Even if you think pepe the frog is harmless, and it may be within your community, someone new won't have that context and its use is still widely associated with white supremacy.
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It doesn't take too many pepe the frog emotes (or variations) to make marginalized people feel unsafe, and it is dangerous for them to stick around until your intentions are clear. Naturally, they will leave without a trace. You won't even know why.
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"But what about people who use it without knowing its meaning?" Well, now YOU know, and you can let them know. Link this thread if you want. If they brush if off, that says A LOT about them.
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If you really want to reclaim pepe the frog, subvert it. Use it to fight white supremacy. Don't just keep using it as a replacement for "lol". Ignoring it won't make it go away.
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If you want to foster a welcoming, diverse community, this is something you will have to deal with. Letting pepe emotes slide will only signal to bigots that it is a safe place and will push others out.
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There are a lot more insights on the replies to the thread, including some about its creator, original meaning and attempts to reclaim it (including some small victories). You can check them here:https://twitter.com/gamesbymanuel/status/1421073799127179269 …
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The comments on both threads are closed because I am not looking for a discussion. This was a temperature check. Hopefully it gave you some new tools to identify and deal with this problematic symbol. Have a nice day!
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P.S: For those complaining that this poll is not scientific. It's not! It's a poll for my friends that quickly got out of hand. Could the question have been framed more carefully? Absolutely. Is it too late to change it? Also, yes.
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End of conversation
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