If you’ve been on the internet in the past week – literally anywhere on the internet – you’ve seen this fucking purple dove thrashing its head. No one really “gets” it, or knows why it is the way that it is, but seemingly overnight it became a viral internet meme that has completely taken over Facebook comment sections.
This bird came from a Facebook sticker pack called Trash Doves. Created by Syd Weller and released on Facebook on January 31, 2017, the trash doves went viral after being used in a Thai video that gained nearly 4 million views in 5 days.
After that, it was only a matter of time before it became memed, dominating the social discourse for days and derailing conversations across the social platforms. Of course, it wouldn’t be too long before it was co-opted by 4chan and it became a symbol of white surpremacy and the alt-right.
On February 12th, less than 2 weeks after the sticker pack’s debut, a campaign swept through /pol/ in an effort to trick the rest of the unknowing internet community, those who readily believe everything they read online, into thinking that “Pek,” as it would come to be known, was a symbol of the alt-right.
For the most part, the part of the internet that knew it as just a silly sticker, the meaning behind the trash doves remained unchanged and it continues to permeate comment sections. For the rest of people, 4chan succeeded in their goal.
For now… just keep headbanging.
