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A Texas man has been removed from his position as an assistant middle school principal after he wrote and published a childrens book starring popular meme and white supremacist iconPepe the Frog.

Eric Hausers The Adventures ofPepe and Pede stars the frog and his friend, a centipede (centipede is a common nickname shared by President Trump supporters onReddits controversial r/the_donald forum). The two buddies team up to save their home, Wishington Farm, from an evil, swamp-dwelling alligator named Alkah. They defeat him using the blossoms of the honesty tree, which never grew under the previous farmer.The parallels to the Trump administration are only barely disguised.

Pepe and his centipede sidekick Pede start the book ecstatic that the old farmer hasleft after eight years of oppression, the Washington Postreported.

Denton school district took away Hausers position as a Rodriguez Middle School assistant principal because the books implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD, according to a statement.

Pepe and Pedewas initially self-published, but it was quickly picked up by a conservative publishing house called Post Hill Press, whose other pro-Trump books include a kids book where a Trumpian rabbit called Thump becomes president;Go the F**k to Jail: An Adult Coloring Book of the Clinton Scandals(Tagline: Lock Her Up!); and The Trump Book of Insults: An Adult Coloring Book.

The publisher denied there were any hidden messages in the book, and told thePost it was simply a story about law and order and good vs. evil.

But thats not the impression the illustrator of the book, Nina Khalova, got. Vices Motherboard contacted her about the book, and she shared Hausers notes on the art with them. Among other things, he wanted the evil alligators minions to look more like a cartoon meme of Muslim women in burkas.

The book also references 4chan memes like the god Kek, and includes a dedication to my fellow centipedes. If youre familiar with the meme culture of white supremacists, its not particularly subtle.

Hauser denies any affiliation with white supremacists. This book has a lot of conservative overtones, but I will tell you this: I wrote the book as attempt to break down the barriers of political correctness and embrace truth, honesty, and teamwork, he told the Dallas Observer.

H/TWashington Post

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Assistant principal loses job over his kids' book starring Pepe the Frog - The Daily Dot

"The book is the creative property of Mr. Hauser and is not tied with the district, its curriculum or instructional materials -- yet the attention it brought him and the book's implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD," the statement said.

He will be reassigned to a yet-to-be-determined role that will not involve beinga campus administrator or educator, the district said.

"Due to the controversy surrounding the book I have published, I think it's best that I not serve as assistant principal at Rodriguez," Hauser said in the statement. "The students, the community and the teachers are too important to me to subject them to all the negativity and disapproval resulting from this book. To my colleagues, I offer my deepest apologies if this has affected them or their families in any negative way."

The district did not learn about the book until last week, when Hauser contacted adminstrators about it, Denton ISD spokesman Mario Zavala said.

Pepe the Frog has been used in recent years by the "alt-right," a racist movement whose name was coined by Dallas native Richard Spencer.

Read the original:
Denton ISD assistant principal removed for conservative children's book featuring Pepe the Frog - Dallas News (blog)

In response to asking what he thinks of Trump's presidency, Hauser said, "You can support somebody but not always agree everything they do." He saidhe supports the direction the country is headed and that he is very patriotic.

The book's online summary on Amazon describes the story:

"Pepe the Frog and his best friend Centipede unite as one as they fight to restore law and order, and bring freedom back to Wishington Farm. This is an adventurous tale for all ages packed with patriotic prominence!"

Hauser didn't want to discuss too many of the plot points, but said the following themes are reflected in the book: honesty, teamwork, being pro-American, nationalism, unity andtruth.

Hauser told The Dallas Observer that he wrote the book "as an attempt to break down the barriers of political correctness."

"In Hauser's book, best friends Pepe and Pede celebrate a new farmer's arrival at the farm by imposing law and order on a bearded alligator character named Alkah," Stephen Young of The Dallas Observer reports."Pepe and Pede hurl 'blessed buds' toward Alkah and his 'minions,' 'raining truth' upon Wishington Farm."

Hauser has worked in different capacities in Denton ISD for more than 10 years.

His wife, Kelli, also works for the district and made headlines last year for her viral music video parody of Macklemore to pep students up for STAAR testing.

The districthadn't heard about the book until Thursday when Hauser contacted them about it, Denton ISD spokesman Mario Zavala said.

"Itdoesn't really apply to district curriculum. It's something Mr. Hauser wanted to do on a personal level," he said.

Zavala said Hauser told him that his daughter kept having nightmares about a bearded alligator so he thought writing the story was a good way to help her through a rough time.

"He wasn't aware of the character's affiliation," Zavala said. "You have a dad trying to do something positive and was a bit nave."

Anything can be taken out of context, Zavala said, which is a lesson Hauser's learning through this process.

Hauser said he doesn't have plans to change anything now that he's aware of Pepe's white supremacist connection.

"I don't see Pepe as that at all," he said. "Pepe was not that. From what I know of Pepe that's not what he is and I think that was just a recent label, just from what I've learned, that was placed on Pepe and may be an attempt to silence a more conservative viewpoint."

See the article here:
Self-published 'Pepe the Frog' kids' book is conservative but not alt-right, Denton ISD admin says - Dallas News (blog)

A comparable incident occurred just this week, when a Texas middle school fired its assistant principal, Eric Hauser, after he published a children's book featuring the "popular white nationalist symbol," Pepe the Frog.

According to The Washington Post, the school district Superintendent Jamie Wilson released a statement encouraging free-thought and open expression, but said, "When these ideas interrupt the ability to learn, work or create divisiveness each of us is held accountable."

In other words, because the assistant principal's actions impeded the mission of the institution, Superintendent Wilson had grounds to fire him. It seems, then, in both public and private spheres, employees can be held accountable for their political speech.

As Gillian B. White points out in The Atlantic, the events in Charlottesville seem to reflect a disturbing trend in which white nationalists feel increasingly at ease openly expressing themselves, regardless of potential consequences.

"The hoods may be off," she writes, "but the torchbearers may not have jobs to come back to on Monday."

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Yes, your boss can fire you for being a white supremacist - CNBC

The Adventures of Pepe and Pede

The Adventures of Pepe and Pede

Texas assistant principal reassigned after writing alt-right kids' book

A Dallas-area assistant principal has been reassigned after authoring a children's book featuring alt-right messaging and characters.

Eric Hauser, an employee of Denton ISD, was removed from his positionMonday after district officials learned of his book, "The Adventures of Pepe and Pede." The book features a cartoon frog named Pepe, virtually identical to the character featured in racist and anti-Semitic memes, and writing with white nationalist overtones, according to multiple media reports.

In statements to The Dallas Morning News and Vice, Hauser has denied any connection between his book and racist messaging.

"I'm using Pepe just as a lighthearted way of expressing maybe some conservative values," Hauser told the Dallas Morning News. "I would say to people, 'Please try to look at this from a positive standpoint,' because that's the standpoint that I've written it from. And then obviously know that I'm not part of the alt-right."

EARLIER: Texas assistant principal writes 'Pepe the Frog' book

As Vice noted, Hauser reached out to Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right provocateur, to promote his work. The book was also published by Post Hill Press, which has distributed far-right works in the past.

In a statement announcing Hauser's reassignment, Denton ISD officials distanced themselves from Hauser personal work.

"The book is the creative property of Mr. Hauser and is not tied with the district, its curriculum or instructional materials -- yet the attention it has brought him and the book's implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD," the statement read.

In the statement, Hauser said he "thinks it's best" that he not serve as an assistant principal.

"The students, the community, and the teachers are too important to me to subject them to all the negativity and disapproval resulting from this book," his statement read. "To my colleagues, I offer my deepest apologies if this has affected them or their families in any negative way."

District officials didn't say what role Hauser will take following his reassignment, but he will not serve as a campus administrator or educator.

See the article here:
Texas assistant principal reassigned after writing alt-right kids' book - Chron.com