🔗 Share this article

The resistance may not be televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

Whilst demonstrations opposing the government continue in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the energy of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending humour and politics – a tactic researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of American protest in the current era, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It started after recordings of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"There is much going on with that little blow-up amphibian," notes a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When this image first took off online, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed an inside joke.

Yet its beginnings were not this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

This character debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and notable for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

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

Previously, the notoriety of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when an incident between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to send military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate on a single block, just outside of a federal building.

Tensions were high and a officer used a chemical agent at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for the city, known for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a significant anti-administration symbol for the left.

This symbol appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Optics

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights a message without needing directly articulating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

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

The idea of such tactics is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

As protesters take on the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences