🔗 Share this article

This resistance won't be televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

While protests opposing the leadership continue in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the vibe of a community costume parade. They've provided dance instruction, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, as officers look on.

Combining comedy and political action – a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a signature characteristic of American protest in this period, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It originated when video footage of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that small blow-up amphibian," notes LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by far-right groups during a political race.

When the character initially spread on the internet, people used it to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a candidate, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became a coded signal.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his distaste for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he said the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

When he began, the artist tried sharing his art to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," explains the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. This shifted recently, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident came just days after a decision to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer sprayed irritant at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The frog suit was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

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

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume was now a significant anti-administration symbol for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

The frog costume was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Narrative

What connects the two amphibian symbols – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that draws focus to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

As activists confront a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences