🔗 Share this article

The resistance may not be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While rallies against the leadership carry on in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided dance instruction, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers observe.

Combining comedy and political action – a tactic experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It started after a video of an encounter between a man in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that little inflatable frog," notes LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in political performance.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to examine demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by extremist movements during a political race.

When the character initially spread online, its purpose was to signal specific feelings. Afterwards, its use evolved to endorse a candidate, including a particular image shared by that figure personally, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became a coded signal.

Yet the character did not originate this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he said his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

Previously, the notoriety of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The event followed an order to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to gather in droves on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed pepper spray at the individual, directing it into the opening of the inflatable suit.

The protester, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, known for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume had transformed into a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The costume was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was backordered on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Optics

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it's a "disarming and charming" display that highlights a message without directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The idea of this approach is three-fold, he explains.

When activists confront the state, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences