🔗 Share this article

This resistance isn't broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and large eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst rallies against the leadership continue in US cities, participants have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, as officers watch.

Blending levity and politics – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It began after recordings of a confrontation between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations nationwide.

"A great deal happening with that little frog costume," states an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities during an election cycle.

As the meme gained popularity online, it was used to signal specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Participants traded "unique frog images" and established digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

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

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his distaste for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

This character first appeared in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that creators cannot own imagery," explains the professor. "They transform and be repurposed."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event followed an order to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, just outside of an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer sprayed pepper spray at the individual, directing it into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for Portland, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

While the court ruled that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes when expressing opposition."

"Some might view this decision, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge stated. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the city.

But by then, the frog had become a potent protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was seen nationwide at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Narrative

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to your ideas without needing explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, he explains.

As protesters confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences