🔗 Share this article

This protest movement may not be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

While protests against the administration persist in US cities, protesters are adopting the spirit of a local block party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement observe.

Mixing humour and political action – a tactic researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a hallmark of protests in the United States in recent years, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It originated after recordings of an encounter between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to protests nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that small inflatable frog," notes a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by online communities during an election cycle.

As this image gained popularity on the internet, its purpose was to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, it was utilized to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme shared by that figure personally, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

But Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character came from his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates the lack of control over imagery," states Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of Pepe meant that frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

The moment occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent sprayed irritant at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which contended the deployment was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked soon after, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

Yet already, the amphibian costume was now a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was sold out on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

When activists confront the state, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences