🔗 Share this article

This revolution isn't broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

As protests against the leadership continue in US cities, protesters are utilizing the spirit of a local block party. They've offered salsa lessons, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, as police watch.

Blending humour and politics – an approach researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of American protest in recent years, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It originated after a video of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. It subsequently appeared to rallies across the country.

"There is much at play with that humble blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in political performance.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by far-right groups throughout a political race.

When the meme gained popularity on the internet, people used it to express certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a candidate, including a particular image retweeted by that figure himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Users exchanged "rare Pepes" and established digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and notable for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he said his drawing was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that creators cannot own imagery," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reworked."

Previously, the popularity of Pepe meant that frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

This incident followed a directive to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves on a single block, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed pepper spray at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and Portland, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

While a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The order was stopped legally subsequently, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

Yet already, the frog had become a powerful anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

This symbol was seen nationwide at No Kings protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Visual Story

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

This approach rests on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to a cause without directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The idea of such tactics is three-fold, he explains.

When protesters confront the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences