Memes and symbolic violence: #proudboys and the use of memes for propaganda and the construction of collective identity

DeCook, Julia R.

doi:10.1080/17439884.2018.1544149

Cited by 103 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Internet memes as we recognize them now first emerged on early-21st-century internet message boards as a "homemade culture" made out of combining visual references to various pieces of popular culture (Beran, 2019, p. xv). Used to celebrate sport or other forms of culture, make political commentary, communicate emotions, create dialogue about other forms of culture, and for general humor, memes have become a central component of modern life (DeCook, 2018;Mina, 2019). Thus, the examination of internet culture offers insight into new ways of constructing identity and communicating.…”

Section: Social Media Internet Memes Sport and Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current alt-right movement within the United States is at odds with progressive culture and policy aimed at making society more equitable. Discussing race and fighting against racism, feminism, immigration, political correctness, and the perceived erasure of Whiteness are some unifying factors within this multifaceted movement (DeCook, 2018). Sport is a battleground for the perpetuation of these ideas.…”

Section: Whiteness and The End Of Pc Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, skin tone, religious symbols, and Islamic dress become the signifiers of terrorism and un-Americanism. Furthermore, the current alt-right movement perpetuates the belief that Islam, feminism, multiculturalism, immigration, and globalization are responsible for the slow destruction of Western civilization (DeCook, 2018). In Figure 14, a photoshopped Kaepernick appears with a turban and a beard situated next to and in similar garb, Osama bin Laden.…”

Section: Colin Kaepernick the Terroristmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Real Men Stand for Our Nation”: Constructions of an American Nation and Anti-Kaepernick Memes

Dickerson

Hodler

2020

Journal of Sport and Social Issues

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On September 1, 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled for the playing of the national anthem arguing that he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” noting that “this is bigger than football and it would be selfish . . . to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Kaepernick received a tremendous amount of backlash for this action, and many White fans/media pundits accused him of disrespecting the flag and U.S. military. This act took place during the very contentious presidential election in the United States between eventual winner Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. During this election, the Trump campaign mobilized discourses of White nationalism, and even employed alt-right member Steve Bannon as Trump’s chief advisor for a period. The Trump campaign capitalized on a set of White backlash politics that had been growing since the 1990s, and the reactions to Kaepernick’s protest cannot be separated from this larger context. In this article, we critically read internet memes of Colin Kaepernick to gain insight into the relationship between race, gender, and the nation during the rise of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.

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Section: Social Media Internet Memes Sport and Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Whiteness and The End Of Pc Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Colin Kaepernick the Terroristmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Real Men Stand for Our Nation”: Constructions of an American Nation and Anti-Kaepernick Memes

Dickerson

Hodler

2020

Journal of Sport and Social Issues

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“…Previous RWP movements in Canada of varying core ideologies have also been dominated by men (Finkel, 1993; Gidengil et al., 2005). Some of the most visible RWP social movements, such as the white supremacist “Alt‐Right” (which the Canadian media reported as gravitating toward the PPC), the “western chauvinist” Proud Boys organization, and the antigovernment libertarian “boogaloo” movement similarly appeal to young—and male—supporters (Beran, 2020; DeCook, 2018; Grant and MacDonald, 2020; Hawley, 2017; Kamel, Patriquin, and Picazo, 2019; SPLC, 2020). Such appeals resonate with nationalist ideologies that emphasize traditional patriarchal gender relations and hostility to feminism and stand in opposition to the liberal, pluralist values purportedly advanced by elites.…”

Section: Thin Right‐wing Populism and Its Supportersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The People and The Nation: The “Thick” and the “Thin” of Right‐Wing Populism in Canada

Erl

2020

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective While Canada is commonly portrayed as a bastion of political moderation, two influential right‐wing populist (RWP) movements appeared in the past decade. This study examines support for the People's Party of Canada (PPC) and “Ford Nation” of the eponymous Toronto‐based political family, comparing each movement's supporters. Methods Data from the 2014 Toronto Election Study and 2019 Canadian Election Study were analyzed with logistic regression models to assess differences between supporters of each movement. Results Populism as a “thin‐centered ideology” is displayed by the differences between each movement. Ford Nation advanced a suburban‐focused neoliberal populism while the PPC blended libertarianism and civilizationist–nationalist rhetoric. Contrary to both movements’ platforms, PPC supporters did not display significant animosity toward immigrants, while those of the Ford Nation did. The supporters of Ford Nation were distinct among conventional supporters of RWP movements because they tended to be both immigrants and economically secure. Conclusions While both the PPC and Ford Nation are RWP movements, each movement is only nominally related, as evidenced by their different underlying “thick” ideologies and the substantial differences among their supporters.

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“…In 2017, the organization, which is currently the biggest and most active extreme-right actor with an explicitly violent and revolutionary agenda in Scandinavia, launched a new “satire project” in the framework of which a wide repertoire of new online content was produced and circulated. This includes a weekly feature called “Meme of the week.” As “bite-sized nuggets of political ideology and culture that are easily digestible” (DeCook 2018, 485), memes employ humor and rich intertextuality and are “meant to be shared in social media” (Marwick and Lewis 2017, 36). NRM’s memes serve as a pertinent example of one such new “packaging” of neo-Nazi ideology, which in many ways epitomize a broader shift to humor, irony, and ambiguity in the organization’s online communication.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Frogs, Monkeys, and Execution Memes: Exploring the Humor-Hate Nexus at the Intersection of Neo-Nazi and Alt-Right Movements in Sweden

Askanius

2021

Television & New Media

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This article is based on a case study of the online media practices of the militant neo-Nazi organization the Nordic Resistance Movement, currently the biggest and most active extreme-right actor in Scandinavia. I trace a recent turn to humor, irony, and ambiguity in their online communication and the increasing adaptation of stylistic strategies and visual aesthetics of the Alt-Right inspired by online communities such as 4chan, 8chan, Reddit, and Imgur. Drawing on a visual content analysis of memes ( N = 634) created and circulated by the organization, the analysis explores the place of humor, irony, and ambiguity across these cultural expressions of neo-Nazism and how ideas, symbols, and layers of meaning travel back and forth between neo-Nazi and Alt-right groups within Sweden today.

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Memes and symbolic violence: #proudboys and the use of memes for propaganda and the construction of collective identity

Cited by 103 publications

References 28 publications

“Real Men Stand for Our Nation”: Constructions of an American Nation and Anti-Kaepernick Memes

“Real Men Stand for Our Nation”: Constructions of an American Nation and Anti-Kaepernick Memes

The People and The Nation: The “Thick” and the “Thin” of Right‐Wing Populism in Canada

On Frogs, Monkeys, and Execution Memes: Exploring the Humor-Hate Nexus at the Intersection of Neo-Nazi and Alt-Right Movements in Sweden

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