How Conservative Meme to Anti-ICE Emblem: The Remarkable Transformation of the Frog

The resistance may not be broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While rallies against the government carry on in US cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, as police observe.

Combining levity and politics – a strategy experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in this period, embraced by both left and right.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began when a video of an encounter between a man in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to rallies across the country.

"A great deal happening with that humble inflatable frog," says a professor, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities during a political race.

As this image first took off on the internet, people used it to signal certain emotions. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

Yet its beginnings were not so controversial.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

This character first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Previously, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The moment followed a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves at a specific location, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and a officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, quipped, stating he had tasted "something milder". However, the video spread everywhere.

The costume fit right in for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which contended the use of troops was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"Some might view this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

This symbol was seen in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was in high demand on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Optics

What connects both frogs together – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach is based on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to your ideas without explicitly stating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, he explains.

When activists take on a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences