View source for StoneToss

{{Short description|American neo-Nazi cartoonist}}
{{Redirect|Stonetoss|other uses|Stone tossing (disambiguation){{!}}Stone tossing}}
{{good article}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| bodyclass = hlist
| alias = StoneToss
| image = File:StoneToss.png
| website = {{URL|https://stonetoss.com/}}
| nationality = American
| notable works = ''StoneToss''
| cartoonist = y
| module = {{hr}}{{Infobox Webcomic
| child = yes
| italic title = no
| status = Ongoing
| first = July 18, 2017<ref name="Gilmour-2019" />
| genre = [[Far-right]] [[political cartoon]]<ref name="Beschizza-2024" />
| publisher = [[Self-publishing|Self-published]] ([[webcomic]])
| language = English
}}
}}
{{Antisemitism|expanded=Web}}

'''StoneToss''' is a pseudonymous American [[neo-Nazi]]<!--this label was arrived at via consensus. Please do not alter or remove this without a new consensus--> [[political cartoonist]] who publishes a [[webcomic]] of the same name.<ref name="Gilbert-2024" /><ref name="Oremus-2024">{{cite news |last1=Oremus |first1=Will |last2=Telford |first2=Taylor |title=Musk tried to 'punish' critics, judge rules, in tossing a lawsuit |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/25/musk-x-lawsuit-slapp-center-digital-hate/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 27, 2024 |date=March 25, 2024 |quote=... after she amplified the identity of anonymous neo-Nazi comic artist StoneToss. |archive-date=March 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325194252/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/25/musk-x-lawsuit-slapp-center-digital-hate/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stall-2020" /><ref name="Hart-2021" /> Launched in June 2017, the comic espouses [[racist]], [[sexist]], [[transphobic]], [[homophobic]], and [[antisemitic]] views, including [[Holocaust denial]].<ref name="Gilmour-2019">{{cite news |last1=Gilmour |first1=David |title=Antifa redditors are repurposing anti-Semitic comics for good |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/antifa-redditors-subvert-stonetoss/ |access-date=March 17, 2024 |work=[[The Daily Dot]] |date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306230121/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/antifa-redditors-subvert-stonetoss/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ingram-2024" />

In March 2024, after an [[antifascist]] group published materials claiming to have revealed his identity,<ref name="Crimmins-2024" /> StoneToss sought help from [[Twitter]]'s owner [[Elon Musk]]. Twitter  then suspended multiple users who included StoneToss' alleged real name in their tweets and amended its privacy policy to prohibit disclosure of others' real names.<ref name="Gilbert-2024" /><ref name="Ingram-2024" /> Critics took the move as evidence of Musk's preferential treatment for neo-Nazis, antisemites, and white supremacists.<ref name="Ingram-2024" />

== Overview<span class="anchor" id="Webcomic"></span> ==

StoneToss debuted the [[eponymous]] cartoon series on his website in July 2017.<ref name="Gilmour-2019" /><ref name="Crimmins-2024" /> He also posts the cartoons on Twitter.<ref name="Ingram-2024" /> He has been keeping his identity secret<ref name="Beschizza-2024" /> and has described himself as an "independent cartoonist" and "NFT artist".<ref name="Crimmins-2024" />

The author, who is described by experts, journalists, and other critics as a neo-Nazi creator,<ref name="Gilbert-2024" /><ref name="Stall-2020" /><ref name="Oremus-2024" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Silverman |first1=Jacob |title=It's Official: Silicon Valley Is Fully MAGA-Pilled |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/silicon-valley-trump-support-donations/ |magazine=[[The Nation]] |access-date=October 11, 2024 |date=July 18, 2024}}</ref> takes a non-overt, [[crypto-Nazi]] approach<ref name="Stall-2020">{{cite web |last1=Stall |first1=Hampton |last2=Prasad |first2=Hari |last3=Foran |first3=David |date=October 29, 2020 |title=What's in a Meme? The Rise of "Saint Kyle" |url=https://gnet-research.org/2020/10/29/whats-in-a-meme-the-rise-of-saint-kyle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628063313/https://gnet-research.org/2020/10/29/whats-in-a-meme-the-rise-of-saint-kyle/ |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=[[Global Network on Extremism and Technology]] |quote=Other such “crossover” events include a meme complaining about the NFL kneeling controversy regarding Colin Kaepernick, a few allusions to the “Boogaloo” modality, an encroachment of “patriot” militia references, use of comic characters from the crypto-Nazi cartoonist Stonetoss, ...}}</ref> to channel and [[Normalization (sociology)|normalize]] neo-Nazi viewpoints with reference to trending events or social dynamics.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stall |first1=Hampton |last2=Prasad |first2=Hari |last3=Foran |first3=David |url=https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/184677234/Encrypted_GNET_Report_A_Comparative_Analysis_Of_Three_Online_Reactionary_Meme_Subcultures.pdf |title=Can the Right Meme? (And How?): A Comparative Analysis of Three Online Reactionary Meme Subcultures |date=December 13, 2021 |work=[[Global Network on Extremism and Technology]] |publisher=International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation |via=King's College London Research Portal |access-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317221521/https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/184677234/Encrypted_GNET_Report_A_Comparative_Analysis_Of_Three_Online_Reactionary_Meme_Subcultures.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the various extreme ideas conveyed, antisemitism is a pronounced element,<ref name="Ingram-2024">{{cite news |last1=Ingram |first1=David |date=March 21, 2024 |title=Elon Musk's X bans revealing the names of anonymous users after scrutiny of antisemitic cartoonist |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/elon-musk-x-bans-revealing-names-anonymous-users-cartoon-rcna144486 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=[[NBC News]] |quote= |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322153949/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/elon-musk-x-bans-revealing-names-anonymous-users-cartoon-rcna144486 |url-status=live }}</ref> with one cartoon having the topic of [[Jewish deicide]] as its theme,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/gab-ceo-andrew-torba-broadcasts-his-antisemitism-across-social-media-platforms |title=Gab CEO Andrew Torba Broadcasts His Antisemitism Across Social Media Platforms |website=[[Anti-Defamation League]] |date=December 15, 2021 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113064703/https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/gab-ceo-andrew-torba-broadcasts-his-antisemitism-across-social-media-platforms |url-status=live }}</ref> and various others including Holocaust denial [[Dog whistle (politics)|dog whistles]].<ref name="Hart-2021" /> The webcomic also include sexist tropes,<ref name="Hart-2021" /> and some use [[suicide among LGBT youth|suicide among transgender people]] as a punchline.<ref name="Ingram-2024" /> Visually, the webcomic consists of simple and colorful line drawings.<ref name="Marlin-Bennett-2022" /><ref name="Gilbert-2024" />

The webcomic has substantial popularity in right-wing online communities,<ref name="Gilbert-2024" /> having receiving millions of views on Twitter.<ref name="Ingram-2024" /> [[Reddit]] and [[Discord]] banned their respective official StoneToss communities in 2019.<ref name="Gilmour-2019" /> StoneToss was also banned from [[non-fungible token]] websites, including [[OpenSea]].<ref>{{cite web |date=January 21, 2022 |title=7 Trends in Online Extremism to Look Out for in 2022 |url=https://gizmodo.com/trends-in-online-extremism-to-look-out-for-in-2022-1848338620 |access-date=March 22, 2024 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |language=en |archive-date=September 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926124225/https://gizmodo.com/trends-in-online-extremism-to-look-out-for-in-2022-1848338620 |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Facebook]] and [[Instagram]], {{as of|2021|lc=yes|post=,}} some of the cartoons were posted by the author in heavily [[pixellated]] versions to prevent them from breaching those platforms' policies.<ref>{{cite web |last=CEP-staff |date=May 17, 2021 |title=Facebook, Instagram Should Deplatform StoneToss |url=https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/facebook-instagram-should-deplatform-stonetoss |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225073953/https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/facebook-instagram-should-deplatform-stonetoss |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=[[Counter Extremism Project]] |language=en}}</ref> 

Both right-wing and left-wing online communities share and interact with StoneToss' cartoons, causing them to gain increased visibility. [[Subreddit]]s have adapted StoneToss' work for their own purposes, [[Remix culture|remixing]] them into memes, commonly titled "stonetossedit" or "stonetoss is a nazi".<ref name="Marlin-Bennett-2022">{{cite journal |url=https://academic.oup.com/isagsq/article/doi/10.1093/isagsq/ksac002/6524948 |last1=Marlin-Bennett |first1=Renée |last2=Jackson |first2=Susan T |date=February 9, 2022 |title=DIY Cruelty: The Global Political Micro-Practices of Hateful Memes |journal=Global Studies Quarterly |volume=2 |issue=2 |doi=10.1093/isagsq/ksac002 |issn=2634-3797 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321033724/https://academic.oup.com/isagsq/article/2/2/ksac002/6524948 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> In particular, Internet users on the left have been trying to [[Appropriation (art)|appropriate]] them, adding layers of irony—however, the subversion of their message is not easily understood by most people.<ref name="Hart-2021">{{cite web |last1=Hart |first1=Heidi |title=Dog Whistles vs. Slide Whistles: Humor as Weapon and Resistance |url=https://www.populismstudies.org/dog-whistles-vs-slide-whistles-humor-as-weapon-and-resistance/ |website=European Center for Populism Studies |access-date=March 20, 2024 |date=August 4, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321033818/https://www.populismstudies.org/dog-whistles-vs-slide-whistles-humor-as-weapon-and-resistance/ }}</ref> Conversely, in right-wing online circles, the cartoons have at times been reposted, not as memes in the usual sense, but as regular posts that the users find relatable and whose message they agree with.<ref name="Marlin-Bennett-2022" />

== Alleged revelation of identity ==
In March 2024, Anonymous Comrades Collective and Late-Night Anti-Fascists claimed to have revealed the identity of StoneToss using leaked information from [[Gab (social network)|Gab]], a social media website with a far-right userbase.<ref name="Beschizza-2024">{{cite news |last1=Beschizza |first1=Rob |title=Nazi cartoonist meets the Streisand Effect after Twitter censors discussion of his identity |url=https://boingboing.net/2024/03/16/nazi-cartoonist-meets-the-streisand-effect-after-twitter-censors-discussion-of-his-identity.html |access-date=March 17, 2024 |work=[[Boing Boing]] |date=March 16, 2024 |archive-date=March 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316214251/https://boingboing.net/2024/03/16/nazi-cartoonist-meets-the-streisand-effect-after-twitter-censors-discussion-of-his-identity.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Crimmins-2024">{{cite news |last1=Crimmins |first1=Tricia |title=Author of far-right comic StoneToss allegedly doxed by left-wing reporting collective |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/stonetoss-comics-identity-doxxed/ |access-date=March 17, 2024 |work=[[The Daily Dot]] |date=March 13, 2024 |archive-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317014552/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/stonetoss-comics-identity-doxxed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the material they published, he is a Texan former security guard and IT professional.<ref name="Wiggins-2024">{{cite magazine |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=Alejandra Caraballo banned from Elon Musk's X platform |url=https://www.advocate.com/media/alejandra-caraballo-banned-x |website=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |access-date=March 19, 2024 |language=en |date=March 19, 2024 |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319215846/https://www.advocate.com/media/alejandra-caraballo-banned-x |url-status=live }}</ref> The group said that he had also created the ''RedPanels'' webcomic,<ref name="Beschizza-2024" /><ref name="Gilbert-2024">{{cite magazine |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |title=X Blocked Journalists and Researchers Who Identified a Neo-Nazi Cartoonist |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-x-blocked-journalists-researchers-neo-nazi-cartoonist/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=March 28, 2024 |date=March 20, 2024 |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328123632/https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-x-blocked-journalists-researchers-neo-nazi-cartoonist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> described by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] as a neo-Nazi comic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Justin |title=Day of the trope: White nationalist memes thrive on Reddit's r/The_Donald |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/04/19/day-trope-white-nationalist-memes-thrive-reddits-rthedonald |website=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |access-date=March 19, 2024 |language=en |date=April 19, 2018 |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201162606/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/04/19/day-trope-white-nationalist-memes-thrive-reddits-rthedonald |url-status=live }}</ref>

