trumps son is a racist for posting a Pepe on his Instagram. Mensch is now putting the full force of her editorial authority behind that left-wingnarrative.
Pepe is a cartoon frog who began his Internet life as an innocent meme enjoyed by teenagers and pop stars alike. But in recent months, Pepes been almost entirely co-opted by the white supremacists who call themselves the alt-right, wrote Elizabeth Chan on behalf of the Clinton campaign last week, in an explainer thatattempted to link the Internet meme with white supremacy.Theyve decided to take back Pepe by adding swastikas and other symbols of anti-semitism and white supremacy.
The explainer based its comments largely on a Daily Beast interview with notorious troll and self-proclaimed parody account, Jared Taylor Swift, who made satirical comments about reclaiming Pepe from the normies. Swift and a fellow troll, Paul Town, later told the Daily Caller that they gave the Daily Beasts Olivia Nuzzi the most ridiculous quotes they could think of and she printed them, falling entirely for the troll. With noevidence but Nuzzis discredited piece, mainstream media reporters have uncritically declared the frog to be anicon for white nationalism on air, including NBCs Katy Tur and ABCs George Stephanopoulos.
Mensch fails to state that the creator of Pepe the Frog, Matt Furie, is actually a Democrat who expressed support for Hillary Clintons campaign, after his favorite candidate, Bernie Sanders, dropped out of the race.
Its weird that people are saying hes been a longtime white supremacist meme, said Furie, who denied that his frog had anything to do with white supremacy. If anything hed be part of the Green party. Hes a frog, why would he support white supremacists? That doesnt make anysense.
But she doesnt need to analyze or even acknowledge any of that information. She has a folder with 12 Nazi Pepes in it, and that is enough for her to shut down any other interpretation.
Charlie Nash is a reporterforBreitbart Tech. You can follow himon Twitter@MrNashingtonorlike his page at Facebook.
Read the original here:
Heat Street Apologizes for Saying Pepe the Frog Isn't Anti ...
- What Pepe The Frog's Death Can Teach Us About ... - NPR.org [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2018] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2018]
- The Truth About Pepe The Frog And The Cult Of Kek [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2018] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2018]
- Pep Le Pew - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2018]
- Amazon.com: Pepe Scream: Appstore for Android [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2019] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2019]
- Zara Loses Its Skirt Over Pepe the Frog - The New York Times [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2019] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2019]
- An Obituary For The Painfully Misunderstood Pepe The Frog ... [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2019] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2019]
- Pepe the Frog - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2019] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2019]
- I 'stormed' Area 51 and it was even weirder than I imagined - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2019]
- What the uncanceling of Pepe the Frog just for HK protests, though tells us about US media - RT [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2019]
- How the alt-right co-opted the OK hand sign to fool the media - The Guardian [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- The 'OK' Hand Gesture Is Now Listed As A Symbol Of Hate - NPR [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- Pepe the protest frog? Hong Kong kids aren't alt-right - FRANCE 24 [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2019]
- Why Joker is unlikely to inspire real-world violence - Vox.com [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2019]
- How Area 51 memes enticed a generation to Naruto run at a military base - The Independent [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Theater Review: The Slow Launch and Rapid Rise of Dr. Rides American Beach House - Vulture [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Inside the extreme right-wings plan to take over campus conservatism - Raw Story [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Hong Kong and Cartoons: Art and Its Influence in the Pro-Democracy Protests - The Bagpipe [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- How Donald Trump Jr. Landed Smack in the Middle of a Right-Wing Civil War - The Daily Beast [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2019]
- Trump, Israel and anti-Semitism: How white nationalists are rattling the American right - Haaretz [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- Hong Kongers mark half year protest anniversary with huge rally - Capital FM Kenya [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Our Top 5 Fav Memes From The Decade - 5Why [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Worst tweet of the decade was the Vita Coco urine tweet - Business Insider [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Overwhelming illustrations put the internet in your eyeballs - Fast Company [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Decade list: Top trends and memes - UNR The Nevada Sagebrush [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- White Power Hand Signal Used During Army-Navy Game - West Point, Annapolis Investigating - Jim Heath TV [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- Alexander the Bot: The Twitter War for the Macedonian Soul - Balkan Insight [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- Ive Been Reporting From the Front Lines of the Hong Kong Protests. Heres What It Taught Me About the Power of Art - artnet News [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- From sexting to politics: How emoji evolved this decade - The Next Web [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- The memes that defined the 2010s - Vox.com [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- When the O.K. Sign Is No Longer O.K. - The New York Times [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2019]
- The hope of Chanukah - The Spectator USA [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- The Top 10 Memes That Defined the Decade - Highsnobiety [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- We wish we'd written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2019 - STAT [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2019]
- Hide the Pain Harold is the meme of the decade (according to Imgur) - The Next Web [Last Updated On: January 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 16th, 2020]
- Sorry Racist Friend, That MLK Quote You Posted Yesterday Meant Nothing Coming From You - Moms [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2020]
- Hong Kong rings in Chinese New Year with protest-themed gifts - Quartz [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2020]
- Big premieres in the Big Sky: 149 films at Big Sky Film Fest - Montana Kaimin [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- Sundance: Feels Good Man charts a path of redemption for Pepe - TechCrunch [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog - adl.org [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2020]
- The 1975s New Meme-Heavy Video Will Make You Feel 1,000 Years Old - Vulture [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2020]
- What is the 'boogaloo'? How online calls for a violent uprising are hitting the mainstream - NBC News [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2020]
- Civil war talk takes on a life of its own as far-right extremists coalesce around the Boogaloo - AlterNet [Last Updated On: February 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 29th, 2020]
- SXSW Review: 'Feels Good Man' documents the rise of Pepe the Frog - Vanyaland [Last Updated On: March 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 24th, 2020]
- Meme of The Decade - The Banner Newspaper [Last Updated On: March 24th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 24th, 2020]
- 10 ways to spot online misinformation - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2020]
- AFLW star Tayla Harris and the kick that ignited the trolls - then punted them to the sidelines - The Age [Last Updated On: April 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2020]
- How Pepe the Frog Became a Nazi Trump Supporter and Alt ... [Last Updated On: April 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2020]
- What Does Pepe the Frog Mean? | Memes by Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: April 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2020]
- Boogaloo Extremists, Banned From Facebook, and the Hawaiian Shirt - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Incels: Alienated Men And Violence In The Digital Age - Rantt Media [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Drive-In Film Fest Has Debut - Micromedia Publications [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Qiana Di Bari, Owner of Sale Pepe in Lahaina, On Racism in the Food Business and Why She Feels At Home On Maui - HONOLULU Magazine [Last Updated On: July 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 7th, 2020]
- Inside 'Boogaloo' movement 'armed to the teeth' and calling for overthrow of US - Daily Star [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2020]
- What is frog TikTok, and why does it so often cross over with lesbian TikTok? - Metro.co.uk [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2020]
- The Rundown: July 16, 2020 - Multiversity Comics [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2020]
- There's a documentary on the way about Pepe the Frog - entertainment.ie [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Most Googled things by US states over past 10 years including Kim Kardashian, Baby Shark and Fortnite - The Sun [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- Disney Plus "Muppets Now" Zoom Video Call With Kermit the Frog And Friends - We Are Movie Geeks [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog Creator Tries to Reclaim Meme in Feels Good Man Doc Trailer - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- 'Feels Good Man' Will Try To Save Pepe The Frog, The Innocent Cartoon That Became A Hate Symbol - esquire.com [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2020]
- What Does The "Pepe The Frog" Meme Mean? | YourTango [Last Updated On: July 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 25th, 2020]
- Trailer for Award-Winning Doc FEELS GOOD MAN Takes Viewers on an Artist's Journey to Reclaim His Creation 'Pepe the Frog' - GeekTyrant [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- How 'Pepe the Frog' went from harmless to hate symbol ... [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog - Dictionary.com [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2020]
- Muppets, murderers and a new 'Star Trek' are among 10 things to watch on TV - Salt Lake Tribune [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Young Men, Alienation and Violence in the Digital Age - Fair Observer [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Muppets Now: Together Again, With a Touch of Amnesia - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Former Overwatch Pro Silkthread Reveals Blizzard Tried To Fine Him $1000 For Pepe The Frog Tweet - Bounding Into Comics [Last Updated On: August 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 5th, 2020]
- How White Nationalists Weaponize Motherhood - The Cut [Last Updated On: August 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 7th, 2020]
- The Hate-Fueled Rise of r/The_Donaldand Its Epic Takedown - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2020]
- Donald Trump Jr. has a long history of spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories online - Insider - INSIDER [Last Updated On: August 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 10th, 2020]
- Open Air Cinema and Streaming Series Continue at The Loft - Tucson Weekly [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- How Pepe the Frog's Creator Rescued Him From the Alt-Right - Daily Beast [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- You Can't DM People on 4chan: Arthur Jones and Giorgio Angelini on Pepe the Frog Documentary Feels Good Man - Filmmaker Magazine [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog Mutates from a Far Right Meme Into a Lovable, Far Gone Figure in Feels Good Man - The Texas Observer [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- An Artist Tries to Save Pepe the Frog From Fascists - Hyperallergic [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Movie review: New doc chronicles chilling tale of Pepe the Frog - Online Athens [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2020] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2020]
- Documentary details how Pepe the Frog became the mascot of white supremacy - The State Press [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2020]
- Pepe the Frog finds redemption in the Amazon documentary 'Feels Good Man' - Idaho State Journal [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2020]
- Ladbrokes Casino bonus: how good is the 2020 welcome offer? - Telegraph.co.uk [Last Updated On: October 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 10th, 2020]