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Back in high school, my friends would lean over someones smartphone and laugh as they swiped through a gallery of photographs, each one a variation of some strange, anthropomorphic frog. The cartoon character, whose name I eventually learned was Pepe, came to consume a sizeable amount of my social media feed, where people used his image to express sadness, grief and stress.

At a very basic level, this phenomenon illustrates precisely how a meme works to permeate social dialogue, influencing how we express ourselves and communicate with one another. The image contains the power to redefine and perpetuate specific contexts, too.

Arthur Jones documentary Feels Good Man works to unpack the relationship between creating personal art and the troubles of watching the general public commodify it. Like Frankenstein and his monster, Pepes creator, Matt Furie, reached a point where he no longer held any authority, both artistic and legal, over his own creation. While Pepe the Frog operates as the documentarys central focus, Jones appears interested in the broad implications of coopting an image as well.

Though Pepe first rose to internet stardom by way of Furies Boys Club comic series, the frogs cultural identity gradually shifted into something less than desirable after the character fell victim to media platforms like 4chan.

When looking at the bulbous eyes and fat-lipped smirk, its hard to imagine the character would eventually spread to the reaches of numerous hate group websites. In 2017, white nationalist Richard Spencer even donned a Pepe the Frog pin before getting punched to the ground.

I remember when Furie published a comic to announce the characters death. When he released the series back in 2005, the cartoonist likely did not expect his dorky, amphibious character, Pepe the Frog, to mutate into a hate symbol. This funeral was an attempt on Furies end to curtail a prejudiced internet movement led by Pepe-inspired imagery.

Furie grew up enamored of frogs, building them out of LEGO pieces and designing various mockups in his sketchbook. In blurry photographs, the artist is seen with a toothy smile and thick glasses; this tenderness does not escape the Furie depicted throughout the documentary, where his soft-spoken persona and thin frame undercuts any possibility of seeing the middle-aged artist appear angry or upset.

One of the first scenes follows Furie as he ambles around the edge of a swamp; bleating frogs accompany his journey around the landscape.

Its just been a slow drip of frogs throughout my entire life Just one little frog after another; Furie says this as one inches along his forearm. From the outset of the documentary, its difficult to visualize this same person originating a character that would ultimately make its way to the Anti-Defamation League.

Jones uses his directorial authority to differentiate between the originated character, Pepe, and the onslaught of appropriated, often offensive versions that communicate an alt-right agenda. At times, the narrative feels unbelievably farcical and senseless, but, on the whole, this approach aptly mirrors the lawless playing field seen on the internet.

Feels Good Man guides the audience through the frogs rise, fall and subsequent vindication; intersections with the 2016 election or the more recent Hong Kong protests are not digressions, but rather the backbone of a winding tale.

Before Pepe could explode into cultural relevancy, users on 4chan had to labor and work to place him on the radar. For those unfamiliar with the platform, 4chan is an imageboard website where users can post on a variety of topics, be it film, politics or cartoons. This veil of anonymity primed the perfect stage for generating loudly offensive content.

Though the context is quite convoluted, Ill put it in simple terms: 4chan users were drawn to Pepe for his inherent sorrow, leading numerous users to adopt the iconography as a means of exhibiting their own insecurities and discontent in the real world. Those unafflicted by experiences similar to their own were branded as normies, a phrase charged with spite.

Jones managed to nab an interview with one of these 4chan users, referenced in Feels Good Man as Mills, who breathes further life into the concept. He describes 4chan like group therapy on the internet, so, when general basic media users started to gravitate toward Pepe, 4chan users seethed and, according to Mills, The Pepe defense was building.

Writer and artist Dale Beran notes how Whenever [4chan users] thought outsiders were stealing their memes, they would try and make them as offensive as possible. The visual subject, with all his benign roots, then confuses the intention of any given post. For example, an anti-Semitic drawing of Pepe is, without a doubt, malicious and oppressive, yet manifesting these values in a cartoon frog undermines the subtext.

This grisly modification of Pepe manifested most prominently during the 2016 election, where 4chan users rallied in favor of Trumps oppressive and intimidating platform. His own bullying antics actualized their inclinations to differentiate between the winners and losers of the social hierarchy.

Joel Finkelstein, director of the Contagion Network Research Institute, went on to explain how Pepe appealed to so many political sensationalists through the characters visual imagery, specifically in how it combines this impossible mixture of innocence and evil.

Back in 2019, Furie even took Infowars to court over a print that featured his original character standing alongside Roger Stone, Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway and other notable personalities of the Republican Party. By no means would this settle the greater discourse around Pepes damning legacy but, within the political arena, Furie still tried to negate such connotations through legally challenging them.

Feels Good Man clarifies that the internet might be forever, but a cultural identity is capable of growth. Furie himself attests to this potential when he notes, The positive notion of Pepe is the possibility that you can change again.

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'Feels Good Man' Explores the Strange History of an Iconic Meme - Study Breaks

Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: Memes are some of the most easily recognizable images of our generation. They're funny, relatable, and, most importantly, they're versatile. But sometimes this versatility creates something darker.

This is Pepe the Frog, one of the most popular internet memes of all time. It's now considered a symbol of hate, according to the Anti-Defamation League. But it wasn't always like this. The cartoon frog that currently sits beside the swastika and the Iron Cross was born here, a nonpolitical comic about four roommates who enjoy being lazy and playing video games.

So, how did we get here...from here?

The green frog first debuted in 2005 in the comic "Boy's Club" by Matt Furie. It featured Pepe along with his three roommates all living together and hanging out. The humor was generally gross or crude but was completely nonpolitical in nature.

Then, in 2008, Pepe made his first steps to internet stardom. This panel was posted as a reaction image on the internet forum 4chan. And it became a trend almost instantly. More and more users began sharing Pepe on 4chan. And some were even putting their own spin on it. Pepe became a versatile meme. It was happy, sad, smug, and angry. It represented a relatable range of emotions.

And this relatability spread its influence to other social-media networks over the next several years. In 2015, Tumblr reported that it was the No. 1 most reblogged meme of the year. But at this point, Pepe was being shared a little too much, and the inside joke was beginning to lose its comedic value.

To keep the joke alive, people began creating "rare Pepes," novel versions of the meme that hadn't been made before. This phenomenon generated a mock economy, where the less frequently the meme was posted, the more valuable it was. With new images constantly being produced, Pepe grew stronger and reached mainstream status. And once Pepe became mainstream, everyone was in on the joke.

Now, it was rumored that there was an alt-right campaign to reclaim the meme from the "normies" by associating Pepe with white nationalism. But this was later revealed to have been an elaborate prank to mislead journalists. In reality, Pepe was just so versatile that it was inevitably drawn as everything. This sometimes included racists and even Donald Trump.

On October 13, 2015, Donald Trump retweeted this post. It linked the video "You Can't Stump the Trump " and tagged the notable right-leaning publications Breitbart and the Drudge Report. And under the video was this image of Pepe.

Before this, only fringe users on social media posted versions of the frog as Klan members or SS personnel. But this post was the catalyst that fueled the far right's claim of Pepe. More racist frogs appeared, particularly on Twitter, which spurred the movement #FrogTwitter. Much like how the echo is used by anti-Semitics to signify Jewish names, members of the alt-right began adding the frog emoji to their Twitter handles in solidarity with white nationalism.

And the more curious people got about the racist Pepes, the stronger the connection grew. When journalists asked about the "green face" they often saw "Trumpsters" and alt-right people use, they were met with white-nationalist Pepes as a response. So they began picking up on this trend, and when they saw someone use Pepe, whether in or out of racist context, they would respond by saying something like this.

Then, in 2016, Pepe's alt-right career came to a boiling point. Hillary Clinton delivered a campaign speech in which she referred to half of Trump's supporters as: Hillary Clinton: A basket of deplorables. Narrator: This led to the creation of a parody of the "Expendables" movie poster where the characters were replaced with conservative figures, known as "The Deplorables." And in that lineup, with Trump and notable conservative leaders, was none other than Pepe the Frog. Roger Stone and Donald Trump Jr., who both appeared on the poster, reposted the image, stating that they were proud to be one of the deplorables.

Shortly after this parody circulated, Clinton's campaign website denounced Pepe and called it "a symbol associated with white supremacy." And in September 2016, the Anti-Defamation League officially added Pepe the Frog to its database of hate symbols.

Since this designation, we've seen Pepe worn by self-proclaimed white nationalist Richard Spencer and sold as merchandise by Alex Jones, host of right-wing conspiracy outlet InfoWars. But Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe, has publicly stated his dislike for Pepe's evolution and has made efforts to take back his creation from the alt-right. In 2017, he released a one-page comic where he officially killed off the lazy green frog. Furie has also been involved in legal disputes with both The Daily Stormer and InfoWars, which effectively prevented them from using Pepe to promote their ideology any further.

But Furie's fight against the alt-right hasn't stopped other groups from using the meme. This time, however, Pepe has become a symbol of hope halfway across the world.

In 2019, protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong to rally against police brutality and Hong Kong's extradition bill. They held signs, graffitied walls, and messaged stickers with a peculiar, yet familiar face: Pepe the Frog. So, how did this lazy green amphibian become the face of yet another political movement? Simply put, Hong Kongers thought it was just a funny face, and most didn't know about its alt-right ties in the United States. In the eyes of Hong Kongers, Pepe existed as a Hello Kitty character. It looked strange and was eye-catching enough to grab attention. But, most importantly, it was versatile enough to become anything they wanted it to be. For these protesters, Pepe symbolized the youthful nature of rebellion and had nothing to do with the far-right movement in the West. In a New York Times interview by Daniel Victor, a young Hong Konger noted that symbols can mean different things in countries with different cultures. In the end, she encouraged other Hong Kongers to explain to Americans what Pepe really means to them.

We live in a world where information spreads almost instantly and the meaning of images changes just as fast. It's about culture and context. Pepe is the best modern example of this. But it wasn't the first victim. The swastika, for example, is actually considered sacred in certain Eurasian religions. It's a significant image meant to symbolize good fortune and well-being. But Nazis rebranded this symbol during World War II and made it an icon of hate instead. At least for Pepe, there is hope that it won't be a hate symbol forever, because Furie reminds us that "in the end, Pepe is whatever you say he is, and I, the creator, say that Pepe is love."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in October 2019.

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How this frog meme became a symbol of hope and hate - Business Insider - Business Insider

Throughout its four-day run, the Republican National Convention provided catnip for QAnon supporters.

Online conspiracy theorists were quick to interpret what they believed to be hidden messages as Vice President Mike Pence took to the stage on the third night, counting 17 flags flanking him on either side. This number is significant in the QAnon mindset, Q being the 17th letter of the alphabet. Facebook groups and Twitter communities went into overdrive, of course.

Activist Mary Ann Mendoza was pulled from the RNC roster on Tuesday, after she shared a thread of messages from a Twitter account linked to QAnon.

But two of Wednesday nights speakers also had ties to the movement. The first was veteran civil rights activist Clarence Henderson, who gave a pre-recorded speech. In May 2019, he appeared on the little-known QAnon podcast A Diary of the Great Awakening. The other was Burgess Owens, a former NFL star and Utah congressional candidate. He was a guest on the QAnon YouTube broadcast The Common Sense Show in May. Owens communications team has told reporters that he is not a follower of the conspiracy theory. In a three-minute speech, he kept things brief, telling voters: This November we have an opportunity to reject the mob mentality.

On Thursday night, Ivanka Trump delivered an address in which she said that America needs four more years of a warrior in the White House, a choice of words that was bound to appeal to a sprawling conspiracy movement that believes her father is locked in battle with a shadowy deep state. She also spoke of her father signing nine pieces of legislation to combat the evil of human trafficking a key issue for QAnoners, who are convinced that a powerful network of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is secretly controlling the United States.

Her words proved popular with conspiracy theorists. I bet they try to run Ivanka after Trump finishes his second term, wrote Twitter user Storm Crow, posting a photograph. Can you imagine this as the leader of the free world?

Earlier, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes had also characterized President Trump as a warrior against human trafficking. Last week, Reyes office postponed a Freedom for the Children rally in Salt Lake City, after concerns were raised that the events organizer had links to QAnon.

The one thing that Trump has always really done well digitally is being tapped into right wing communities. Knowing how to communicate with them, said Melissa Ryan, chief executive of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that researches disinformation. If theres an emphasis on human trafficking or child trafficking at all during the convention which is something that the Trump administration has done things on recently I feel like thats signaling to Q.

The highlight of the convention for QAnoners and for Trumps base was the presidents 70-minute speech on the south lawn of the White House on Thursday. It was attended by a largely mask-free crowd that included the Republican candidate for Georgias 14th congressional district, Marjorie Taylor Greene a QAnon supporter known for her conspiracy-filled blog. Trump has praised Greene on Twitter as a future Republican star.

Speaking in a more subdued tone than he deploys at his rallies, the president still made a point of mentioning how his administration took down human traffickers who prey on women and children. He told the audience, The far left wants to coerce you into saying what you know to be false and scare you out of saying what you know to be true. In one Facebook group, this clip was posted with the question, Did he just talk to Q? Dozens of people replied Yes.

QAnon adherents interpret these lines whether aimed at the Q community or not as affirmations of its cause.

The danger, I think, is to plant seeds in the heads of QAnon supporters and adherents that somehow their views are political-mainstream-supported views, said Jason Blazakis, former director of the State Departments Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office.

Overall, the RNC has proved a bonanza for conspiracists, but one gift just kept on giving: fan favorite Melania Trumps wardrobe. After much talk about the meaning of her military-style olive dress on Tuesday, the first lady opted for a much brighter shade of green for the closing night, paired with a red belt. Naturally, QAnoners saw this sartorial choice as a sign a coded reference to the alt-right symbol Pepe the Frog. As one supporter wrote on Twitter, Message received.

Caitlin Thompson contributed reporting.

Photo by Bloomberg / Getty Images

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Pepe the Frog, human trafficking and secret cabals QAnon's take on the RNC - Coda Story

An artist fights to reclaim his character from the alt right in 'Feels Good Man.' / Boing Boing

Pepe the Frog emerged into this world as a happy-go-lucky amphibian whose life's purpose was to get high and eat pizza with friends in Matt Furie's Boy's Club comic. But that was before the internet got a hold of him. In a nightmare so insidious you know it started on a message board, Pepe was co-opted and corrupted by internet trolls, transformed from a positive character into a white supremacist meme and iconic symbol of hate. A new documentary, Feels Good Man uses live interviews and animation to tell the bizarre story of one man's fight to reclaim the frog he loves from the dark forces who debased him. Catch one of four sneak preview screenings benefitting independent theaters and bookstores this weekend or watch it online September 4th.

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An artist fights to reclaim his character from the alt right in 'Feels Good Man.' - Boing Boing

When was the first time you encountered Pepe The Frog? Was it as the sad frog meme that spread like wildfire on 4chan? Was it in a series of make-up tutorials on Youtube? Or when Nicki Minaj made the evolving meme mainstream with a retweet? Or was it after Pepe went dark, becoming an icon appropriated by the alt-right as a symbol of white supremacy and Trump support? Maybe it was when Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer was explaining his Pepe lapel pin while being punched in the face by an anonymous hero. Or maybe, youre one of the comic books fans that remember this evocative frog from the innocent time before he became the notorious poster boy for every brand of edgelord/incel/bigot trolling. The bizarre journey through all of this and more is unfurled in the documentary Feels Good, Man.

That title might seem confounding considering it centers on a comic book character that has sparked anger and controversy across years around the globe. However, Feels Good, Man ties back to Pepes humble beginnings, where he was one of a quartet of quirky heroes of Boys Club. Created and drawn by Matt Furie, the comic was about oddities of post-collegiate life, which he posted on Myspace. Then, Pepe with his feels good, man catchphrase and expressive mug caught on with the 4chan crowd, who related to his eccentricities and agonies.

Directed by Arthur Jones, Feels Good, Man interviews experts on comics, internet culture, memes, and politics to detail the winding road of Pepes story. Jones also gives a lot of screentime to a shockingly frank 4chan incel who wistfully remembers the days when Pepe belonged to his ilk before the normies (meaning sex-havers and women) invaded their turf by appropriating the character theyd already appropriated. In a particularly disturbing segment, he recounts the spree killing of murderous misogynist Elliot Rodgers as a dark victory for his community. This is just one of many ways that Feels Good, Man is absolutely infuriating.

Props to Jones, as he clearly created a safe space in interviews to allow his subjects to express themselves with candor. What they have to say is shocking but essential to understand this complicated topic. Another interviewee expresses an unrepressed glee at how the liberal backlash against Pepe helped the Trump campaign. The doc also employs clips of conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and problematic youtube Logan Paul praising Pepe, as well as a flood of Pepe memes that are horrifically anti-Black, anti-Semitic, violent, misogynistic, and otherwise profoundly repulsive. In this way, Jones gives an unflinching insight into the dark side of internet appropriation, where memes can run wild and create a stupid and savage chapter of American History. As someone who follows and frequently covers the cross-section of entertainment and politics, I thought I knew the bulk of Pepes story. Yet Feels Good, Man surprised and repulsed me anew.

However, while this journeys details can be absolutely stomach-churning, at its core Feels Good, Man is about the artist who lost control of his creation. Furie drew a feel-good frog who liked to hang out with his friends and piss with his pants around his ankles. When he was posting one-page comics to Myspace, he could not imagine what might become of it. At first, he was flattered when Pepe became a 4chan celeb. While he was trying to figure out how to spin this popularity into profit, the alt-right took over Pepe, leaving Furie flummoxed as to how to reclaim what was once sweet and his. Yet, Furie himself becomes another infuriating element of the doc.

With a soft-spoken delivery and a snoozy stoner vibe, its easy to believe he was overwhelmed by the madness of Pepes trajectory. Even watching Jones careful plotting of this path, you yourself may feel like youve lost your grip on reality. The doc charts how Furie tried to distance himself from Pepe, then reclaim him, and rehabilitate the frog whod become an entry point to radicalism. However, most of these efforts feel frustratingly feeble and clueless. Worse yet, theres a galling sense that Furie is the greatest victim of the Pepe narrative. His aw shucks interviews repeatedly stress how hes trying to stay positive, but struggles when his name is tied to a noted symbol for hate. His friends lament how hes such a good guy who just wants to make childrens books without this scandal hanging over him. While their vexation is understandable, its tone-deaf to focus so much on the emotional wounds of Furie when the doc also displays caught-on-tape hate crimes carried out by white mean wearing Pepe t-shirts and masks. Furie is not Pepes only victim, and likely not even the most dramatically impacted one. But the doc doesnt have the stomach to linger on that thought.

Feels Good, Man is a shocking doc so chock-full of disorienting details, painful flashbacks to murder, bigotry, and Trumps 2016 campaign, that it feels unbearably long at just 92-minutes. Still, I admire how much insight and information Jones works into this runtime. Perhaps he thought a Furie focus would give audiences a breath between montages of deeply disturbing content. Maybe he felt Furies story humanizes Pepe or allows the legacy of this curious character to be recalibrated. Still, I wonder what was the core purpose of this doc? Was it to warn the public about how the bullsh*t memes and trolling of online agitators can spill deplorably and devastatingly into the real world? If so, youd think Jones might reach out to those whove felt the harmful effects of Pepe memes, despite having nothing to do with their perpetuation. Instead, it seems Feels Good, Mans goal is to exonerate Furie and the frog he cannot escape. And that kind of feels f*cked, man.

Feels Good, Man is part of Fantasia 2020, and will be available in the US on September 4. To learn more about the festival and how you can participate, visit their site.

Kristy Puchko is the managing editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.

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