StoneToss denied being a neo-Nazi<ref name="Ingram-2024" /><ref name="Gilbert-2024" /> and sought protection from Twitter's owner Elon Musk through individuals who had contacts with him.<ref name="Gilbert-2024" /> This was followed by a controversy after Twitter [[Twitter suspensions|suspended]] multiple users who posted the author's alleged real name, including civil rights attorney and transgender rights activist [[Alejandra Caraballo]],<ref name="Wiggins-2024" /><ref name="Beschizza-2024" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Sprayregen |first1=Molly |title=Elon Musk shamed for protecting an alt-right cartoonist while letting transphobia flourish on X |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/03/elon-musk-shamed-for-protecting-an-alt-right-cartoonist-while-letting-transphobia-flourish-on-x/ |magazine=[[LGBTQ Nation]] |access-date=March 19, 2024 |date=March 18, 2024 |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319013419/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/03/elon-musk-shamed-for-protecting-an-alt-right-cartoonist-while-letting-transphobia-flourish-on-x/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Oremus-2024" /> who had tweeted and changed her username to the effect of maximizing the visibility of the disclosed information.<ref name="Wiggins-2024" /> Twitter's response created an instance of the [[Streisand effect]], amplifying the spread of the information.<ref>{{cite news |title=X sperrt Konten, die die Identität eines rechtsextremen Cartoonisten enthüllen |trans-title=X blocks accounts that reveal the identity of a right-wing cartoonist |url=https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000212636/x-sperrt-konten-die-die-identitaet-eines-rechtsextremen-cartoonisten-enthuellen |work=[[Der Standard]] |access-date=March 21, 2024 |language=de |date=March 21, 2024 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321155024/https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000212636/x-sperrt-konten-die-die-identitaet-eines-rechtsextremen-cartoonisten-enthuellen |url-status=live }}</ref> The episode was followed by renewed concerns about content moderation on [[Twitter under Elon Musk|Twitter under Musk]], especially regarding content that promotes far-right ideas.<ref name="Wiggins-2024" />

After a few days, Twitter amended its privacy policy—which at the time expressly excluded real names from what it considers private information—to prohibit disclosure of others' real names.<ref name="Ingram-2024" /> Prior to the change, the lack of such a rule made it possible for right-wing accounts to target LGBTQ people by posting their private information,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=X quietly updates policy on doxxing after neo-Nazi reveal |url=https://www.advocate.com/technology/x-doxxing-policy-update |magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |access-date=March 22, 2024 |language=en |date=March 21, 2024 |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322100650/https://www.advocate.com/technology/x-doxxing-policy-update |url-status=live }}</ref> and critics of Twitter under Musk had been voicing concerns that the site was sanctioning users who challenge extremism on the platform while enabling those who post such content to continue doing so.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Wiggins |first1=Christopher |title=X reinstates Alejandra Caraballo after Libs of TikTok flap |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/alejandra-caraballo-x-reinstated |magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |access-date=October 17, 2024 |language=en |date=March 20, 2020}}</ref> Following the policy change, the critics cited it as an additional example of the platform under Musk protecting that latter group of users.<ref name="Ingram-2024" /> Months later, ''[[Black Enterprise]]'' cited the controversy as one example of events related to concerns about Twitter's moderation that preceded the [[World Bank]]'s decision to pull its advertising from the platform.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Johnson |first1=Daniel |title=World Bank Pulls Advertising From Twitter/X Over Ads Appearing Under Racist Content |url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/world-bank-advertising-twitter-x-racist-content/ |magazine=[[Black Enterprise]] |access-date=October 11, 2024 |date=August 24, 2024}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Streisand effect examples]]
* ''[[Sinfest]]''
* [[David Dees]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category inline|StoneToss}}
*{{official website|https://stonetoss.com}}

[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American editorial cartoonists]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies in comics]]
[[Category:Religious controversies in comics]]
[[Category:Antisemitism in literature]]
[[Category:Twitter accounts]]
[[Category:Twitter controversies]]
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2017]]
[[Category:American webcomic creators]]
[[Category:American comedy webcomics]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous artists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Non-fungible tokens]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazi websites]]
[[Category:American neo-Nazis]]
[[Category:Anti-transgender activists]]