Kekistan: trolling for freedom - VPRO documentary - 2018
2,283What is Kekistan? And who is behind Big Tyrone, the Kekistan King? You have probably never heard of it, but Kekistan is as real as the online culture war going on between the Kekistanis and the Normies from Normistan.
There's even a Kekistan Anthem! Kekistan fights a memes war for online freedom of speech: being politically correct is not the free Kekistan etiquette. That's why the Kekistan is easily labelled as alt-right, and the proud kekistanis as nazis.
This online war between the Normies that are very mainstream and policitally correct, and the Kekistanis that are pro free speech has been used in many ways, including in politics. Memes wars, animations, posts on 4chan, everything serves this online culture war. Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and even Dutch Alt-Right politician Thierry Baudet were portrayed with the green head of Pepe the Frog as 4chan memes.
The frog grew from a rather innocent cartoon character into a controversial internet icon. In the run-up to the American presidential elections, Pepe was even declared an official hate symbol. Pepe now stands between the logo of the Ku Klux Klan and the swastika. How can an ironic frog end up as a symbol for neo-Nazis? And is this designation justified? Who is behind the Kekistan? Why is the Kekistan subculture so hugely popular on the internet? And when is this cultural war really not funny anymore?
Travel through the fictional country of Kekistan, where the Kekistanis fight an online culture war against Normistan, where the Normies live. The Normies barely ever know that there is such a thing as Kekistan. This VPRO backlight documentary is an investigation in the twilight zone between internet trolling and the harsh political reality of Alt-right. A true online culture war is taking place. On internet platforms such as 4chan, Reddit and Youtube, the Kekistan, a noisy group made mostly of young men, turns against the establishment: the shitposters.
In the eyes of the kekistanis, Kekistan represents the established media and is made of progressive politicians. With Kekistan's own jargon and media channels, the kekistanis represent this internet culture and speak in a joking, provocative, harassing and trolling way, in order to defend the Kekistan against the established order of the Normies and thus secure the freedom of expression. #freekekistan !
This VPRO Backlight episode features the interviews of Jeff Holiday, Tim Pool, Terence (4Chan), Jordan Peterson, and Angela Nagle.
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2018.
© VPRO Backlight May 2018
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Credits:
Director: Mea Dols de Jong
English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson.
French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.