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A Denton ISD assistant principal was removed from his post this week after a childrens book he wrote containing a popular internet character that has since become co-opted by the so-called alt-right an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism caused controversy within the school district.

According to theDallas Morning News, The Adventures of Pepe and Pede author Eric Hauser was removed from his position as assistant principal of Rodriguez Middle School in Oak Point Monday.

Astatement released Monday by the school district said:

Mr. Hauser, who has strived to be an author on his own accord, recently released a childrens book that drew controversy to himself and the district. 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 books implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD.

Pepe the Frog started out as an internet comic book character in 2005, first appearing in Matt FuriesBoys Club comic. With a human body and a frog face, the punch line for thefirst issue of the series came when Pepe was caught urinating with his pants around his ankles. His rationale:Feels good, man.

Since Pepes first appearance, the character has been co-opted by the so-called alt-right movement. In 2015, then-presidential nominee Donald Trumptweeted a caricature of his body with Pepes face standing at the presidential podium. Later, after Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables comment about Trump and his supporters, Pepe appeared in anonline illustration of The Deplorables, meant as a send-up of Sylvester StallonesThe Expendables action movie series.

According to the DMN, Hausers Pepe and Pedefollows Pepe and a centipede named Pede living on Wishington Farm that has a new farmer. The pair save a pond that was taken over by a bearded alligator named Alkah and his minions by using truth blossoms from the honesty tree.

Hauser said he doesn't align with the alt-right at all and said chose Pepe because he's a funny, lovable character. The same goes for Pede, he said, which is short for centipede.

Hauser said in a statement to the DMN that he was aware the Pepe was a conservative meme, but not that it was a part of a racist movement. He said he was unaware of the implications of the character until afterThe Adventures of Pepe and Pede was published on Aug. 1.

"Due to the controversy surrounding the book I have published, I think it's best that I not serve as assistant principal at Rodriguez," he said inthe statement released by Denton ISD.

Read more:
Denton ISD administrator removed after authoring children's book featuring Pepe the Frog - Austin American-Statesman

BTW

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

See the rest here:
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