![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Even today, the swastika is a popular symbol of good fortune across much of Asia. The swastika, reviled in western cultures as a hateful symbol of the Nazi regime, was originally so innocuous that it was a common graphic design element in American advertising. What we have learned is that, often, symbols slowly evolve in that direction or are appropriated by extremists from their original context and assigned a new, more hateful meaning. We maintain this database as part of our work to track hate groups and help law enforcement, educators and other members of the public to identify those symbols that serve as potential calling cards of extremists and antisemites. But the evolution of Pepe the Frog actually illustrates a key aspect of hate symbols: many such images do not actually begin as hate symbols. At first glance, it may seem more than a little strange that the image of a cartoon frog could end up alongside such infamous symbols as the Blood Drop Cross of the Ku Klux Klan. This week, he was added to the Anti-Defamation League’s database of hate symbols. P epe the Frog originated as an innocuous cartoon character in 2005. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |