Planet Rugby Forum

We need to discuss the political significance of emoji. Not just any emoji, but the worst emoji of all. That obnoxious, chortling little yellow dickhead – bulbous, cartoonish tears streaming down its face – which seems to have taken over social media in recent months.

Some have suggested that the frog face is the worst emoji, because of its recent association with the so-called alt-right (neo-Nazi nerds, in layman’s terms) who adopted it as a mascot after the Southern Poverty Law Center declared the Pepe the frog meme a symbol of hate. These people are wrong. While it’s true that this new fascist connection has irreparably tainted the previously innocent amphibian character, it’s still not as intrinsically offensive as the “crying laughing” or “tears of joy” face that is the subject of my ire.

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Hannah Jane Parkinson
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Emoji is a complex and ambiguous language. If your mum texts you the aubergine, for instance, it might mean that she wants you to pick up the ingredients for a moussaka. This is less likely to be the case if you receive a similar message from a lover or spouse.

Still, there’s something about this particular character – with its broad, cackling grin and the perfomatively prominent tears of mirth – that just feels inherently mocking and cruel. When I found out that the design had been used to create balaclavas, my immediate thought was: “At least we know what They’ll be wearing when They come.” Even in cases where the emoji user’s meaning seems entirely innocent, it still provokes a visceral reaction in me that I’d struggle to overstate.

It almost certainly has less to do with the actual nature of that graphic than the scenarios in which I most commonly encounter it. Most often, the sender is gloating about something or other. In many cases, the topic that appears to have amused them is the sort of thing you’d hope any empathetic, reasonable person would find unconscionably horrific. Deaths of refugees who were desperately attempting to cross the Mediterranean in a rickety, overfilled boat entirely unfit for such a journey. Reports of a rise in hate crime in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote. Particularly horrendous benefit sanction case studies. Trump’s threats to create a register of Muslims living in the US, to deport millions of primarily Latino US residents and to defund Planned Parenthood.

However, I’ve come to realise that the specific nature of the horror frequently isn’t the primary reason for the glee. It takes a certain level of callous disregard to respond to human suffering in such a manner, but the real target of derision is most often People Like Me. That is, socially liberal, middle-class do-gooders piously informing people that they should care about these various issues. In the words of Rage Against the Machine, the message being conveyed is clear: “fudge you, I won’t do what you tell me.”

Two men wearing Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage masks.
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‘When I look at its yellow face , I see the detestable, carefree smirks of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson as they merrily dance through the current chaos.’ Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock
The idea of class-based condescension definitely factors in, but it’s the “liberal” bit that’s really key. People who respond to expressions of upset or anger about social injustice with the crying-laughing emoji are as likely to be affluent golf club members from Surrey as disillusioned jobseekers from my home city of Sheffield. Different people have different reasons for ending up on one side or another, but what’s basically happening right now is a culture war. And that chuckling, mocking emoji? They’re using it to remind us that they’re winning.

When I look at its yellow face, I see the detestable, carefree smirks of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson as they merrily dance through the current chaos – hop, skip and jumping over the cracks in society they’ve helped drive deeper and wider, safe in the knowledge they’ll personally be just fine no matter what.


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Not everyone who finds the situation hilarious has that same level of insulation, though. Many of those currently chortling away could find their personal circumstances significantly deteriorate as a result of decisions taken by the politicians they support.

That’s not really the point, though. Personally benefiting is far less of a priority than ensuring that the appropriate people are losing. Call it spite, or even just a desire to exert some sort of influence on the world because many of these people have felt powerless for a very long time. In the UK, in elite rhetoric if not always in policy, the liberal social and economic consensus has held for almost as long as I’ve been alive. Though we disagree heavily on the details, I empathise with the yearning to bring about some sort of change. It’s undeniable that the ability to affect things much feel thrilling, even if the specific nature of your influence mainly involves just totally f**king stuff up.

Long stretches of political inertia also lend a sense of unreality to the whole thing. “Sure, it kind of feels like we’re in control now, but is it possible that what I do can really make a difference?” I expect that for many it still feels like an enormous game. I could get into Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality right now – further signalling my membership of the despised, philosophy-reading “liberal elite” – but even without modern technology the emotional impulse might be similar.

The internet has at least made it easier for people to connect with each other and feel part of something ... which sounds great, until you realise what it is that many of them seem to want to be a part of. What’s more, without it I would never have to see that sniggering yellow bastard ever again.

zzzz wrote:A new entrant

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ?CMP=fb_gu

Summary: Man listens to opposing argument and horrifies himself by finding it compelling. Promises never to do it again.

TokenSarriesFan wrote:

zzzz wrote:A new entrant

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ?CMP=fb_gu

Summary: Man listens to opposing argument and horrifies himself by finding it compelling. Promises never to do it again.

I suspect he would be far happier if he just carried on listening to Sam and Milo to be honest with you.

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

croyals wrote:

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

They're asking for £50 donations from readers to keep going, can't be a good sign

Flyin Ryan wrote:

croyals wrote:

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

They're asking for £50 donations from readers to keep going, can't be a good sign

Isn't that the entire point of Comment is Free, they get content but don't have to pay a journalist for it?

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

croyals wrote:

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

They're asking for £50 donations from readers to keep going, can't be a good sign

Flyin Ryan wrote:

croyals wrote:

supreme0verlord wrote:

This comment has been deleted by a moderator

On every 2nd comment. Glad to see the Guardian remains than Bastian of loony lefty SJW commentary.

Aren't they all but bankrupt now anyway?

They're asking for £50 donations from readers to keep going, can't be a good sign

Isn't that the entire point of Comment is Free, they get content but don't have to pay a journalist for it?

Man In Black wrote:I'm convinced this Alt-Right one is made up by some hack who read a bit of Breitbart for research. Smells like bullshit to me. Especially the line "“Islam isn’t compatible with western civilisation... She was taken aback: “Isn’t that a bit … rightwing?”.

Also don't like how he's equating Sam Harris with the Alt-Right but then that's pretty typical Guardian innit.

zzzz wrote:A new entrant

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ?CMP=fb_gu

Summary: Man listens to opposing argument and horrifies himself by finding it compelling. Promises never to do it again.

Womack wrote:

zzzz wrote:A new entrant

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ?CMP=fb_gu

Summary: Man listens to opposing argument and horrifies himself by finding it compelling. Promises never to do it again.

https://mobile.twitter.com/GodfreyElfwi ... gr%5Etweet

I'm not down with this kind of shizne, but I am reliably informed this Elfwick character is a spoofist.

Womack wrote:

zzzz wrote:A new entrant

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ?CMP=fb_gu

Summary: Man listens to opposing argument and horrifies himself by finding it compelling. Promises never to do it again.

https://mobile.twitter.com/GodfreyElfwi ... gr%5Etweet

I'm not down with this kind of shizne, but I am reliably informed this Elfwick character is a spoofist.

J Man wrote:Glenn Greenwald comes across as incredibly disingenuous.

Man In Black wrote:The Guardian looks silly either way.

Man In Black wrote:Really enjoyed waking up to the news it was (likely) a hoax. Even if it isn't and Godfrey Elfwick is making it up, the Guardian is in a bit of a pickle as the original author was 'Anonymous' so they can't very well out him now. The Guardian looks silly either way.

theo wrote:The irony of this appearing in the Guardian will be not be lost on many.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -breitbart

DragonKhan wrote:We have at least 4 more years of this preening madness

Red Chopper wrote:Just when you think you've reached the summit - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... me-dancing

It was billed as a “fromage-themed extravaganza” but a cheese festival at London’s historic Borough Market left a bad taste in the mouth of many foodies who complained of dangerous overcrowding.

More than 18,000 people on Facebook indicated they were going to the free event which took place on Wednesday night and some visitors said the large numbers who turned up, coupled with a lack of organisation, rendered it a disaster.

To compound the chaos, vegan protesters also showed up, with some visitors saying the demonstrators hurled insults at them.


Andy Green, who had come from Kent for the event, was one of those who registered his disappointment on the Evening of Cheese official Facebook page.

“What a terrible shame you could not organise this properly, it was just an evening of squeeze!” he wrote. “Dangerously overcrowded and not much fun at all, we have never been so relieved to be back on the train to Folkestone! Glad we saved the night with a nice walk along the South Bank, the only thing that made the afternoon off work and the cost of the train fare worthwhile. Poor show Borough Market.”

The event, which has been running for 10 years, featured a demonstration by a Michelin starred chef from Italy and was billed as an opportunity to chat to cheese experts and sample and buy different varieties. But many claimed that the overcrowding was so severe that they did not even get to see a piece of cheese.

Kelly Fox wrote: “Couldn’t get a look in at any of the stalls. At one point we were just stuck in the middle of everyone and no one was moving. I got elbowed in the boob & backpacked in the face! Gave up in the end and went to Regent Street to look at the Christmas lights. Was looking forward to this all month. Disappointing.”

David Wallace was similarly indignant. “Gave up on this before we even saw any cheese, never mind tasted it,” he wrote. “Utter, utter shambles. Ridiculously overcrowded, poorly organised and, frankly, a public relations disaster for Borough Market.”

Some suggested making the event ticketed in future to avoid a repeat of Thursday’s scenes.

Others felt that those complaining had lost their sense of perspective.

Amalia Di Prosecco wrote: “I’m sorry – we are still talking about a free cheese night and not the war in South Sudan, the famine in Yemen or the well-documented Syrian invasion aren’t we?

“I popped in tonight. And yes there were queues. The queues didn’t put me off – it was what was f**king in them that did.”

Borough Market managing director, Darren Henaghan, said: “Whilst it went off without incident, we were saddened to hear that a small minority of visitors were disappointed with the Evening of Cheese.

“For the last 10 years we have opened this historic and unique market at Christmas for this special event, and this year saw unprecedented numbers attend, making the market much busier than usual.

“Clearly there are some lessons to be learnt due to the event’s popularity and we’ll be taking feedback into account for next year.”

Red Chopper wrote:Just when you think you've reached the summit - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... me-dancing

eldanielfire wrote:

Red Chopper wrote:Just when you think you've reached the summit - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... me-dancing

Ironically just written before a black strictly winner.