🔗 Share this article

The resistance won't be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

Whilst rallies opposing the leadership persist in American cities, protesters are utilizing the vibe of a local block party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while police watch.

Combining levity and politics – a strategy researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a hallmark of US demonstrations in the current era, adopted by various groups.

A specific icon has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It began when recordings of a confrontation between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to rallies throughout the United States.

"A great deal happening with that humble inflatable frog," says LM Bogad, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on political performance.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to talk about protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by online communities during an election cycle.

As the character first took off online, people used it to express specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to show support for a political figure, even one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

Yet Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his life with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over imagery," states the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

This incident followed a decision to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of a federal building.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The action was halted by courts just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog had transformed into a significant protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit was seen nationwide at No Kings protests that fall. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

This item was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that draws focus to your ideas without directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit used, or the meme circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

When protesters confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences