🔗 Share this article

The resistance isn't televised, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

While rallies against the leadership persist in US cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, while police look on.

Mixing humour and politics – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in this period, used by various groups.

A specific icon has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to rallies nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that humble frog costume," notes LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's challenging to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by far-right groups throughout a political race.

Initially, when this image gained popularity online, people used it to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was utilized to show support for a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Users traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

But its beginnings were not this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has been vocal about his disapproval for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," states the professor. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of this meme resulted in frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

The moment came just days after a decision to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent used irritant at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The individual, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she stated. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and troops are said to have left the area.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a powerful symbol of resistance for the left.

This symbol was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was sold out on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Narrative

What brings the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to your ideas without obviously explaining them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

As activists take on authority, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences