Happy Merchant: Difference between revisions
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|name = Happy Merchant |
|name = Happy Merchant |
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|image = [[File:The Happy Merchant.jpg]] |
|image = [[File:The Happy Merchant.jpg]] |
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|caption = |
|caption = Edited caricature illustration of a stereotypical Jewish man by "A. Wyatt Mann". |
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| first = Artwork by [[Nick Bougas|A. Wyatt Mann]] |
| first = Artwork by [[Nick Bougas|A. Wyatt Mann]] |
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}} |
}} |
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''' |
The '''Happy Merchant''' is a common name for an image depicting an [[Racial antisemitism|antisemitic]] [[caricature]] of a [[Jewish]] man. The image appears commonly on websites such as [[4chan]] or [[Reddit]], where it is frequently used in hateful or disparaging contexts. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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The image was first created by |
The image was first created by cartoonist A. Wyatt Mann (a [[wordplay]] on "A white man"), a pseudonym of [[Nick Bougas]].<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Malice |first1=Michael |author1-link=Michael Malice |title=The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics |date=May 19, 2019|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-250-15467-5 |page=40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6FuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT39 |language=en |quote=Under the pen name of 'A. Wyatt Mann,' artist Nick Bougas has drawn many explicitly racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic cartoons where there isn't even a pretense of humor.}}</ref><ref name="wired">{{Cite news|last=Ellis|first=Emma Grey|date=June 19, 2017|title=The Alt-Right Found Its Favorite Cartoonist—and Almost Ruined His Life|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url=https://www.wired.com/story/ben-garrison-alt-right-cartoonist/|url-status=live|url-access=limited|access-date=May 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204611/https://www.wired.com/story/ben-garrison-alt-right-cartoonist/|archive-date=July 2, 2018|quote=But internet anti-Semites (or at least people fishing for a reaction) started splicing Garrison's work together with the work of Nick Bougas, aka A. Wyatt Man, a director and illustrator responsible for one of the web's most enduring anti-Semitic images.}}</ref> The image was part of a cartoon that also included a racist caricature of a black man and used these images to say: "Let's face it! A world without Jews and Blacks would be like a world without rats and cockroaches." The cartoon was first released in print, but appeared online in February 2001.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The Surprisingly Mainstream History Of The Internet's Favorite Anti-Semitic Image|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/the-surprisingly-mainstream-history-of-the-internets-favorit|url-status=live|access-date=July 30, 2021|website=[[BuzzFeed News]]|date=February 5, 2015 |page=11|language=en|archive-date=February 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228063743/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/the-surprisingly-mainstream-history-of-the-internets-favorit}}</ref> |
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The stereotypical image of a Jew from the cartoon began to spread on various internet communities, where users began to make variations of it.<ref name=":0" /> |
The stereotypical image of a Jew from the cartoon began to spread on various internet communities, where users began to make variations of it.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The image is intended as a derogatory depiction, and employs many [[stereotypes of Jews]]. These include: |
The image is intended as a derogatory depiction, and employs many [[stereotypes of Jews]]. These include: |
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* A large, hook-shaped nose ("[[Jewish nose]]") |
* A large, hook-shaped nose ("[[Jewish nose]]"); |
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* A [[yarmulke]] (Jewish head garment) |
* A [[yarmulke]] (Jewish head garment); |
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* A malevolent smile, with a slightly hunched back and hands being rubbed together, to indicate [[greed]] or scheming |
* A malevolent smile, with a slightly hunched back and hands being rubbed together, to indicate [[greed]] or [[scheming]]; |
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* Balding, tightly curled black hair and a tightly curled black beard.{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=2}} |
* Balding, tightly curled black hair and a tightly curled black beard.{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=2}} |
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== Use == |
== Use == |
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This image is a form of antisemitic propaganda, common on alt-right internet communities such as 4chan, other "chan" websites, and on other message boards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Happy Merchant|url=https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/the-happy-merchant|access-date=July 30, 2021|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710202445/https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/the-happy-merchant|url-status=live}}</ref> |
This image is a form of antisemitic propaganda, common on alt-right internet communities such as 4chan, other "chan" websites, and on other message boards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Happy Merchant|url=https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/the-happy-merchant|access-date=July 30, 2021|website=[[Anti-Defamation League]]|language=en|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710202445/https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/the-happy-merchant|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In 2017, [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] tweeted an image that included the Happy Merchant on its official English-language Twitter account. The tweet was promoting a story about [[climate change]], and insinuated that Jewish people were behind [[climate change]]. Al Jazeera later deleted the tweet, explaining that it had been used in a segment covering [[alt-right]] antisemitic climate change [[conspiracy theories]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kestenbaum|first=Sam|date=May 31, 2017|title=Al Jazeera Tweets, Then Deletes, Anti-Semitic 'Greedy Jew' Meme|url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/373476/al-jazeera-tweets-deletes-anti-semitic-greedy-jew-meme/|url-status=live|access-date=July 30, 2021|website=[[The Forward]]|language=en-US|archive-date=July 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730161641/https://forward.com/fast-forward/373476/al-jazeera-tweets-deletes-anti-semitic-greedy-jew-meme/}}</ref> |
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A 2018 study published by Savvas Zannettou et al. focused on online antisemitism recorded that the Happy Merchant and its variations were "among the most popular memes on both 4chan's [[/pol/]] board and [[Gab (social network)|Gab]], two major outlets for alt-right expression.<ref>Zannettou, Savvas, Tristan Caulfield, Jeremy Blackburn, Emiliano De Cristofaro, Michael Sirivianos, Gianluca Stringhini, and Guillermo Suarez-Tangil. "On the Origins of Memes by Fringe Web Communities." arXiv.org, September 22, 2018. https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.12512.</ref> The study found that usage of the Happy Merchant on [[/pol/]] remained largely consistent (with a peak during the [[2017 Shayrat missile strike|US airstrike on Syria]] in April 2017), while usage of the meme on [[Gab (social network)|Gab]] increased after the [[Unite the Right rally|Charlottesville rally]] in August 2017.{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=9}} It was also determined that /pol/ influences the spread of Happy Merchant to other web platforms such as [[Twitter]] and [[Reddit]].{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=11}} |
A 2018 study published by Savvas Zannettou et al. focused on online antisemitism recorded that the Happy Merchant and its variations were "among the most popular memes on both 4chan's [[/pol/]] board and [[Gab (social network)|Gab]], two major outlets for alt-right expression.<ref>Zannettou, Savvas, Tristan Caulfield, Jeremy Blackburn, Emiliano De Cristofaro, Michael Sirivianos, Gianluca Stringhini, and Guillermo Suarez-Tangil. "On the Origins of Memes by Fringe Web Communities." arXiv.org, September 22, 2018. https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.12512.</ref> The study found that usage of the Happy Merchant on [[/pol/]] remained largely consistent (with a peak during the [[2017 Shayrat missile strike|US airstrike on Syria]] in April 2017), while usage of the meme on [[Gab (social network)|Gab]] increased after the [[Unite the Right rally|Charlottesville rally]] in August 2017.{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=9}} It was also determined that /pol/ influences the spread of Happy Merchant to other web platforms such as [[Twitter]] and [[Reddit]].{{sfn|Savvas|2019|p=11}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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=== Notes === |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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=== Bibliography === |
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*{{Cite arXiv|last=Zannettou|first=Savvas|date=November 24, 2019|title=A Quantitative Approach to Understanding Online Antisemitism|class=cs.CY |eprint=1809.01644|ref={{SfnRef|Savvas|2019}}}} |
*{{Cite arXiv|last=Zannettou|first=Savvas|date=November 24, 2019|title=A Quantitative Approach to Understanding Online Antisemitism|class=cs.CY |eprint=1809.01644|ref={{SfnRef|Savvas|2019}}}} |
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{{Nick Bougas}} |
{{Nick Bougas}} |
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[[Category:Internet memes]] |
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2001]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Antisemitism in art]] |
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[[Category:Stereotypes of Jewish people]] |
[[Category:Stereotypes of Jewish people]] |
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[[Category:Caricature]] |
[[Category:Caricature]] |
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[[Category:Individual printed cartoons]] |
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[[Category:Fictional Jews]] |
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[[Category:Fictional salespeople]] |
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[[Category:Internet characters introduced in 2001]] |
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[[Category:2001 works]] |
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[[Category:Nick Bougas]] |
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[[Category:Internet meme characters]] |
Latest revision as of 19:25, 20 September 2024
Happy Merchant | |
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First appearance | Artwork by A. Wyatt Mann |
The Happy Merchant is a common name for an image depicting an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man. The image appears commonly on websites such as 4chan or Reddit, where it is frequently used in hateful or disparaging contexts.
History
[edit]The image was first created by cartoonist A. Wyatt Mann (a wordplay on "A white man"), a pseudonym of Nick Bougas.[1][2][3] The image was part of a cartoon that also included a racist caricature of a black man and used these images to say: "Let's face it! A world without Jews and Blacks would be like a world without rats and cockroaches." The cartoon was first released in print, but appeared online in February 2001.[1]
The stereotypical image of a Jew from the cartoon began to spread on various internet communities, where users began to make variations of it.[1]
The Happy Merchant meme endorses the idea that Jews secretly conspire to conquer the world.[4]
Description
[edit]The image is intended as a derogatory depiction, and employs many stereotypes of Jews. These include:
- A large, hook-shaped nose ("Jewish nose");
- A yarmulke (Jewish head garment);
- A malevolent smile, with a slightly hunched back and hands being rubbed together, to indicate greed or scheming;
- Balding, tightly curled black hair and a tightly curled black beard.[5]
Use
[edit]This image is a form of antisemitic propaganda, common on alt-right internet communities such as 4chan, other "chan" websites, and on other message boards.[6]
In 2017, Al Jazeera tweeted an image that included the Happy Merchant on its official English-language Twitter account. The tweet was promoting a story about climate change, and insinuated that Jewish people were behind climate change. Al Jazeera later deleted the tweet, explaining that it had been used in a segment covering alt-right antisemitic climate change conspiracy theories.[7]
A 2018 study published by Savvas Zannettou et al. focused on online antisemitism recorded that the Happy Merchant and its variations were "among the most popular memes on both 4chan's /pol/ board and Gab, two major outlets for alt-right expression.[8] The study found that usage of the Happy Merchant on /pol/ remained largely consistent (with a peak during the US airstrike on Syria in April 2017), while usage of the meme on Gab increased after the Charlottesville rally in August 2017.[9] It was also determined that /pol/ influences the spread of Happy Merchant to other web platforms such as Twitter and Reddit.[10]
The same study also found that the Happy Merchant has been incorporated into other common memes on the site, including Pepe the Frog.[11]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c "The Surprisingly Mainstream History Of The Internet's Favorite Anti-Semitic Image". BuzzFeed News. February 5, 2015. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Malice, Michael (May 19, 2019). The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-250-15467-5.
Under the pen name of 'A. Wyatt Mann,' artist Nick Bougas has drawn many explicitly racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic cartoons where there isn't even a pretense of humor.
- ^ Ellis, Emma Grey (June 19, 2017). "The Alt-Right Found Its Favorite Cartoonist—and Almost Ruined His Life". Wired. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
But internet anti-Semites (or at least people fishing for a reaction) started splicing Garrison's work together with the work of Nick Bougas, aka A. Wyatt Man, a director and illustrator responsible for one of the web's most enduring anti-Semitic images.
- ^ Perry, Marvin., and Frederick M. Schweitzer.Antisemitic Myths: a Historical and Contemporary Anthology. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008.
- ^ Savvas 2019, p. 2.
- ^ "The Happy Merchant". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Kestenbaum, Sam (May 31, 2017). "Al Jazeera Tweets, Then Deletes, Anti-Semitic 'Greedy Jew' Meme". The Forward. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Zannettou, Savvas, Tristan Caulfield, Jeremy Blackburn, Emiliano De Cristofaro, Michael Sirivianos, Gianluca Stringhini, and Guillermo Suarez-Tangil. "On the Origins of Memes by Fringe Web Communities." arXiv.org, September 22, 2018. https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.12512.
- ^ Savvas 2019, p. 9.
- ^ Savvas 2019, p. 11.
- ^ Savvas 2019, p. 10.
Bibliography
[edit]- Zannettou, Savvas (November 24, 2019). "A Quantitative Approach to Understanding Online Antisemitism". arXiv:1809.01644 [cs.CY].
External links
[edit]- Happy Merchant entry at Know Your Meme