Pepe the Frog killed off in response to unwanted alt-right association

Source: The Hill

The creator of the "Pepe the Frog" character has laid his popular internet meme to rest.

In a special strip for Free Comic Book Day, artist Matt Furie drew a one-page special edition of his famous comic, "Pepe the Frog," in a casket at his funeral.

Furie debuted the character on his Myspace blog in 2005, but Pepe soon evolved into a widely shared joke on the anonymous image board 4chan. Pepe's popularity online exploded, until the character was co-opted by members of the alt-right during the 2016 election campaign.

White nationalists began sharing the image online and customizing it to display racist messages.

“We basically mixed Pepe in with Nazi propaganda, etc. We built that association,” one alt-right member told the Daily Beast.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League designated Pepe as a hate symbol, horrifying its creator.

“It’s a nightmare, and the only thing I can do is see this as an opportunity to speak out against hate," Furie told Time magazine.

Can't say I blame the guy. His politics are FAR different from the alt-rights (he even voted Hillary Clinton) and I can see why this would ruin him.

He was fine with Poo Poo Pee Pee but Trump Pepe crossed a line. smh

SJW's killed pepe because they fall apart about everything.

Nope he's still alive. /Pol/ owns him now.

Oh the drama. "buh buh I drew a cartoon frog first!"

Pepe is in a better place now. Instead of being a baby cuck, maybe he should be happy something he created became so popular regardless of political perspective.

Just like trump supporters over coffee cups and late night TV.

It's funny. They also moaned and went crazy over Hulk Hogan's ruined career and praised the s*** out of Peter Thiel for ending Gawker in response. Yet, they happily ruin a character much to the point where it ruined his creator and (judging by the first responses) take probably even more pride doing it.

@KHAndAnime said:

Oh the drama. "buh buh I drew a cartoon frog first!"

Pepe is in a better place now. Instead of being a baby cuck, maybe he should be happy something he created became so popular regardless of political perspective.

WHY? That's like saying Dave Grohl should be proud that Republicans used Foo Fighters music without their permission and COMPLETELY missing the point of his songs.

You think being used by Stormfront is a better place?

Oh **** off.

Sure, why not?

And you do know Pepe isn't just used by Stormfront, right? Stormfront is only a subsect of a very large community that enjoys Pepe.

Dave Grohl should be happy anyone plays his dated garbage.

Wow....

Too bad so sad.

Pepe has a life of his own now.

@nintendoboy16: Pepe can never die for he has risen from the dead! #PraiseKek

It's called freedom of expression. I know liberals like yourself dislike free speech, and want to live sheltered lives away from intellectual diversity - but hey, you can always move to Canada or the UK where it's countries are one giant safe space and stay off the internet if Stormfront's usage of Pepe bothers you so much.

I wish that I didn't google Stormfront.

It's a cartoon frog. Why do the righties care about this so much?

Funny how dipshits fail to realize if the people at Stormfront were empowered for even a second, free speech would no longer exist. Of course, that's not actually true. They realize it and say this shit anyways, which tells you everything you need to know about the nazi sympathizers here and elsewhere.

Good for the creator. Pepe has become a clear sign of hate due to his constant use by the hateful to spread hate. Liberals didn't do anything except bring a little light to that use.

Governments can't ban his use because that would be a true violation of free speech. That said, all private organizations and people of any decency or conscience should shun his use just like they shun nazi or kkk symbols and marches. Don't let them twist our priciple of free speech, which they do not truly share, to force you to offer them a platform for hate speech. The right of freedom of speech is not a security blanket for nazis to feel welcome, invited and included, it is merely a promise we won't throw them in jail till they act on the vomit they spew. You have a right to your expression as well, and that includes your right as a web admin. to say "I dont want this garbage on my site". And if some loser says your designating a safe space in a derogatory way, feel free to reply "Yes, i designate that I don't need to give consideration to nazi ideology and reject it wholesale as being devoid of anything of worth, much like you".

I thought the left watched late night TV after it is all left programming on the late night talk shows.

That is freaking rich, coming from the guy who thinks America or any other country should follow ONLY the right.

Yeah I never understood this, the current Pepe meme for me was there to mock the sjw's instead of actually representing alt right or any other thing in general.. Places like stormfront have attached onto this crap because the regressives have basically tried to paint any and everything as Nazi's with any disagreements now..

Where has he said this?

In a thread on possible California independence back when OT had political discussions. He said California should leave the US so the US can lean more to the right.

Except to take pride in the creation of Pepe the frog is pretty asinine in itself. What did it take him like 2 minutes in MSpaint to create that abomination?

... Ok.. So how does that mean what you claimed?

That post clearly indicates what he claimed. You're really in for a ride if you are defending KHAandAnime. He's a hardcore far righter who championed the idea Obama was not born in USA and literally wire-taped Trump Tower.

I want to hope people like that are just trolling, but sadly they are not. All this talk radio crap has actually brain washed people.

1. I'm not liberal. It doesn't take a liberal to say "wow" to someone defending Stormfront. Disliking Stormfront is not a liberal thing. Why do I even have to explain this to you.

2. Pepe does not bother me. I never tried to stop your freedom of speech. I simply said "wow" in reaction to something stupid, such as defending Stormfront. Are you triggered at my "wow"? Do you need a safe space from it?

3. You have to be a troll account. No one can be this low IQ.

More like capitalism at play. Conservative comedy shows flop, they flop badly. This is a fact. A majority of Americans do not lean towards conservative values on most issues (on average - and I'm not saying this is a good thing). Hence it doesn't sell as well. This is simple logic.

Are you against the free market? Are you a commie?

I like the art style of the original comic, has a minimalist charm to it. However since Trump supporters are the bottom of the barrel they're are unable to recreate something as simple as pepe to a point where it's even recognisable.

@toast_burner: We should be more like the tolerant left...who isn't condescending when they disagree with you. They definitely do not have melt downs, riot and destroy their own cities when they don't get their way.

Glad WE are bottom of the barrel and not you :x

How dare you speak to us that way? Do you even comprehend the intellectual superiority and command we have over you? I should punch my computer but that would break it. You are making me very angry and when I am angry my power radiates.

@EmprahBanjo: this guy!

Not all of UK is like London. A safe space in Northeast is an area your shit might not get stolen.

No it doesn't it says that it would move further to the right.. Seeing as California is the most liberal state in the union, how does that automatically mean we would be neo conservative? Do you know how to even argue? You realize that there are OTHER blue states in the Union OTHER than California.. In no way does that some how conclude such a ridiculous conclusion, get some nuance instead of falling into a false dichotomy.

None of the mindless babble you just posted refutes what nintendoboy stated.

Khanadnime did make that claim. Now he's being a huge hypocrite. Please don't try to defend such an idiot.

... Reading comprehension.. He says he would be infavor of the US leaning more to the right.. How does that even remotely translate to wanting a extreme right only government? Yet again I don't care what you think of the said poster, I am talking about the substance of your argument in drawing a bullshit conclusion that could come to multiple different conclusions.

Should we also "kill" Disney or popular video game characters that become associated with pornographic websites (the infamous Rule 34)? This whole thing is asinine.