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Pepe the Frog is a popular Internet meme. The fictional green anthropomorphic frog with a frog-like face and a humanoid body is originally from a comic series by Matt Furie called Boy's Club.[2] It became an Internet meme when its popularity steadily grew across Myspace, Gaia Online and 4chan in 2008. By 2015, it had become one of the most popular memes used on Tumblr. Beginning in 2016, his image has increasingly been appropriated as a symbol of the controversial alt-right movement. Because of the use of Pepe by the alt-right, the Anti-Defamation League added Pepe the Frog to their database of hate symbols in 2016, adding that not all Pepe memes are racist.[3] Since then, Pepe's creator has publicly expressed his dismay at Pepe being used as a hate symbol.[4]

The meme's original use has evolved over time and has many variants, including Sad frog, Smug frog, Feels frog, and "You will never..." frog.[5]

Pepe the Frog was created by American artist Matt Furie. Its usage as a meme came from his comic, Boy's Club #1. The progenitor of Boy's Club was a zine that Furie made on Microsoft Paint called Playtime, which included Pepe as a character.[6] He posted his comic in a series of blog posts on Myspace in 2005.[5][7]

In the comic, Pepe was found urinating with his pants pulled down to his ankles and the catchphrase "feels good man" was his rationale.[8][9] Furie took those posts down when the printed edition was published in 2006.[5]

Pepe was used in blog posts on Myspace and became an in-joke on Gaia Online. In 2008, the page containing Pepe and the catchphrase was scanned and uploaded to 4chan's /b/ board, which was described by Motherboard as his "permanent home".[5] It took off among 4chan users, who adapted Pepe's face and the catchphrase to fit different scenarios and emotions, such as melancholy, anger, and surprise.[2] Color was also added, originally a black and white line drawing, Pepe became green with brown lips, sometimes in a blue shirt.[7][8] "Feels Guy", or "Wojak", originally an unrelated character typically used to express melancholy, was eventually often paired with Pepe in user-made comics or images.[9]

"My Pepe philosophy is simple: 'Feels good man.' It is based on the meaning of the word Pepe: 'To go Pepe.' I find complete joy in physically, emotionally, and spiritually serving Pepe and his friends through comics. Each comic is sacred, and the compassion of my readers transcends any differences, the pain, and fear of 'feeling good.'"

Around 2015, as Pepe's usage was increasing, a phenomenon began on 4chan where users would declare certain variants as rare, known as a "rare Pepe". These images, sometimes as physical paintings,[10][11] were put up for sale and auction on eBay and posted in listings on Craigslist.[2][5] 4chan users referred to those who used the meme outside of the website as "normies" in response to the meme's increase in usage.[5] That year Pepe was #6 on Daily News and Analysis' list of the most important memes and was the most reblogged meme on Tumblr.[12][13]

During the 2016 United States presidential election, the meme was connected to the Donald Trump's campaign. In October 2015, Donald Trump retweeted a Pepe representation of himself, associated with a video called "You Can't Stump the Trump (Volume 4)".[3][14] Later in the election, Roger Stone and Donald Trump Jr. posted a parody movie poster of The Expendables on Twitter and Instagram titled "The Deplorables", a play of Hillary Clinton's controversial phrase, basket of deplorables, which included Pepe's face among those of members of the Trump family and other figures popular among the alt-right.[15]

Also during the election, associations of the character with white nationalism and the alt-right were described by various news organizations.[16][17][18] In May 2016, Olivia Nuzzi of The Daily Beast wrote how there was "an actual campaign to reclaim Pepe from normies" and that "turning Pepe into a white nationalist icon" was an explicit goal of some on the alt-right.[19] In September 2016, an article published on Hillary Clinton's campaign website described Pepe as "a symbol associated with white supremacy" and denounced Donald Trump's campaign for its supposed promotion of the meme.[20][21] The same month, the two sources for Nuzzi's Daily Beast article revealed to The Daily Caller that they had coordinated beforehand to mislead Nuzzi (particularly about the existence of a campaign) under the expectation that she would uncritically repeat what she was told, with one saying, "Basically, I interspersed various nuggets of truth and exaggerated a lot of things, and sometimes outright lied in the interest of making a journalist believe that online Trump supporters are largely a group of meme-jihadis who use a cartoon frog to push Nazi propaganda. Because this was funny to me."[22] The Anti-Defamation League, an American organization opposed to antisemitism, included Pepe in its hate symbol database but noted that most instances of Pepe were not used in a hate-related context.[23][24] In January 2017, in a response to "pundits" calling on Theresa May to disrupt Trump's relationship with Russia, The Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom tweeted an image of Pepe.[25][26]

In an interview with Esquire, Furie commented on Pepe's usage as a hate symbol, stating: "It sucks, but I can't control it more than anyone can control frogs on the Internet".[27]Fantagraphics Books, Furie's publisher, issued a statement condemning the "illegal and repulsive appropriations of the character".[28] On October 17, Furie published a satirical take of Pepe's appropriation to the alt-right movement on The Nib.[29][30] This was his first comic for the character since he ended Boy's Club in 2012.[1]

The rest is here:
Pepe the Frog - Wikipedia

Clemson University made national news last semester when an resident adviserremovedmemes of Harambe, the slain gorilla, from dorms, calling them rape culture. Hoping to avoid similar controversy, the University required all RAs to attend free-speech training earlier this month, warning them that even dorm-room decorations deemed offensive could not be removed. But it nowlooks like one RA wasnt paying attention.

On Jan. 16 less than a week after the mandatory free-speech trainingJay Sridharan, an RA in the Cope Hall dorms, removed memes of Pepe, a cartoon frog appropriated by the alt-right and often associated with racism. In their place, Sridharan hung generic, orange sports decorations.

One student, who asked not to be named, said the customized Pepe memes were our old RAs parting gift. All residents on the hall receiveda custom Pepe door decoration.

By deadline, Sridharan did not respond to my request for comment. But on social media, he told one resident he didnt think anyone cared to keep them. He wrote, I threw them away whenever I put up your new ones, sorry bud.

Clemsons director of residential living, Leasa Evinger, compared the removal to replacing out of date bulletin board content.

But during the mandatory free-speech training, Evinger explicitly told RAs that students rooms, doors, and apartments were theirs for their First Amendment expression.

She also instructed RAs, You cannot remove anything from their door, from their room, or even ask them specifically to remove anything from their door or their room. Just because theyre graphic and offensive to me in some way, I cant take that door dec down.

EvingerconfirmedtoHeat Street that RAs were not supposed to remove anything posted by residents, also noting that these were technically posted by the previous RA.

I assure you that we are continually workingwith our staff to help them understand their role and responsibility to uphold students First Amendment Rights, Evingersaid.

Cope Hall is part of Clemsons Shoebox dorms, the same part of residential housing where the Harambe memes were removed in September.

I miss my Pepe, because it was my personal meme that made everyone who came over laugh, the resident said. Now it seems that at least our RA forgot about that free speech training.

Mitchell Gunter is a senior Civil Engineering student at Clemson University.

Show Conversation (0)

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Clemson RA Removes Controversial Pepe the Frog Memes From ... - Heat Street

Also known as: Sad Frog

Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character that has become a popular Internet meme (often referred to as the "sad frog meme" by people unfamiliar with the name of the character). The character first appeared in 2005 in the on-line cartoon Boy's Club. In that appearance, the character also first used its catchphrase, "feels good, man."

The Pepe the Frog character did not originally have racist or anti-Semitic connotations. Internet users appropriated the character and turned him into a meme, placing the frog in a variety of circumstances and saying many different things. Many variations of the meme became rather esoteric, resulting in the phenomenon of so-called "rare Pepes."

The majority of uses of Pepe the Frog have been, and continue to be, non-bigoted. However, it was inevitable that, as the meme proliferated in on-line venues such as 4chan, 8chan, and Reddit, which have many users who delight in creating racist memes and imagery, a subset of Pepe memes would come into existence that centered on racist, anti-Semitic or other bigoted themes.

In recent years, with the growth of the "alt right" segment of the white supremacist movement, a segment that draws some of its support from some of the above-mentioned Internet sites, the number of "alt right" Pepe memes has grown, a tendency exacerbated by the controversial and contentious 2016 presidential election. Though Pepe memes have many defenders, the use of racist and bigoted versions of Pepe memes seems to be increasing, not decreasing.

However, because so many Pepe the Frog memes are not bigoted in nature, it is important to examine use of the meme only in context. The mere fact of posting a Pepe meme does not mean that someone is racist or white supremacist. However, if the meme itself is racist or anti-Semitic in nature, or if it appears in a context containing bigoted or offensive language or symbols, then it may have been used for hateful purposes.

In the fall of 2016, the ADL teamed with Pepe creator Matt Furie to form a #SavePepe campaign to reclaim the symbol from those who use it with hateful intentions.

See the original post:

Pepe the Frog - adl.org

Clemson University made national news last semester when an resident adviserremovedmemes of Harambe, the slain gorilla, from dorms, calling them rape culture. Hoping to avoid similar controversy, the University required all RAs to attend free-speech training earlier this month, warning them that even dorm-room decorations deemed offensive could not be removed. But it nowlooks like one RA wasnt paying attention.

On Jan. 16 less than a week after the mandatory free-speech trainingJay Sridharan, an RA in the Cope Hall dorms, removed memes of Pepe, a cartoon frog appropriated by the alt-right and often associated with racism. In their place, Sridharan hung generic, orange sports decorations.

One student, who asked not to be named, said the customized Pepe memes were our old RAs parting gift. All residents on the hall receiveda custom Pepe door decoration.

By deadline, Sridharan did not respond to my request for comment. But on social media, he told one resident he didnt think anyone cared to keep them. He wrote, I threw them away whenever I put up your new ones, sorry bud.

Clemsons director of residential living, Leasa Evinger, compared the removal to replacing out of date bulletin board content.

But during the mandatory free-speech training, Evinger explicitly told RAs that students rooms, doors, and apartments were theirs for their First Amendment expression.

She also instructed RAs, You cannot remove anything from their door, from their room, or even ask them specifically to remove anything from their door or their room. Just because theyre graphic and offensive to me in some way, I cant take that door dec down.

EvingerconfirmedtoHeat Street that RAs were not supposed to remove anything posted by residents, also noting that these were technically posted by the previous RA.

I assure you that we are continually workingwith our staff to help them understand their role and responsibility to uphold students First Amendment Rights, Evingersaid.

Cope Hall is part of Clemsons Shoebox dorms, the same part of residential housing where the Harambe memes were removed in September.

I miss my Pepe, because it was my personal meme that made everyone who came over laugh, the resident said. Now it seems that at least our RA forgot about that free speech training.

Mitchell Gunter is a senior Civil Engineering student at Clemson University.

Show Conversation (0)

Read the original:

Flyers Featuring Controversial 'Pepe the Frog' Removed from Clemson Students' Doors - Heat Street

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Heat Street Editor and former British Conservative MP Louise Menschhas writtenan article agreeing with the establishment media and Clinton campaigns claims that Pepe the Frog is a white supremacist icon.Mensch apologized for another Heat Street article by Ian Miles Cheong, who defended the innocent green frog meme last week.

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Under the title Hillary Clinton Is Absolutely Right, Pepe Meme Is Antisemitic An Apology, Mensch apologized for Cheongs defence of the cartoon frog, claiming that the piece was inaccurate.

We apologize for publishing it, she wrote, adding an editors note on Cheongs story:This article was wrong and we should never have published it.Pepe the Frog is antisemitic.

Heat Street, backed by Rupert Murdochs News Corp, boasts in its motto: Free speech celebrated. No safe spaces.

Quoting Cheongs claims that no single group or ideology has ownership of the meme, Mensch argues: That is untrue. While Pepe, once a harmless frog meme, may have started out as a widely used meme, the frog is now a symbol of the Nazi Jew-baiting of the alt-right.

Her hyperlinked evidence of this blanket statement is a Google Drive foldertitled Pepe that contains a dozen Nazi-themed Pepe alterations. A Trump/Pepe image, with no Nazi imagery, is included. Nineof the 22 images in the folder do not feature Pepe illustrations at all.

That is the entirety of her argument: one dozen Nazi variants out of thousands of Pepes across the Web. Below I show some handful of antisemitic Pepe / Trump memes, they are everywhere, she writes, before linking to the Drive folder again. She makes no case for theimplicit suggestion that using a Pepe meme without Nazi or anti-Semitic imagery (i.e., the vast majority of Pepe memes) is automatically an embrace of Nazism and anti-Semitism.

Cheong, the managing editor of Gameranx and aprominent playerin the GamerGate controversy, has since retracted the claims of his original piece, stating that he was wrong about Pepe. Cheong reiterates Menschs claims that It has, in fact, become an anti-semitic meme.

Mensch has not yet added an editors note to another Heat Street article contradicting the far lefts white nationalism narrative. Last week, contributor William Hicks posted a piece sarcastically calling pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj white supremacists for spreading Pepes on their social media accounts.

This article was likely pushing back on the political lefts claim that Donald Trumps son is a racist for posting a Pepe on his Instagram. Mensch is now putting the full force of her editorial authority behind that left-wingnarrative.

Pepe is a cartoon frog who began his Internet life as an innocent meme enjoyed by teenagers and pop stars alike. But in recent months, Pepes been almost entirely co-opted by the white supremacists who call themselves the alt-right, wrote Elizabeth Chan on behalf of the Clinton campaign last week, in an explainer thatattempted to link the Internet meme with white supremacy.Theyve decided to take back Pepe by adding swastikas and other symbols of anti-semitism and white supremacy.

The explainer based its comments largely on a Daily Beast interview with notorious troll and self-proclaimed parody account, Jared Taylor Swift, who made satirical comments about reclaiming Pepe from the normies. Swift and a fellow troll, Paul Town, later told the Daily Caller that they gave the Daily Beasts Olivia Nuzzi the most ridiculous quotes they could think of and she printed them, falling entirely for the troll. With noevidence but Nuzzis discredited piece, mainstream media reporters have uncritically declared the frog to be anicon for white nationalism on air, including NBCs Katy Tur and ABCs George Stephanopoulos.

Mensch fails to state that the creator of Pepe the Frog, Matt Furie, is actually a Democrat who expressed support for Hillary Clintons campaign, after his favorite candidate, Bernie Sanders, dropped out of the race.

Its weird that people are saying hes been a longtime white supremacist meme, said Furie, who denied that his frog had anything to do with white supremacy. If anything hed be part of the Green party. Hes a frog, why would he support white supremacists? That doesnt make anysense.

But she doesnt need to analyze or even acknowledge any of that information. She has a folder with 12 Nazi Pepes in it, and that is enough for her to shut down any other interpretation.

Charlie Nash is a reporterforBreitbart Tech. You can follow himon Twitter@MrNashingtonorlike his page at Facebook.

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Heat Street Apologizes for Saying Pepe the Frog Isn't Anti ...