🔗 Share this article

This resistance won't be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While protests against the leadership continue in American cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, while police observe.

Mixing comedy and political action – a tactic researchers term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a defining feature of American protest in this period, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It started after a video of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. And it has since spread to rallies nationwide.

"There is much happening with that small frog costume," states an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to discuss protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities throughout a political race.

Initially, when the character initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to show support for a political figure, even a particular image shared by the candidate himself, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a shared phrase.

However its beginnings were not so controversial.

Its creator, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – apolitical and notable for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he stated his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates the lack of control over icons," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Until recently, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event came just days after a directive to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near a federal building.

Tensions were high and a officer used a chemical agent at a protester, directing it into the opening of the costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided in October that the president was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The action was stopped legally just a month later, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

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

This symbol appeared nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Narrative

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that draws focus to your ideas without directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop used, or the meme you share.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

As protesters confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences