🔗 Share this article

This protest movement won't be broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While rallies opposing the leadership carry on in US cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, given away snacks, and performed on unicycles, while officers watch.

Blending comedy and politics – an approach researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a defining feature of US demonstrations in this period, used by various groups.

One particular emblem has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It originated after a video of an encounter between a man in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to demonstrations nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that humble blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by online communities during a previous presidential campaign.

As the meme first took off online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed a shared phrase.

However the character did not originate so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which follows the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves the lack of control over symbols," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Previously, the notoriety of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted recently, when a confrontation between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

The moment followed a directive to send military personnel to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer sprayed pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking it tasted like "something milder". However, the video spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops withdrew from the area.

But by then, the frog had become a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The costume appeared in many cities at No Kings protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on major websites, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Narrative

What brings the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to your ideas without needing obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop used, or the meme circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The idea of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad explains.

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