Denizens of the darker corners of the Internetturned an innocent frog comic into a hate symbol of the "deplorable" alt-right.
"Pepe the Frog" first appeared in 2005 in the comic "Boy's Life" by artist and illustrator Matt Furie. The comics depictPepe and his anthropomorphized animal friends behaving like stereotypical post-college bros: playing video games, eating pizza, smoking potand being harmlessly gross.
In 2008, fans of the comic began uploading Furie's work online. In one comic, Pepe responds to a question about his bathroom habits with, "Feels good, man."
That reaction image and catchphrase took on a life of its own on the Internet, meriting a Know Your Meme entry by 2009. Alternate iterations of Pepe, including sad, smugand angry Pepes, followed. Pepe memes are ubiquitous across 4chan, Reddit, Imgur, Tumblr, and other social media and image-sharing sites.
It all seemed in good fun, but in late September, Pepe's green visage was designateda hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL's online hate symbol database is designed to help law enforcement, educators, and members of the general public identify potentially hateful images, explained Oren Segal, the director of the organization's Center on Extremism. He said that in recent years, hate symbols have proliferated online. Now, with things like Pepe the frog, anti-Semitic images are originating and circulating almost primarily on social media.
In some instances, Pepe wears a Hitler mustache, and his signature message is replaced with "Kill Jews Man." In others, Pepe poses in front of a burning World Trade Center, dressed like an Orthodox Jewish person with a yarmulke and payot. He's also been spotted wearing a Nazi soldier's uniform and in a KKK hood and robe.
In May, the Daily Beast spoke to a white supremacist who said there had been a concerted effort on the site 4chan to "reclaim Pepe" from normal people in late 2015. Pepe had gone mainstream: He's been tweeted by Katy Perry, who said she has a "Pepe file" on her computer, and has made multiple appearances on Nicki Minaj's Instagram. So the supremacist groupremixed him with Nazi propaganda for a laugh.
It originated on /rk9/, the 4chan message board associated with some of the least savory elements of the Internet. Last fall, people on that board purposefully framed two innocent individuals for the Umpqua Community College shooting. It's allegedly where Isla Vista shooter Elliot Rodger announced his shooting before it took place in a post with aPepe meme.
Nazi Pepe made its way to Twitter, where people who regularly tweeted messages supporting white nationalism and anti-immigrant views quickly absorbed it into their Internet repertoire. People who identify with those movementsadd the frog emoji to their Twitter name.
In August, Hillary Clinton gave her now-infamous speech denouncing some of Donald Trump's supporters, particularly the segment known as the alt-right, as a "basket of deplorables."
A couple weeks later, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. posted a photo on Instagram that depicted him and other supporters as "The Deplorables" -- a play on the poster from the movie "The Expendables." In the lineup? Pepe.
Two weeks after that, the ADL made its official designation. Segal, the representative for the organization, said that while the ADL was researching harassment of journalists on Twitter -- particularly the use of the triple-parenthetical (((echo))) around names to designate Jewish people -- they began to notice Pepe's face coming up more frequently.
He said people on his staff were aware of Pepe's original, inoffensive incarnation, but it was clear that the frog had become associated with anti-Semitic opinions online.
"When we felt that [Pepe]was reaching that point of the hateful version becoming more widespread, that's a criteria for adding it to our hate symbols database," he explained.
Hopefully, he says, the Pepe meme will be able to move past this dark point in its history and go back to just being fun. If enough people share positive -- or at least non-hateful -- Pepe memes, to the point where few people encounter Nazi Pepe online, it wouldn't be a hate symbol anymore.
"The hate symbol database isn't the final stop for this meme," he said.
That came as a big relief to Furie, the artist who created Pepe. He has been understandably devastated by the turn his creation has taken.
"To have it evolve into what it is today, it's a nightmare," Furie said. "It's kind of my worst nightmare ... to be tangled in forever with a symbol of hate."
I would love to help the ADL and do my part by flooding the Internet with positive Pepe memes,he added.
He's not evena particularly political guy. Prior to the ADL's hate symbol announcement, he had never heard of the alt-right or the nascent white supremacist movement that's sprung up around Trump. Though he'd heard of Pepe being used as a meme as far back as 2008, he never made the memes himself. He says he plans to vote for Hillary Clinton.
"I'm a lifelong artist," said Furie, who lives in Los AngelesKoreatown neighborhood. "Hate and racism couldn't be further from something on my radar. I try to focus on positivity and nature and animals."
Furie stopped drawing Pepe about sixyears ago, though he did revive him recently for a very special drawing on his Tumblr. It depicts the frog wearing a "Make Pepe Great Again" hat, urinating on a green-faced Trump.
Reclaiming your own work from anti-Semites: Feels good, man.
@jessica_roy
ALSO
Live updates from the campaign trail
Trump is encouraging and amplifying the message of a 'radical fringe' of conservatives, Clinton says
Continued here:
How 'Pepe the Frog' went from harmless to hate symbol ...
- 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]
- Heat Street Apologizes for Saying Pepe the Frog Isn't Anti ... [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]
- 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]