ADL Adds OK Symbol, Bowl Cut, Happy Merchant and Moon Man to Hate Symbol Database

Thursday morning, the Anti-Defamation League announced it had expanded its list of hate symbols to include the OK hand gesture, the bowl cut hairstyle, the anti-Semitic Happy Merchant meme and the Moon Man McDonald's mascot. In total, 36 new symbols were added to the organization's Hate on Display database.

In a statement, the organization referred to the symbols as “the latest calling cards of hate” used by white supremacists and other hate groups.

Even as extremists continue to use symbols that may be years or decades old, they regularly create new symbols, memes and slogans to express their hateful sentiments. We believe law enforcement and the public needs to be fully informed about the meaning of these images, which can serve as a first warning sign to the presence of haters in a community or school.

The decision to include symbols such as OK gesture and bowl cut was met with criticism online, with some arguing that the contexts of their use remained far too nuanced to be classified as hate symbols.

My Chinese mother-in-law gives my 2-year-old son a bowl cut every few weeks. Guess she’s a white supremacist.

(You nitwits.) https://t.co/FMj7oiN175

— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) September 26, 2019

Most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. I’m Jewish and use it all the time, because… it’s just an OK sign

— Jeremy Frankel (@FrankelJeremy) September 26, 2019

Many noted that the decision to include the OK gesture in the database followed a widely publicized hoax campaign known as Operation O-KKK, which was orchestrated by users on 4chan's infamous /pol/ board to trick social media users into believing that the gesture was a symbol of white supremacy. In March this year, the gesture was flashed by Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant during an appearance in court, bringing mainstream attention toward the gesture. In a video posted on Twitter, the ADL noted that "particular care must be taken to avoid jumping to conclusions when [OK gesture] is used."

In order to stop the spread of hate, we must be able to identify it when we see it. Our Hate Symbols Database helps us all do just that. Watch ⬇️ and learn how common gestures can evolve into sincere expressions of hate. For all 179 symbols, click here: https://t.co/pGBgWG1Wwy pic.twitter.com/WhlRDnJz3d

— ADL (@ADL) September 26, 2019

Unline the Happy Merchant, which was initially created as an anti-Semitic cartoon depiction of a Jewish man, the Moon Man is based on McDonald's former mascot Mac Tonight, which appeared in commercials for the fast-food chain between 1987 and 1990. In the late-2000s, the character became popular in the online community YTMND, where things took a turn for the worse with pages featuring images of the character paired with racist parodies of popular songs. In 2015, racist depictions of the character saw a resurgence on 4chan's /pol/ board.

On September 10th, YouTuber PewDiePie expressed intention to donate $50,000 to Anti-Defamation League in a video celebrating reaching his 100 million subscriber milestone. PewDiePie later revealed that after consideration, he would be donating the money to a different organization at a later time.