Will inflatable frogs defeat fascism?
They can win the narrative battle, but then there's the war.
I love the inflatable frog brigade of Portland, it’s hard not to. In the face of ICE agents firing pepper balls, attacking protesters, arresting people, and generally acting like the modern-day Gestapo that they are, a dedicated group of Portlanders are dressing as inflatable frogs and unicorns and polar bears and more, and mocking the fascist shock troopers.
These anti-fascists have taken the fight to their city’s ICE office night after night, joyfully protesting the kidnappings and atrocities of the regime. And, now, they’ve captured the imagination of much of the country:
So, what’s next? At the moment it seems like frog brigades are bound to multiply. People are ordering these inflatable outfits, hyping up absurdist protest, and enjoying the way this tactic challenges the Trump narrative of our cities being riot-filled war zones. In Portland, the theme of absurdist protest just reached new heights when “several hundred bicyclists in varying states of undress circled the [ICE] center to shouts of encouragement.” While some folks were fully naked, others “dressed as characters from the film Beetlejuice or David S. Pumpkins from a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit played by Tom Hanks. Other people had clown makeup, others only wore shorts.”
I have a deep admiration for these protesters, and knowing Portland I’m sure many of them organize out of uniform as well. But, as someone who has been to countless protests, I think it’s pretty important to think critically about our usage of cute inflatable costumes rather than just copying these tactics because they’re fun, and viral. To be clear, there is a method to their madness. As one protester said, “It also dismantles their narrative a little bit… They’re not getting the footage they’re looking for. They look ridiculous.” And that’s true. These frogs and their companions are helping beat back the fascist narrative, and, at the same time, we need to think about the limits of the narrative battle.
Right now is the exact time to ask what winning the narrative battle wins us. Can we win the narrative battle but lose the war? I, unfortunately, believe we can. The primary presumption in the contest over controlling the narrative is that in a democratic society those in power need to take actions aligned with the will of the majority. But, in this country, we know that the decisions of politicians are generally more aligned with the interests of the 1% than the will of the majority, meaning democracy here has long been semi-functional, and that winning the narrative battle might not be enough in these circumstances.
And, right now, we must also acknowledge that this country has entered a different, even less democratic stage. Winning the narrative battle still matters, but we shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking that Trump and his regime will pull back just because something is unpopular. On the one hand, the MAGA media world can manufacture consent among the base for just about anything. 40% of voters can be persuaded that Portland is burning — they’ve already thought that since 2020, if not earlier. On the other hand we’re up against a fascist regime that increasingly knows their policies, from the economy to immigration to government funding, are unpopular. They just don’t care.
Again, it’s good to win the narrative battle. It’s better than losing on that front. But I don’t believe we have time to be winning the narrative battle while losing the war. I love these frogs, but they alone won’t cut it. 26 people have been charged with federal crimes tied to ICE facility protests in Portland, a US citizen was recently detained by ICE in the city, and people doing absurd things like playing “Ghostbusters” on the clarinet are being arrested. So while the people of Portland should certainly be commended, it’s not enough to uncritically rush ahead saying that they’ve figured out how to defeat ICE. We don’t have time to be symbolic but powerless right now. The frogs are a great start, but this fight also demands more of us.
In this moment we all have to question our attraction to tactics that are easy. Decades of conditioning have left us seeking ease, comfort, convenience. And now, in these dark times, glimpses of hope are immensely attractive. We understandably rush to them, lift them up, and often ignore the surrounding carnage. We feel desperate for victory, for normalcy, but we have to understand that we’re in sustained contest for power, one we’re losing right now. A seeming victory that doesn’t strip the fascists of their power won’t cut it. We’re in a fight where lives are at stake: those of our neighbors, and, ultimately, our own.
There are certainly people doing quiet, less headline-grabbing organizing in Portland. There are people all over the country organizing to defend their communities from federal kidnappers, and doing so in ways that don’t go viral. We need these people, and we need their tactics. We need to emulate folks who are doing the gritty, unsexy, sometimes monotonous work that makes powerful resistance possible.
Chicago is a vital place to study. ICE is terrorizing communities, snatching kids from schools, firing less-lethal munitions at protesters, and more. But at the very same time thousands of people are showing us how to resist in ways that build power and directly confront the violence of the fascist agents. In a recent newsletter Kelly Hayes shared a glimpse of some transformative organizing in one Chicago neighborhood:
“While some parts of Chicago have been targeted relentlessly during the recent federal onslaught known as ‘Operation Midway Blitz,’ [the neighborhood of] Rogers Park had seen more scattered reports of ICE activity—until Thursday, when their presence was confirmed at the start of the day with immigration arrests, and continually reported throughout the morning and afternoon. Neighbors fanned out, searching streets and alleyways for any sign of ICE activity, following up on reports, and communicating what we found. Before long, there were dozens, and then hundreds of people in the streets, watching and responding.
‘Clark Street was flooded with people,’ Daniel*, an activist with Protect RP, told me. ‘We had over 200 people on the streets. That was power.’ Daniel noted that many people left work early, or ‘dropped whatever they were doing’ to join the effort.”
Kelly explains that ICE has a much harder time taking people when hundreds of neighbors are out watching, calling attention to the kidnappers, and gathering crowds when ICE does attempt to strike. She also explains that it’s dangerous work, this type of direct action. An observer was arrested recently, and others had guns drawn on them. But people keep showing up by the hundreds, keep attending trainings, and keep organizing to defend their communities.
They’re not just showing up despite the risks, they’re showing up because they know that countless neighbors are at even greater risk of kidnapping, deportation, and grievous harm. They know that if they don’t act, families will be ripped apart, an untold number of lives will be ruined, and this country will descend into a profound darkness. And, crucially, they’re showing up as part of a collective. These brave people in Chicago aren’t just protesting, they’re organizing and forming groups that last beyond one moment, that can fight today but also fight the battles to come next week and next month and next year.
It’s tempting to shy away from the full reality of what we’re up against. We’re battling against sociopaths who delight in hurting people, who want to rip families apart, who attack journalists and openly push towards a full authoritarian regime. Humiliating them is great, but insufficient. Embarrassing them and changing the narrative matters, but we have to pair this joyful resistance with the deep organizing that builds real power for us to win this struggle in its totality.
This doesn’t mean no costumes, no joy. It means we can’t stop there. We can’t stop at what is easy. We can’t limit ourselves to massive marches that make a splash and then dissipate. We need to organize for power. We need to create the capacity to halt kidnappings, to stop masked men from taking our friends, to push out this fascist regime. We need to create ICE-free blocks, neighborhoods, cities, and ultimately a country that doesn’t conduct these sorts of state kidnappings at all.
The task is daunting, but when you see how in a matter of months communities have come together to build greater safety and power for their immigrant neighbors and themselves, you realize what can be done. It requires disrupting life as usual, it requires sacrifice, it requires making this work part of our everyday lives. But, if fascism is allowed to proceed unabated, it too will invade our everyday lives — even more than it already has.
This is the fork in the road. We’re here. There are two possible futures ahead of us. In one we have endless deportations, camps, the rule of psychopaths. In the other we have care for our neighbors, prosperity, safety and real democracy. We’re up against people who have organized their dark vision of the future for decades. They’re backed by big money and are eager to use force to get their way. We have to confront that reality and act accordingly. We don’t have time for delusion, we have to be clear that we need militancy alongside joy, power alongside spectacle, and a deep commitment to winning this struggle for a better world. - JP
P.S. Kelly Hayes’ recent newsletter “They Came for Our Neighbors. We Showed Up.” is very worth your while: https://organizingmythoughts.org/they-came-for-our-neighbors-we-showed-up/
Oh, come on. No one said frogs alone would win the war! Now is the time to unite and support each and every effort to resist and destroy this regime, not to pick at someone else's tactics. BTW, thank you the link to the Rosa Luxwmburg Stiftung site.
Take back what means to be patriotic and FOR America. Dress Full On in red white blue ( not flag mocking or burning) and carry the flag in the dozens for inpack. The Optics will look Terrible when swat team ICE or padded armed Coppers are seen beating down nation’s flag colors! Says 69 year old leftie. Do both. Avoid any militant alien star wars type costumes.