Archive for the ‘Pepe The Frog’ Category

Pepe the Frog cartoonist resurrecting character to prove he is still a ‘positive’ symbol – ABC Online

Posted June 27, 2017 10:41:34

Pepe the Frog is coming back from the dead.

Los Angeles-based cartoonist Matt Furie told AP he intends to resurrect the character he killed off last month after racist, anti-Semitic internet trolls hijacked his creation and transformed it into a hate symbol.

Furie and his brother, Jason, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $10,000 for a new comic book featuring Pepe.

"Once we get the money together, we're going to do it from scratch," he said, adding he's also trying to "gain some entrepreneurial control" over Pepe with his attorney's help.

"It's a very American tale, trying to control that which cannot be controlled."

His attorney, Kimberly Motley, is also exploring possible litigation against those profiting from Pepe's image without Furie's permission.

In May, Furie released a cartoon showing Pepe in an open casket.

Furie said he created the cartoon as "art therapy" shortly after November's presidential election and nearly forgot about it.

He said he was surprised by the wave of publicity generated by Pepe's "death".

"It was supposed to just be a joke," he said.

The Save Pepe campaign Furie launched on Monday on Kickstarter said its aim was "reclaiming his status as a universal symbol for peace, love, and acceptance".

If the campaign meets its goal, Furie said he would see that as "proof that Pepe is still a positive thing".

Furie's "chill frog-dude" debuted in a 2006 comic book called Boy's Club.

Pepe's likeness became a popular canvas for benevolent internet memes.

But the user-generated mutations became increasingly hateful and ubiquitous more than a year before the 2016 presidential election.

Furie was horrified to see his creation become a mascot for the 'alt-right' fringe movement, a loosely connected mix of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists.

"It all just happened so fast," he said.

"Make no mistake: They're basically the new [Ku Klux Klan]."

The Anti-Defamation League branded Pepe a hate symbol in September 2016 and promoted Furie's efforts to reclaim the character.

ABC/AP

Topics: arts-and-entertainment, social-media, internet-culture, information-and-communication, community-and-society, united-states

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Pepe the Frog cartoonist resurrecting character to prove he is still a 'positive' symbol - ABC Online

Porn, Nazis and sarcasm: How these 3 old rules basically explain the entire Internet – Chicago Tribune

Back when Internet culture was something that felt like it happened over there, online, separate from the rest of our lives, people started to create rules to explain what it was like. Godwin's Law is probably the best known of these: It states that eventually, as an online conversation progresses, it becomes increasingly likely that someone is going to compare someone else to Hitler.

A lot has changed, online and otherwise, since Godwin's Law first appeared in 1990. But the law is still true on the Internet, even if some of the people now getting called a "Nazi" online are literal Nazis.

Of these many old rules about the Internet, three of them Godwin's, Poe's and, er, Rule 34 have managed to stay particularly useful for explaining basically the whole of Internet culture. Appropriately, they cover irony, Nazis and porn.

"On the one hand, there's this assumption that 2007 and 2017 are eons apart in Internet time," said Ryan Milner, co-author of "The Ambivalent Internet" and an assistant professor of Communication at the College of Charleston. "But there are these persistent behavior norms that show up over and over again."

What it is: A message board user going by Nathan Poe defined it as, "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article." That was in 2005.

"That small root started to become shorthand for a bigger idea," Milner said. "Places like 4chan and Reddit started invoking Poe's Law over the past decade. It becomes a general rule that you can't tell someone's motives and intentions unless you know who you're talking to."

Why it's still useful: Oh, boy. You know that trolling cycle, in which someone says something extremely offensive and hurtful about someone else, and then claims they were "just kidding" when called out about it? That is Poe's Law.

Poe's Law is the argument over whether the Pepe the frog meme was really a Nazi hate symbol, and whether the possible role of irony in its use as a racist symbol would really change anything. It's the blow-up over the "OK" hand symbol, which 4chan memed as a "secret" white nationalist symbol in order to fool and terrify liberals. It's why journalists are often left staring at a question mark while trying to report on Internet phenomena today. It's the space that people wiggle into after they've said something dehumanizing about another person online. It was just a joke, and if you don't get it, then you're the problem.

"People embrace irony, run to it, and use it as a shield to dip into a more objectionable idea," Milner said. And what was once an adage reminding message board users to remain agnostic about the motivation of a stranger on the Internet has become more consequential as it slips into more public spaces.

"It's easier to laugh off someone pretending to be a flat Earther than it is to laugh off someone ironically saying the Holocaust is a good thing," Milner said. "We're unfortunately in a place where a lot of our public conversations are the latter."

What it is: "As an online discussion continues, the probability of a reference or comparison to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1." That's how Mike Godwin defined the law in 1990, when he was trying to do something about the phenomenon of online arguments devolving into sloppy name-calling specifically, unwarranted comparisons to Adolf Hitler.

Invoking "Godwin's law" eventually became a way to address those comparisons. Thoughtlessly accuse someone you disagree with of being a Nazi, and someone might turn around and accuse you of breaking the Internet's most treasured law.

Why it's still useful: The key of Godwin's law is in its criticism of avoiding an argument by bludgeoning your opponent with a careless comparison to the worst people on earth. "When you don't want to or are too blinded to get into the depth and nuance of the issue, then the easy blow-off is to call someone a Nazi," Milner said.

The phenomenon is easily visible today. You'll see it in the replies to any of Donald Trump's tweets, and in the Trump Internet's obsession with connecting mainstream liberalism and liberals to "leftist violence."

But like most things on the Internet, Godwin's Law has gotten a little bit more complicated in the past couple of years. Spamming Trump's Twitter mentions with Hitler memes might be a good illustration of the law in action, but even Godwin himself came forward in 2015 to clarify that his rule shouldn't be invoked when people make thoughtful, well-informed comparisons between Hitler and Trump, or any other politician.

There's another trick to navigate with Godwin's Law in 2017: literal Nazis and white nationalists are on the Internet, too, and they're more visible now. For example, Richard Spencer, the white nationalist who coined "alt-right" as a friendlier term for his beliefs, may not like being called a Nazi. But he also told his supporters shortly after Trump's election that they should "party like it's 1933," referencing the year Hitler was appointed Germany's chancellor. So comparing Spencer to a Nazi is less about painting someone as an extremist, and more about semantics.

"I don't think Richard Spencer and his supporters could invoke Godwin's Law when someone calls them a Nazi," Milner said.

What it is: If it exists, there is a porn of it. The rule comes from a bunch of old 4chan "rules," which were basically inside jokes for navigating the culture of the message boards at the time. Unlike many of those Rules of the Internet, though, Rule 34 crossed over and took on a life of its own. It seemed to be true, and it also served as a fun game that has the added bonus of destroying your search history.

The law's golden age ended around 2010, and the porn that is easily accessible on the web has become more centralized since then, indicating that the rule and the creative and disturbing world of super weird Internet porn that sustained it may be on its way out.

Why it's still useful: Originally I was going to be kind of facetious about this one the Internet is still full of porn, and even if it's harder to find than it once was, a porn of pretty much anything you can think of does seem to exist somewhere online. But there's actually more to it than that.

"Where Rule 34 still connects is with the fact that even as the Internet has become more diverse ... there's still this undercurrent that still looks like the subculture niche spaces of a decade ago," Milner said.

If you're willing to expand the rule beyond it's porn-specific origins, Rule 34 is about discovering the worst and weirdest things that humans have voluntarily put on the Internet. And if 2017 has taught us anything, it is that no matter how bad the last terrible thing that happened on the Internet was, something worse is always waiting around the corner.

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Porn, Nazis and sarcasm: How these 3 old rules basically explain the entire Internet - Chicago Tribune

Grads’ journey begins – Gloversville Leader-Herald

Local News

Jun 24, 2017

Casey Rae Friedlander walks in during the Processional to the music "Pomp and Circumstance" during the commencement at the Broadalbin-Perth High School in Broadalbin on Friday. (The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

BROADALBIN Top Broadalbin-Perth High School class of 2017 student Julie Capito, interested in studying environmental science in college, on Friday compared this areas beauty to the path ahead for her classmates.

We have been privileged to grow up in an area surrounded by wilderness, so as we transition to the next phase of our lives, let us not forget the lessons of nature: the wisdom of being impactful, resilient people, Capito told the commencement gathering.

A total of 129 B-PCS graduates dressed in blue and red received diplomas in the gym.

Sometimes you may think your actions dont matter or no one cares what you do, but that is not true, Capito said.

She quoted environmentalist Rachel Carson: In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand, is the story of the Earth.

Julie Capito speaks during the commencement at the Broadalbin-Perth High School in Broadalbin on Friday. (The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

Capito said, Your daily choices, whether its the type of shampoo you wash your hair with or the food you eat and the behaviors you portray such as smiling at someone or deciding not to recycle, are significant. Every breath you take, every step you make leaves its mark. As you journey throughout life, what type of impact do you want your life to hold? This is one of the questions I ask of you and myself tonight.

The class second-ranked student Christina Lin thanked parents, administrators and faculty.

She said of the Broadalbin-Perth teachers, Youve all impacted us in ways too many to list out in this speech. You have been shoulders to cry on, fantastic mentors, and some of the most dedicated members of our community. Thank you for giving us your heart and soul, because without it, none of us would be sitting here today.

Lins address went on to chronicle social media today, noting it is an age where its possible for us to have Pepe the Frog and Dat Boy rolling across our Twitter feeds alongside the nations turmoil.

Break the rules, she said. The greatest discoveries in life cant be found if youre restricting yourself. Think for yourself. Never let anyone, no matter how respected or how powerful, tell you how to live or what to believe in. Make educated decisions. Be yourself and care about others.

Jake Cope speaks during the commencement at Broadalbin-Perth High School in Broadalbin on Friday. (The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

Jake Cope, third in his class, told the graduates they would move on to something greater after Friday.

At first, it may seem a bit scary, taking our first steps out of Broadalbin-Perth and into the open world, but we are not the first to do so, he said. Many graduates before us have been in our exact position anxiously wondering if they themselves will succeed in the future. Those people have the answers to our challenges.

Cope said his mentor throughout high school was William Eipp, who teaches many of the upper-level math and technology-related classes.

I am planning on studying computer science this fall, and Mr. Eipp has encouraged me all along the way, he said. From letting me audit an introductory programming class during my junior year to recommending me for an internship this summer in a computer science field, he has played a key role in the early development of my career.

High School Principal Mark Brooks told the students, Were here to celebrate one of the greatest group of students Ive gotten to know the last two years.

Isabella Bianca Magliocca, left, and Ryan Zajaceskowski take a selfie together in the lunch room prior to the commencement at the Broadalbin-Perth High School in Broadalbin on Friday. (The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

He said the class of 2017 was the 30th graduating class of the Broadalbin-Perth merger. He said the class earned 1,367 college credits. He said 77 of the students earned enough credits for an entire semester of college. He talked about the various academic, athletic and extracurricular achievements of the class.

These are the things that make Broadalbin-Perth special, Brooks said. And thats only scratching the surface.

Other speakers included Board of Education President Edward Szumowski. He told the graduates that to be happy, they should be honest and trustworthy, hardworking and persistent.

Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson urged the graduating seniors to be humble and kind after they leave their public school system. He congratulated students and their parents, informing the students: Its time We are letting you go.

Music during commencement was provided by the Broadalbin-Concert Band and High School Choir.

Nicholas M. Eglin receives a handshake and his diploma from Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson, at left, as President of the Board of Education Edward Szumowski, at right looks on during the commencement at the Broadalbin-Perth High School in Broadalbin on Friday. (The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

School Business Administrator Marco Zumbolo recognized the top 10 students.

Class of 2017 Co-Presidents Michelle Shlomovich and Alexandra Wagner presented a class gift a banner to be displayed at the school.

JOHNSTOWN The Common Council handled numerous property transactions Monday at City Hall. The council voted to ...

JOHNSTOWN Construction activity in the city is picking up as the weather is getting warmer, Fire Chief Bruce ...

FORT PLAIN The Village Board voted Tuesday to approve looking into the concept of dissolving the Fort Plain ...

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Grads' journey begins - Gloversville Leader-Herald

Pepe the Frog Drawing Forces Free Speech Event Cancellation at Linfield College – Heat Street

Linfield College administrators have forced a Young Americans for Liberty group to cancel a free speech event over a cartoon frog.

Staff at the university labeled participants white supremacists after one of them drew a picture of Pepe the Frog, the popular meme thats been unfairly maligned as a hate symbol by Hillary Clinton and her supporters in the mainstream media.

The libertarian group set up a table on campus to promote their organization, and planned to sponsor a series of free speech events planned at college, which is in Oregon.

According to Reason, Kiefer Smith, vice president of the chapter, brought an inflatable free speech ball for participants to write and draw pictures on.

The majority of the things written on there were uplifting things, not political, not inflammatory at all, he said.

Typical examples were said to include youre awesome and have a nice day.

When one participant drew Pepe, the group came under attack by other students on campus, and involved the administration in their complaints.

Immediately we were deemed alt-right, said Smith, who says that YAL were even accused of being white supremacists over the drawing.

Reason states that the Linfield Advisory Committee on Diversity responded to the drawing by inviting the group to a free speech forum, where they were supposed to hold an hour-long discussion on the freedom of expression, but the event turned into a four-hour condemnation of the group.

Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, a professor of English and gender studies coordinator accused the group of being funded by alt-right dark money.

Following the forum, the school administration canceled the planned free speech events that YAL was sponsoring, including a talk hosted by University of Toronto psychologist Jordan Peterson on ethics and free speech.

Peterson has come under fire from the progressive left for speaking out against the enforcement of gender-neutral preferred pronouns like ze/hir and xe/xir.

The campus faculty, including Dean of Faculty Dawn Nowacki, took aim at YAL in the campus newspaper, where they falsely described the libertarians as alt-right.

These efforts are a lot more subtle, wrote Nowacki. Just as becoming a terrorist is a gradual, step-by-step process, people do not become part of the alt-right overnight. These events represent a kind of soft recruitment into more extremist ideas.

The Young Americans for Liberty went ahead with their free speech event at an off-campus site, where they received a turn-out of over 400 attendeesdouble the number they were expecting.

The banned lecture also received around 90,000 views on YouTube.

This colleges efforts to suppress free speech backfired spectacularly.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at@stillgray on Twitterand onFacebook.

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Pepe the Frog Drawing Forces Free Speech Event Cancellation at Linfield College - Heat Street

Students Hold Free Speech Events, Get Denounced as White Supremacists – Reason (blog)

DerRichter/Wikimedia CommonsFaculty and students at Linfield College have compared the campus chapter of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) to terrorists and denounced them as white supremacists. Why? Because the libertarian student group attempted to host a series of free speech events at the small liberal arts college in McMinnville, Oregon.

The story begins in April, when YAL members set up a table on campus to promote both their newly formed group and a series of "speak freely" events they were sponsoring. Keifer Smith, vice president of the chapter, brought along an inflatable "free speech ball" and invited students to write whatever they wanted on it.

"The majority of the things written on there were uplifting things, not political, not inflammatory at all," Smith reports: comments like "you're awesome" and "have a nice day." But one person drew Pepea cartoon frog that some alt-right trolls have adopted as a symboland so the YAL chapter quickly became the focal point of campus outrage.

"Immediately we were deemed alt-right," says Smith. They were even called white supremacists.

The Linfield Advisory Committee on Diversity responded to the Pepe doodle by inviting the chapter to a free speech forum. According to Smith, this was supposed to be an hour-long discussion of the general idea of open expressionbut quickly morphed into a four-hour denunciation of him and his group for their supposed intolerance.

Next the school declared that it would be cancelling an upcoming event in the "speak freely" seriesa talk on ethics and free speech by the University of Toronto psychologist Jordan Peterson. The libertarian group was told the paperwork for the event had been turned in a day late; the school also cited tweets from Peterson promoting what was supposed to be a private event for Linfield students and faculty.

Meanwhile, faculty lashed out at the YAL chapter in the campus paper, The Linfield Review.

"The agenda of groups like Alt-Right and campus clubs that are either supported by the Alt-right or providing a platform for the Alt-Right is clear," wrote Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, a professor of English and the co-coordinator of the school's gender studies program. "They want to challenge college campuses for their numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives that provide a legitimate space for ideas and knowledge base that have been historically marginalized and excluded."

At the free speech forum, Dutt-Ballerstadt had accused Smith and his group of being funded by "alt-right dark money."

Similar sentiments were expressed by Linfield's dean of faculty, Dawn Nowacki. Nowacki admitted that she didn't know any times anyone in the YAL chapter had expressed anything racist or misogynist, but she insisted they still posed a threat. "These efforts are a lot more subtle," she wrote. "Just as becoming a terrorist is a gradual, step by step process, people do not become part of the alt right overnight. These events represent a kind of soft recruitment into more extremist ideas."

Undeterred, the chapter moved the Peterson lecture to an off-campus venue. "We were really only planning on having maybe 100 people, maybe 200 people," Smith recalls. Instead over 400 folks turned up, and a YouTube version has so far gotten nearly 90,000 views.

Smith says he hopes to keep providing a forum for students to express otherwise maligned and unpopular viewpoints. As for the professors and students who have denounced him, Smith says their rhetoric is part of an open campus discourse too: "That's the price you pay for free speech."

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Students Hold Free Speech Events, Get Denounced as White Supremacists - Reason (blog)