Note: ADF states on her DeviantArt account that she accepts traditional feminine pronouns. Though part of the humor behind ADF is the questionable gender transition, out of respect for the trans community I will be using “she” and “her” to refer to ADF.
In my previous article, I mentioned that a key characteristic of a lolcow is a persecution complex.
A lolcow that does not feel marginalized is usually not being trolled, and an untrolled lolcow is not much of a lolcow at all. A lolcow’s internet life is often defined by how they are persecuted.
Therefore, ADF is one hell of a lolcow.
The Lowdown
“Lastly, this is very common sense, but please do not ask where I go to school at or where I live. I do not want that information out and in the hands to John McCain supporters who really want to do to serious harm to me or even try to kill me.”
ADF – whose nickname comes from her fictional “Australatina Defense Force” – goes by the real name Ahuviya Rotem Harel. She is an artist, writer, aspiring social activist, and self-proclaimed “chairwomyn” of various movements. These movements are typically left-leaning, specifically her love of communism and a so-called “queer socialist revolution.” Most of this adoration seems to come from an aesthetic standpoint. What ADF actually does for these movements is questionable, and is part of her appeal as a lolcow and symbol of “fauxtivism.”
ADF seems to believe that she is extremely, extremely persecuted. This idea of being under constant attack manifests itself in her artwork, often depicting anyone with opposing viewpoints as “fascist,” “transphobic,” or “capitalist.”
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| (Yes, that is a Naruto character shooting John McCain in the head.) |
ADF was also diagnosed with autism at a young age, but has actually ripped up the medical papers as part of establishing her new identity. Speaking from an obviously non-expert standpoint, this may explain her obsessive interests over Naruto and Axis Powers Hetalia. Similar to lolcow frontrunner Christian Weston Chandler’s character Sonichu, ADF manages to work those animes into countless pieces of artwork and even her own wardrobe. For instance, she once spent 14 days as the character Sakura from Naruto.
ADF currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Milk
Most of the milk from this particular lolcow is freely given, with little required intervention from trolls (though a small circle of ADF trolls does exist.) ADF consistently updates her DeviantArt and Facebook accounts with personal events and new artwork.
On the most basic level, ADF’s humor comes from her artwork. With its repetitive themes, bad Photoshopping, and use of cheap RoseArt markers, it juxtaposes nicely against her desired hardcore, revolutionary image. The bizarre mashup of anime-style characters with homosexual and military imagery is also good for some laughs.
Then of course, there’s the cosplay. Despite identifying as a “womyn,” ADF simply doesn’t look very feminine. This does happen with transgender people, and everyone’s gender presentation should be respected, but ADF’s choice of outfits and poor personal grooming exaggerate it to especially humorous effect. Picture titles like “GONNA KICK SUM ASS” and “Sakura – Blowing a Kiss to You” also…well, you get it.
However, the real life antics are where things get interesting.
ADF claims to have “enemies” in Philadelphia, and seeks a gun permit in addition to the mace and knife she already carries (named “Little Sasuke” after a Naruto character.) Exactly what constitutes an “enemy” is debatable, but sure enough, some people in the Philadelphia trans community have gotten very upset with ADF for her arguably cartoonish views on communism and idealization of oppressive regimes. Seeing as how she often speaks out about transgender oppression, the hypocrisy is palpable.
Since ADF’s discovery on 789chan’s /cwc/ message board – a place dedicated to lolcows – several of her real life friends have had personal details released about them. Because ADF is so easily upset, she kept feeding the trolls with Facebook posts such as the one below, which only led them to dig deeper and deeper into her personal life and the lives of those around her. Her friends did not appreciate this. The feuds escalated so much that ADF threatened to kill someone.
Speaking of 789chan, trolls involved in Christian Weston Chandler’s “inner circle” managed to convince him that ADF was actually Jack Thaddeus, a fictional persona used by a famous CWC troll. CWC called her out in a video, and ADF responded, both of them seemingly unable to realize that something was up.
However, this is still mostly personal drama rather than serious “oppression.” Only an oppressed person can truly define oppression as it relates to them, but it is possible to argue objectively that ADF is not truly oppressed at all. For instance, ADF participated in Occupy Philly, where several interviews were conducted with her. A particular highlight is denial of murders under Stalin’s regime:
Occupy was where ADF was arrested for the first time, where she was treated with a “measure of dignity” by the same police she claims use brutal force against transgender people. Naturally, she then threatens police involvement against a perceived enemy. This was followed by her being featured on Glenn Beck. ADF was very proud of this accomplishment.
The Big Picture
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| (“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”) |
At the surface level, ADF is not an extraordinary lolcow: obsessive interests in anime, a fragile ego, and a sense of unwarranted self-importance are common. However, her love of communism and sense of transgender martyrdom make her a symbol of something much greater: internet activism.
The internet connects people to a degree that it is a sort of meta-reality. Our online identities are essential to the way we present ourselves. The end of a Facebook friendship is the end of a real friendship. Rather than use screen names, most of us now exist online with our real names. Real life and digital life are inseparable. Because of this, participating in online activities becomes as important and somehow carries the same gravity as real life. Case in point:
The problems highlighted by KONY 2012 are real and brutal. But when people start buying $30 “action kits” in the hopes that it will somehow unseat an evil warlord, it begins to echo ADF’s half-hearted, image-based activism. The Occupy movements have brought greater attention to social inequality at home, but the protests and hashtags and Facebook groups have diluted the message to the point where no one truly knows what’s going on anymore.
Am I comparing ADF, Invisible Children, and Occupiers as people?
No. The latter two are not drawing Naruto bondage art or threatening to kill anyone, and ADF has not been caught masturbating in public. But with the power of the internet to inform comes a lot of noise. ADF is a product of that noise. I will not question the sincerity of her gender transition, as that is an issue I am in no place to understand as a heterosexual cisgender male. But when I see military uniforms worn when one is not in the military, conflicting political beliefs, and misuse of terms like “fascist,” then I can question, and I will, and so should you.
When the internet constantly assaults us with information, it’s easy to take all of it at face value just so we can cope. But we’ve got to see through the static.
Of course, if all that’s too heavy, you can just laugh at this photo.
Until next time, everyone.
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