Memes and Social Engineering: How the OK hand sign became a Symbol of Hate
Since the first few weeks of Sept. 2018, the MSM, online news sites, bloggers, and the twitterverse have been vociferously talking about the newest alt-right symbol for white nationalism.
Video footage from the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing was dissected. Attorney Zina Bash was accused of flashing a hand sign that is associated with white power and internet trolling. Many people have been openly contemplating why Bash was seen flashing the OK hand sign on more than one occasion. Some questioned if Bash was possibly promoting white power ideology while others proposed that “/b/ash” was actually a well known internet troll from 4chan.
More recently, a member of the US Coast Guard Hurricane Florence Response Team was ultimately removed from their position after the person flashed the OK hand sign during a live news feed. It was reported by FOX NEWS that backlash from social media is what prompted the swift removal of the individual. This incident shows how much power that social network sites can have. It also paints a very clear picture of how influential memes and internet jokes can be.
