In the battle for the soul of Pepe the Frog, whose portrayals range from fun-loving webcomic character to actual Nazi, Trump supporters aren’t giving up. With the election now upon us, the alt-right is re-upping its claim on the character by posting a flood of pro-Trump Pepes. They’re calling it a #RainOfFrogs.
*EMERGENCY BROADCAST*
— Baked Alaska (@bakedalaska) November 7, 2016
In the final hour of this election I am calling on all MAGA supporters to flood the web with Rare Pepes! #RainOfFrogs pic.twitter.com/uDxznR8SqJ
The final day.#RainOfFrogs unleashes it’s final formhttps://t.co/OawhI4wO19
— Baked Alaska (@bakedalaska) November 7, 2016
It’s not clear how they plan to win over undecided voters by posting gun-toting frogs, but whatever. Trump memes are often less about Trump and more about memes, about people who feel disenfranchised (even though they’re mostly young, white, and male) finding a community of fellow-trolls to which they can belong.
https://twitter.com/Iron_Mitten/status/792915044912726016
Hence, #RainOfFrogs. It’s named after a Biblical plague inflicted on Egyptian slaveholders, but this time it’s with… a racist cartoon? Look, the metaphor’s not perfect, but team Trump will try anything at this point, even if that means entrusting their hopes to “meme magic.”
https://twitter.com/Younger_X_/status/795677224917762048
https://twitter.com/Vendetta92429/status/795649223605813248
https://twitter.com/fast98dodge/status/792902374335459329
The #RainOfFrogs is real! When it rains it pours!!! 650K emails seized by FBI!
— Baked Alaska (@bakedalaska) October 31, 2016
We are bringing forth the prophecy from Exodus 8!! pic.twitter.com/AcXAYGbdmH
https://twitter.com/american23t/status/792264429127790592
The “Rain of Frogs” meme seems to be especially targeted at interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile, whose recent ouster from CNN caused glee among this lot. Every new Clinton email scandal that bubbles up is seen as evidence that the metaphorical “rain of frogs” is underway, drowning the Trump fans’ hated enemy.
https://twitter.com/JR4Trump/status/795640981492236289
https://twitter.com/MissPatriarch/status/795436606928879616
Although the rain of frogs is ostensibly about politics, it’s more about meme culture and the casual racism of Reddit’s r/TheDonald and 4chan’s /pol/. Various trolls are describing the campaign as a wizard battle between “Kek the frog god of meme magic” and “Moloch the elite god of the turbokikes.”
https://twitter.com/Infidel_Frankie/status/794912752305205248
https://twitter.com/Infidel_Frankie/status/795689950658248704
In other words, they’re doing it to be edgy and have a laugh. But sometimes it’s hard to find a difference between trolling to get a reaction and a genuine belief in white supremacy. Some of these memes are horrifying in their naked racial animosity:
https://twitter.com/TehHornyUnicorn/status/795692303956508672
https://twitter.com/KnotEradEatoR/status/795719219623170048
https://twitter.com/Vendetta92429/status/795651569349984257
#RainOfFrogs pic.twitter.com/YT9UPibEjp
— Spearhand (@cape2cape99) November 7, 2016
None of this makes a damn bit of sense, which is why it’s fortunate that the presidency is determined not by Moloch, Kek, or “meme magic,” but by a completely different and equally arcane system: the electoral college.
https://twitter.com/kweenslandah/status/795734275354083332
No matter what side of this interminable campaign you’re on, we can all be grateful there’s only one day of it left.
