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[Gavin Darklighter]

This is such fucking bullshit. I will continue using Pepe and no that doesn't make me a racist.

 

[Bounceounce]

clue: this article is about twisting any meaning. It's not about "reclaiming" pepe. It's not about any of these deflections you're pushing.

Literally the article is only about a new meaning that is being overtly applied to the meme in large abundance.

Further, pepe absolutely had an original meaning. It was "feels good man." That's what the face implied. That's the whole meaning of the meme. It was used to signify that you don't care about the social norm of what is being discussed, that you go against the norm because "it feels good, man." Thats why there was a popular subversion of him frowning with "feels bad man."

Which is precisely why the alt-right is appropriating it.

Well if the original pepe had a meaning that was thrown out of the window when it was turned into feels bad man and then literally whatever people wanted to Photoshop it as and whatever new faces they made up, the memes essentially just the frog.
And maybe I'm posting about what I'm posting because I'm blatantly addressing the comments and not the article, as I have no issue with claiming that variation of Pepe is a symbol for alt-righters.

 

[Irminsul]

So yeah, while you might be right that Pepe originally didn't start as an alt-right dog whistle or that there are other uses for it, you shouldn't ignore the obviousness in front of you. The alt-right is purposefully appropriating the meme.

But the argument isn't that Pepe isn't used in alt-right circles, it's that it's not used as a dog whistle.

Because all "bad" Pepe examples that have been shown here are blatantly obvious. That's the opposite of a dog whistle. Which only shows that Pepe doesn't work as a racist symbol if used on its own, and that is the actual argument made in this thread.

 

[Username1198]

Sell Pepe

 

[MarkMclovin]

Confused by this as I don't really understand memes, but have we literally created a racist mascot from an image of a frog, and it's now up there with the swastika and the confederation flag?

 

[Krejlooc]

Well if the original pepe had a meaning that was thrown out of the window when it was turned into feels bad man

This isn't what happened. The original pepe meme still has that meaning. pepe, in general, is still associated with "feels good man."

Rather, the meaning of the meme is so well understood, that a second meme, that is based off of pepe literally doing the exact opposite of what he was doing in the original meme (frowning instead of smiling) was immediately understood to be the inverse of the original meaning (feels bad man, instead of feels good man).

And maybe I'm posting about what I'm posting because I'm blatantly addressing the comments and not the article, as I have no issue with claiming that variation of Pepe is a symbol for alt-righters.

Yet all your posts are to the effect that this is not appropriation. That is what the article and the comments are getting at.

 

[Krejlooc]

Confused by this as I don't really understand memes, but have we literally created a racist mascot from an image of a frog, and it's now up there with the swastika and the confederation flag?

First, internet memes are no different than any other type of symbol. You do understand memes, you're just over thinking them. Memes are a term to describe any piece of culturally relevant packaged retort, and the way they are understood in society. It's like how bad could mean good in the 80's. That was a meme.

Pepe isn't necessarily a racist mascot. Rather, the point of what is being said is that pepe is being very frequently appropriated with the alt-right, and thus should be taken in with other symbols as a way to identify alt-right supporters. In other words, using pepe doesn't make you the alt-right, but the alt-right uses pepe quite a bit so when you see it, look for other symbols.

 

[Gavin Darklighter]

I put the blame on Hillary for having an article about it written on her election site and on news stations for doing reports on things they don't understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlBHja_BqTc

This is almost as bad as when Fox news did a report on 4chan a decade ago or CNN doing "Who is this 4chan guy" a couple years ago. News stations should stay out of internet memes.

News stations should stay out of internet business PERIOD

 

[SweetDonuts]

They can take my memes but they can't take my pepe !!

 

[HawthorneKitty]

Jimmy Kimmel just did a small bit where it was displayed with a Trump supporter scenario. :x

 

[Gavin Darklighter]

 

[Alcotholic]

Will Pepe be banned from gaf?

 

[Krejlooc]

Last edited by Gavin Darklighter; Today at 04:01 AM.

 

[Engell]

poor Pepe

 

[Yukinari]

All these fucking people who never even read the comic Pepe comes from made him into a twisted monstrosity.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Are you saying it's time to cash out the rare Pepe market?

 

[Molozon]

Is this a joke ?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Is this a joke ?

absolutely not.

People in this thread are seriously misunderstanding what the ADL list is about. It's not supposed to be some kind of list of banned symbols or something like that, it's supposed to be a list of symbols that can be used to identify white supremacist people and organisations, because not all of their symbols are as blatant as the swastika.

Because they're so stigamatized, white supremacists form a somewhat hidden subculture that rely on dog whistles and abstract symbols to identify each other. Stuff like "88" or that triforce-looking thing are part of that. They're not inherently evil or something but if they use them the right way they can broadcast their allegiance without overtly revealing it to people who aren't white supremacists.

Pepe has been co-opted as one too - when used in specific contexts. Trump Pepe is one such context, overtly racist Pepe memes obviously another, and even heavy use of ordinary Pepe memes in say an otherwise very racist twitter feed can function as one too. Does that mean you should stop using Pepe memes because they're forever taboo now? No. Just recognise that they are being used as a dog whistle as well, and be a bit careful about not accidentally coming off that way - for your own sake, if nothing else.

10/10

thanks for explaining it to the masses. hopefully people will read, comprehend, and go forth.

 

[Goon]

poor Pepe

that is really nice card art.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

.

 

[g.r.e.]

Is wojak still cool, though? He's the meme that matters the most to me.

 

[Demy]

Either you die as dat boi or live long enough to become a rare pepe

 

[Scooby]

.

 

[AlphaDump]

This is such fucking bullshit. I will continue using Pepe and no that doesn't make me a racist.

What a proud hill to die on. Regardless of your little protest the meme is used in alt right and neonazi circles. It is a fact that will continue to exist regardless of your belief.

 

[itxaka]

First, internet memes are no different than any other type of symbol. You do understand memes, you're just over thinking them. Memes are a term to describe any piece of culturally relevant packaged retort, and the way they are understood in society. It's like how bad could mean good in the 80's. That was a meme.

Pepe isn't necessarily a racist mascot. Rather, the point of what is being said is that pepe is being very frequently appropriated with the alt-right, and thus should be taken in with other symbols as a way to identify alt-right supporters. In other words, using pepe doesn't make you the alt-right, but the alt-right uses pepe quite a bit so when you see it, look for other symbols.

Not racist but #1 with racists?

 

[Paracelsus]

They overcomplicated something very straightforward.

4chan made it into a meme, 4chan happens to be frequented by plenty alt-right individuals because of the anonymous shield which allows them to go full

Spoiler

retard

, and thus the likelyhood of finding pepe associated with that type of politics is high.

 

[Makai]

What a proud hill to die on. Regardless of your little protest the meme is used in alt right and neonazi circles. It is a fact that will continue to exist regardless of your belief.

I'm still looking forward to Breath of the Wild.

 

[AlphaDump]

I'm still looking forward to Breath of the Wild.

Okay i laughed

 

[Super_Cobra]

Let's take it back!

 

[Alienous]

First they came for the Pepe, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't the Pepe.

 

[Einchy]

I didn't fight in the rage faces war of 2013 to see dank memes corrupted like this.

 

[SigSig]

Is this why those garbage Twitter accounts now have frog emoji in their name?

 

[GuessMyUserName]

For people who don't understand this, it's basically the age old scenario of parents joining in to their children's hobbies / latest trends, turning the kids off of it and making it no longer the cool thing to do.

Just replaces "your parents" with "white nationalists"

 

[zbarron]

This community sometimes. The majority on here, including myself are for gun control but aren't willing to give up a meme. It's a meme. A new one will be made tomorrow you all can latch on to.

 

[Engell]

This community sometimes. The majority on here, including myself are for gun control but aren't willing to give up a meme. It's a meme. A new one will be made tomorrow you all can latch on to.

.

 

[Rayis]

let's start using Pepe for social justice and see if they'd still use it

 

[Already Torn]

This is such fucking bullshit. I will continue using Pepe and no that doesn't make me a racist.

Just a white supremacist!

 

[jorma]

absolutely not.


10/10

thanks for explaining it to the masses. hopefully people will read, comprehend, and go forth.

I guess you missed the post that explained why it's not a "dog whistle".

 

[Ekid]

So that's how they want to play it. Fine...

 

[Zelenogorsk]

Wojak is the better meme anyways.

 

[Already Torn]

So that's how they want to play it. Fine...

🤔

 

[MUnited83]

Do people seriously not see the hundreds of alt-right shitheads using Pepe memes to say bigoted shit, or this just one of those "I'm gonna be deliberately obtuse because I can" things?

People are being obtuse because they can, they didn't even bother to read what the site said at all, and come here with shitposting of "they don't understand the internets!!!!"

This is such fucking bullshit. I will continue using Pepe and no that doesn't make me a racist.

Good thing you actually read the site then, because they're not calling people who use it racists.

 

[Romez]

Didn't know it was being used by racists.

 

[gutter_trash]

thanks thread for educating me, I did not know the details of the appropriation of this meme by the alt-right

 

[Salty Rice]

Fucking idots. Leave Pepe alone.

Didn't know it was being used by racists.

Maybe Palmer Luckey saw that it was a "fresh" and popular meme and used it for his racist shit.

 

[Zomba13]

I thought the whole "Pepe is racist now" things were just a meme joke thing. I didn't think Pepe was actually used as some hate symbol.

Guess this is the sort of things Palmer Luckey's money goes towards? Turning sweet, innocent, rare memes into hate?

 

[Kater]

 

[Terbinator]

So that's how they want to play it. Fine...

Well that's one way to account suicide.

 

[User Name Here]

Poor guy. From a comedy symbol to a hate one. He just keeps taking those loses.

 

[Regiruler]

poor Pepe

It amazes me this is somehow worse than venom swamp.