Mediaboss Marketing

Seemingly innocent images twisted into symbols of hate

Updated: 1:08 PM EST Feb 12, 2021

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

MEREDITH: NEW TONIGHT, THEY MIGHT SEEM INNOCENT -- MEMES WITH CARTOON FROGS OR TATTOOS WITH ANCIENT SYMBOLS, BUT SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY EXTREMISTS. JIM: AND THESE ARENT YOUR TYPICAL SYMBOLS OF HATE. WHEN YOU THINK OF HATEFUL EMBLEMS, YOU MIGHT THINK OF A SWASTIKA OR THE CONFEDERATE FLAG. BUT THE IMAGES WERE SHOWING YOU SEEM HARMLESS. WESH 2S MATT LUPOLI REVEALS THE MEANINGS BEHIND THESE DESIGNS. MATT: TATTOOS ARE SOMETIMES SEEN AS INVITATIONS FOR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MEANING, GOING DEEPER THAN THE SURFACE. >> I DONT DO ANYTHING THAT I THINK WILL PUT ANYTHING MORE NEGATIVE IN THE WORLD. MATT: ARTIST SCOTT WHITE OWNS THE SHOP RISE ABOV HE AND THE OTHER ARTISTS HERE, LIKE MANY YOULL MEET ELSEWHERE, GIVE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO EACH DESIGN. HERE, INK ISNT WASTED ON ANYTHING CARRYING A HATEFUL CONNOTATIO THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS GERMANIC SYMBOLS. >> YOU KNOW, GERMANIC SYMBOLS DONT NECESSARILY MEAN SOMEBODY IS A NAZI. THEY COULD BE GERMAN. BUT IT IS A TOUCHY SITUATION. >> THE THING ABOUT SYMBOLS IS, THEYRE MALLEABLE. MATT: MARK PITCAVAGE IS A SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUES CENTER ON EXTREMISM. ADL KEEPS TRACK OF SYMBOLS USED BY EXTREMISTS WITH A DATABASE OF OVER 200 SYMBOLS. SOME OF WHATS ON THE ADL LIST WAS SEEN AT THE DEADLY CAPITOL RIOT. THE LIST DETAILS PHRASES, ACRONYMS, NUMBERS, AND HAND SIGNALS, LIKE THE ONE LEADING TO A LAWSUIT AND A UNIVERSAL ORLANDO EMPLOYEES FIRING LAST YEAR. THE OK SYMBOL NOW REFERS TO WHITE POWER IN SOME CONTEXTS. LIKE MANY MIS-APPROPRIATED SYMBOLS, ITS DOUBLE MEANING STARTED AS A HOAX OR A JOKE ONLINE, THEN TOOK HOLD IN REALITY. MEANWHILE, NEW CODED DOUBLE-MEANINGS EMERGE ALL THE TIME. >> THE BOOGALOO MOVEMENT, WHICH IS AN ANTI-GOVERNMENT EXTREMIST MOVEMENT THAT HAS DEVELOPED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR OR TWO, IT VERY QUICKLY DEVELOPED ITS OWN SYMBOLS, IGLOOS, TROPICAL SHIRTS. MATT: BIG IGLOOS AND HAWAIIAN SHIRTS APPARENTLY STEM FROM AN INSIDE JOKE HARKENING TO AN ' 80S MOVIE SEQUEL WITH BOOGALOO IN ITS TITLE. SOMETIMES, NEW MEANINGS HARKEN BACK MUCH FURTHER. >> THE REALITY IS WHITE SUPREMACISTS AND FAR RIGHT MOVEMENTS GENERALLY HAVE PULLED FROM HISTORICAL PRECEDENT FOR A LONG TIME. MATT: MATTHEW GABRIELE CHAIRS THE RELIGION AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT AT VIRGINIA TECH. HE BELIEVES HISTORIC REFERENCES ARE SOMETIMES USED AS AN ATTEMPT TO LEGITIMIZE BIGOTED BELIEFS. WHETHER THEY REPRESENT CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS, OR ANCIENT VIKINGS. >> ITS DEFINITELY NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE B HISTORICAL PRECEDENCE THAT THESE GUYS DRAW ON ARE MILITARISTIC. MATT: SOME IN THE FAR-RIGHT USE THE PRE-ROMAN ALPHABET, KNOWN AS RUNES, LARGELY BECAUSE NAZ GERMANY OFTEN USED THE SYMBOLISM. >> I WATCHED 200 OR MAYBE 300 HOURS OF YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND COLLECTED THEM. MATT: DOUG CHARLES IS AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, PUTTING TOGETHER POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH ON EXTREMISM. HE FINDS POPULAR CULTURE IS COMMANDEERED BY THE FRINGE, WITH MEMES TWISTED AWAY FROM THEIR ORIGINAL MEANINGS, TO SERVE AS RECRUITING TOOLS AND DOG WHISTLES. >> POST A PICTURE OF A PEPE FROG WEARING A NAZI UNIFORM, AND THEY CAN ALWAYS HAVE THAT ESCAPE HATCH OF SAYING, WELL, I WAS JUST JOKING. MATT: THE CARTOON PEPE THE FROG WASNT INTENDED TO BE RACIST, AND MOST THE POPULAR MEMES USING IT ARENT. BUT THROUGH UNREGULATED WEBSITES, THE FROG HAS BEEN OFTEN MISAPPROPRIATED BY THE ALT-RIGHT TO SEND RACIST AND ANTI-SEMITIC MESSAGES. SO MUCH SO, NOW THE FROG IS THE ADL LIST, JUST LIKE SO MANY OTHER SYMBOLS, WHETHER OBVIOUSLY OFFENSIVE OR INNOCUOUS ON THE SURFACE. MATT LUPOLI, WESH 2 NEWS

Seemingly innocent images twisted into symbols of hate

Updated: 1:08 PM EST Feb 12, 2021

Many symbols in life might seem innocent, such as memes with cartoon frogs or tattoos of ancient symbols, but some of these things have been taken over by extremists.When people think of hateful emblems, things like the swastika come to mind, but many other symbols WESH 2 News found seem harmless, but actually have hidden meanings.WESH 2 News reporter Matt Lupoli researched symbols of hate, and this is what he found. View the video above to see the complete story.

Many symbols in life might seem innocent, such as memes with cartoon frogs or tattoos of ancient symbols, but some of these things have been taken over by extremists.

When people think of hateful emblems, things like the swastika come to mind, but many other symbols WESH 2 News found seem harmless, but actually have hidden meanings.

WESH 2 News reporter Matt Lupoli researched symbols of hate, and this is what he found. View the video above to see the complete story.

Read this article:
Seemingly innocent images twisted into symbols of hate - WESH 2 Orlando