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Iunno man, if you explain to someone that Skrewdriver is a Nazi band but theyre just like “Theyre just songs dude lol” theyre either a secret Nazi or stupid in a way that is beyond your ability and responsibility to correct.
If they're not receptive to logic, just convince them that it's deeply, agonizingly, cringe and that being a Pepe guy in 2025 is some fucking loser dweeb shit.
bullying works
If he's a true believer/crypto fash there's no convincing them, they might even be playing dumb to fuck with you
Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.
He's putting the onus on you to prove it's a hate symbol (which it is) while he gets to play dumb and say shit like "I dunno I thought he was just a cool medieval frog, you're the one overreacting and being weird about it".
You might have better luck explaining to everyone else in the server why it's a hate symbol & get them on your side. And if everyone is cool with it, well, time to leave that server
I should have specified, I'm not trying to convince the person wearing the avatar, I'm trying to convince the person who runs the server. I'll clarify in the post.
I would try to bait the crusader pepe avatar guy into going mask off rather than argue purely from the avi itself.
Ah gotcha, they I'd do what Comrade_Mushroom suggests and explain not only how both elements are fash related/adjacent but how combining the two really makes it sus.
If Pepe crusader guy has being saying fash shit then some screenshots might help your case too
I'd break it down by the two elements to make the case. Pepe has a history with alt-right fascists, crusader stuff is also very popular with fascists, thusly this is concerning. Should be easier to find some links about each element separately too.
Unfortunately it's the kind of server where people still use Pepe very casually, which is pretty cringe-worthy to me but it's just accepted here, so pointing out Pepe's fascist connotations is a weak argument for me to make, sadly. Even so, it's obvious to me that even in that kind of context, using "Crusader Pepe" not just casually but making it your profile pic is a big enough red flag for me to feel the need to point it out. But maybe I'll be able to find some good sources to make connections with on the crusader side of it alone.
I think it's a very simple argument to make without sources: It's no secret that pepe was adopted by the right and used and mutated by them so excessively that the original artist made a comic where they disowned the frog as dead. It is true that pepe has infected popular culture and is now used mostly without fascist connotations, but one needs to consider it a much more present possibility case-by-case than with the vast majority of other characters. Given this fact, consider imagery of the crusader as it is used online: When it's not derisive ("social justice crusade," etc), it is much more strongly correlated with being some kind of theocratic freak or at least hating minority religions (deus vult), because the crusades are not well-regarded in modern mainstream society. Literally just an image of a crusader as a profile pic, without some kind of contextualization or subversion, should be considered at least a minor red flag on its own.
When you have these two elements combined, the most reasonable way to understand pepe is by the channer usage, and the two together strongly suggest that the person is flatly a theocratic fascist or likes taking that posture to attack minorities.
There should be a quiz before you're allowed to run a discord server, and if you don't recognize that a Crusder Pepe poster is most likely fascist or far-right you get disqualified. Pepe is one thing, very associated with the right but can be innocent, adding the crusader style is like saying "no, I really am a nazi." But also people are completely ignorant of history and symbolism sometimes. I second the idea of screenshotting questionable posts if the user actually does seem to be far right.
If you search about the phrase "Deus Vult" you can find articles about how white supremacists use Crusader iconography like this one from Teen Vogue of all places, I kinda skimmed it, not sure if it's a good piece overall but it has some examples: The Capitol Riot and the Crusades: Why the Far Right Is Obsessed With Medieval History
Teen Vogue becoming an outlet for leftist education is so cool
just took a look at their front page.... I think they burned hot and bright.
D:
This article is helpful, especially given the chosen image at the top. I will use it as a source when bringing up the concern.
maybe you can tie it to pete hegseth's deus vult tattoos?
If Pepe is already normalized, then you can't really convince the owner right now. You basically need to have a folder of screenshots where the Pepe crusader said crypto/fash shit before going to the owner.
Similarly: is a Pepe PFP ever not sus? Just today I linked on Signal with someone I recently met who did seem pretty cool, but on Signal he has a Pepe PFP. There is nothing particular about the Pepe (such as in the OP).
it is a circumstance in which I'm compelled to deal with it
I have a gut aversion to discord so not having experience with it. I am just curious, what kind of situation leads to someone needing to be in a discord?
Not directed at OP specifically. Just as a generally thing.
Well regardless what you think of discord a fuckton of folks use it to communicate online. All my people use discord.
Its quite useful if you follow smaller or indie games like you can get access to early footage or even gameplay and stuff like that. Lots of stuff gets posted on there early. I assume that is true for tons of other topics like music etc as well. I would assume if you want to connect or network its useful as well my buddy who is an artist get basically all his work through discord.
Mods add the crusader pepe emote
this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025
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