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Less than a month ago, the headline read Fairfax County unites against hate. At least one FCPS School Board member doesnt seem to have gotten the memo, as exemplified by sharing news of the French election with a prominent white-nationalist, (neo-)Nazi symbol.

For those somehow unaware after lots of news coverage about this, thats Pepe the Frogassociated in the image with National Fronts Marine La Pen. Pepe has morphed over the past decade from an amusing (to many, tasteless) cartoon figure into an Alt-Right / Nazi symbol a symbol thatgot heavy play and much media attention during the US 2016 presidential election.

Pepe the Frog first appeared in 2005 in the comic Boys Club The comics depictPepe and his anthropomorphized animal friends behaving like stereotypical post-college bros: playing video games, eating pizza, smoking potand being harmlessly gross.

That Animal House-like innocence has been tarred by a white-nationalist, (neo)Nazi embrace

In some instances, Pepe wears a Hitler mustache, and his signature message is replaced with Kill Jews Man. In others, Pepe poses in front of a burning World Trade Center, dressed like an Orthodox Jewish person with a yarmulke and payot. Hes also been spotted wearing a Nazi soldiers uniform and in a KKK hood and robe.

For an interesting perspective on the sharing of white supremacist memes and imagery, Vice

put together a field guide of somephrases and memes white supremacists share with one anotherso that, if you happen across one in the wild, youll be able tell whether your old college friend, Gary, is simply a fan of 11th-century history or secretly wishes to eradicate all non-whites.

As thatanalysis of white-nationalist ((neo)Nazi) discussions laid out re use and dissemination of Pepe imagery,

Despite the disingenuous incredulity offered by the alt-right after the ADL added Pepe to its official list of hate symbols, there is no reason to believe that anyone using the character today is at all unaware of the Nazi sentiments attached to it and [they] should therefore be regarded as complicit in spreading said sentiments with his or her usage of the cartoon. Plausible deniability divorced itself from Pepe usage a long time ago. The swastika was once an innocent religious symbol, too. People have a tendency to ruinnice things.

While it should trouble all that a Fairfax County School Board member shares out material that is on the Anti-Defamation Leagues official list of hate symbols even innocently, what shouldproactive (or oblivious to implications?) defense of that action when confronted with Pepes neo-Nazi symbolism (here, here, here, ) indicate?

Is it unreasonable to suggest that

Perhaps a FCPS School Board Member should not be promoting anti-semitic, white nationalist symbols?

The Fairfax County Public Schools Student Rights & Responsibilities handbook explicitly states:

In FCPS, students have the responsibility to refrain from using words, images, or gestures that are obscene, violent, disruptive, or disrespectful.

Is it unreasonable to expect that FCPS School Board members should hold themselves to the standards expected of students?

Read the original:
Home Education Pepe the Frog: Hate Speech Disseminated by Fairfax County Public School Board... - Blue Virginia (press release) (blog)

On Wednesday, Furie said via email that Zara had not sought his permission to use Pepe the Frogs likeness.

Zara offended consumers with its accidental Pepe the Frog denim skirt.

In a statement emailed to Mashable, a spokesperson for Zara contested any link to the meme and said the skirt was part of a limited collection created through a collaboration with artist Mario de Santiago, known online as Yimeisgreat. After being appropriated by groups linked to white supremacy, the Pepe the Frog meme was labeled a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League a year ago.

We simply dont see how this skirt made it past all the stages from initial design to being sold online without at least one person thinking: wait, isnt that the frog white supremacists keep posting on Twitter.

While the character itself was originally created by illustrator Matt Furie as a benign cartoon, it was widely adopted by alt-right and anti-Semitic groups for communicating on social-media forums, reaching its peak during the American presidential election a year ago as it continued to pop up in racial contexts.

Zara has not commented on the skirt snafu, but the skirt is no longer available online.

Created in 2005 by Matt Furie, Pepe the frog was later claimed by hate-based groups. They dont look much like the alt-right icon in the first place, aside from general frogginess, and the artist has explicitly stated that there is absolutely no link to the suggested theme.

And although Zara has come under fire for offensive and controversial clothing such as the shirt alluding to the Holocaust we may have to give the retailer the benefit of the doubt on this one.

In September 2007, Zara removed a handbag with embroidered swastikas that was manufactured in India and inspired by commonly used Hindu symbols, which include the swastika.

Original post:
Zara's Pepe the Frog Skirt Pulled After Internet Backlash PPP Focus - pppFocus

This week is all about dealing with anxiety, creating your own online community and what it's like to transition in the public eye.

Whats better than one guest? TWO GUESTS. Well, three if you count each person separately. Yeah, thats right its a double whammy on this weeks episode of the PopBuzz Podcast and boy, its a gooden.

If youre struggling with your mental health, you might wanna tune into this one. First up, we were joined by Ashley Dun and Jesse Cale, the co-creators of an incredible project called Secret Midnight Press. Theyve set up an online community that encourages people to use and channel their creativity to address their worries, anxiety and depression. You can read more about Secret Midnight Press right here. Or, ya know, you can hit that play button and let them explain it to ya.

Then, we were joined in the studio with model, actress, former Drag Race Queen and trans-activist Carmen Carrera who spilled the tea on what it's like to transition in the public eye, the opportunities that opened up for her once she came out as trans andhow to find your space and voice in the LGBTQ+ community.

1)Search for PopBuzz on iTunes, and subscribe to the podcast for brand new episodes every Friday.

2)You can also listen to us on Soundcloud.All youve gotta do is search 'PopBuzz' and well appear before your very eyes.

3) Or, you can type - you guessed it -'PopBuzz' into YouTubeand listen that way.

4) Don't forget to leave us a review. If you're nice, we'll give you sweets.

We have an actual live meltdown at the long-awaited return of Paramore and their brand new single Hard Times. Does it have what it takes to become the very first official BANGER of 2017? Spoiler: Yes, yes it does.

via giphy.com

Did you hear about high-street fashion chain Zara who got in a spot of bother this week for adding what looks like Pepe the Frog onto one of their denim skirts? They must have missed the memo about Pepe now being an official hate symbol. Yeah that was a nightmare.

NBC / via giphy.com

Radio X did a poll recently that sought to find Britains greatest song and we run down the top five and give our own suggestions for the bands and tracks that were sadly (and unjustly) overlooked. The following gif may or may not hint at what we declared the best British song of all time

via giphy.com

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The PopBuzz Podcast Ep 29: Ashley Dun & Jesse Cale, Carmen Carrera, Paramore And Pepe - PopBuzz

A fast-fashion retailer is in hot water over a hate symbol.

Zara, a Spanish clothing chain, pulled a skirt from its website after people pointed out that an applique cartoon character on it bore a striking resemblance to "Pepe the Frog," a fictional frog that has been adopted by "alt-right" groups.

Meagan Fredette, a freelance writer from Chicago, was the first person to point it out. She said she was browsing Zara's site Monday evening when she noticed the skirt. She tweeted about it and then went to sleep, assuming nothing would come of it.

By Wednesday, the skirt was no longer available on Zara's website. The retailer confirmed to several news outlets that the item had been pulled from real and virtual shelves. (Zara did not respond to emailed requests for comment from The Times.)

Pepe rose to prominence last year, his visage appearing in memes about Adolf Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan. People who identified as members of white nationalist and other far-right groups added the green frog emoji to their Twitter handle or display name.

Last summer, Donald Trump Jr. posted a photo on Instagram labeled "The Deplorables" referencing the movie The Expendables and a comment that Hillary Clinton made about supporters of his father, Donald Trump which showed Pepe alongside Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani and other people involved with Trumps presidential campaign.

In September, the Anti-Defamation League said it was formally declaring Pepe the Frog a hate symbol.

Matt Furie, an artist based in L.A.'s Koreatown neighborhood, created Pepe the Frog back in 2005. He said in an interview last October that having his creation associated with anti-Semitism and white nationalism was his "worst nightmare."

On Wednesday, Furie said via email that Zara had not sought his permission to use Pepe the Frogs likeness.

The skirt in question was designed by a Spanish artist, Mario de Santiago, as part of Zara's "Oil-On-Denim" collection, which launched this month in stores and online. In a statement, the company said de Santiago created the design based on a painting he made with friends several years ago and that it had no link to the suggested theme.

De Santiago replied to Fredette's tweets, saying his design was "never intended to promulgate hate" and that he was sorry. "I feel shame for this," he wrote. (He later deleted those tweets, but Fredette provided the Times with screenshots of them.)

This is not the first time that Zara has had to pull a questionable product. In 2014, the brand publicly apologized for selling a shirt that looked like something concentration camp prisoners wore. In 2007, it stopped selling a purse that had swastika symbols embroidered on it.

Fredette, who has written about fashion for outlets like Paper Magazine and Refinery29, said she wasnt surprised that this happened to Zara again. In order for fast-fashion retailers like Zara to keep prices low, she said, they have to cut corners on quality control. She said the blame lies with Zara, not the designer, for not recognizing the implications of the frog.

"Someone should have seen this before it was produced and put up for sale," she said.

Follow me on Twitter @jessica_roy.

jessica.roy@latimes.com

Read the rest here:
Zara pulls denim skirt after 'Pepe the Frog' accusations - Los Angeles Times

Every couple of months, like clockwork, a mass retailer does something so blatantly clumsy that you almost have to wonder whether it was actually intentional. The latest gaffe comes courtesy of Zara in the form a denim skirt that's being criticized for featuring an embroidery that closely resembles Pepe the Frog, a meme that's been appropriated by hate groups.

The skirt in question features two frogs: one in the same green shade as Pepe, and one a mirror image in a darker green hue. Both share Pepe's characteristic thin red lips and bulging eyes, which are obscured by sunglasses.

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Pepe, a character that began as an innocuous creation by illustrator Matt Furie, was co-opted by a number of hate groups and ultimately declared a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League last year. Chicago fashion and music writer Meagan Fredette was the first to draw considerable attention to the inclusion of Pepe, or his very close relative, on the offending skirt, tweeting, "Zara is really out there trying to sell a P*pe the frog skirt, apparently unaware (?) of its current implications."

It would be surprising if no one at Zara was cognizant of the implications of the image, since Pepe gained significant notoriety during the 2016 presidential election, as his image was heavily used by alt-right groups, anti-Semitic factions, white supremacists, and other hate organizations who created Pepe-as-Trump memes. The usage culminated in an explainer by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the ADL hate symbol designation.

The fact that the skirt even exists raises the same question we've been asking for years: Whos approving this stuff? True, Zara is a Spanish company, so the argument could be made that nuance might get lost in translation, but Zara's also one of the world's most visible, profitable global brandsit's valued at $10.7 billion, according to Forbes so one might assume they'd take measures to employ the world's sharpest minds, as far as due diligence is concerned.

The company got a ton of rightful flak in 2014 for a kids shirt thatwith its stripes and yellow star detaillooked remarkably similar to a concentration camp uniform, and has been accused of allegedly ripping off designers and featuring deceptive "body positive" advertising.

In the wake of the backlash, Zara seems to have removed the Pepe skirt from its website. Glamour has reached out to the retailer for comment and has not yet received a response.

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Read more:
WTH Is Zara Selling a Skirt Featuring a Pepe the Frog Look-alike? - Allure Magazine