A Vehicle for Change
Dear NFT Community Members,
The Trosley Family and the Jungle Freaks Team would like to start by stating that we do not condone, support, or tolerate racism. Racism is not acceptable under any circumstance, and we denounce all forms of discrimination, especially against those that have been marginalized in our country for years — I would like to make that point very clear. In the spirit of the Jungle Freaks community and the NFT community, as a whole, we are an inclusive group who welcomes all people and will forever remain steadfast in that principle. We thank you for your support and we are dedicated to turning this situation into a positive one.
Regarding the more recently circulated cartoons, it is important for us to provide context and clarification around the polarizing illustrations on the topic of race drawn by me, George Trosley. When it comes to this topic, there is not a short tweet that can be made to provide the necessary background or thoughtful and sincere response that this matter most certainly deserves.
I am not a racist, nor was I ever a rogue racist cartoon artist during my time at Hustler Magazine; which unfortunately is the current narrative being portrayed within the NFT community. While I was at the publication, we were known for publishing what some would consider explicit and salacious material; pushing the bounds of what was socially acceptable at the time. The magazine and its articles, along with my cartoon illustrations and illustrations of the other artists, helped shape and redirect the society in which we lived. Hustler Magazine challenged the rigid and closed-minded world of the 1970s, using our content and platform as a mirror that reflected the current political and societal issues that we lived in.
Please allow me to give you all a little backstory about my career as a cartoonist for Hustler Magazine. As an exclusively contracted cartoonist for the publication starting in 1977, my career there lasted 40+ years. Working under editorial direction, Larry Flynt wanted controversial cartoons that made shocking and outrageous statements about racism, and all other social and political issues, in America. The three other contracted cartoonists and I did the best we could with that direction. I grew up in an integrated neighborhood (Woodlyn, PA, just outside of Philadelphia) so it did feel a bit strange at first; but I also felt the cartoons were making statements about racism and all of the other inequalities and injustices in our country. Times have changed; however, and if asked to draw them today, I would not.
Many of you that are now taking part in the still new and innovative cryptocurrency and NFT space may be too young to know who Larry Flynt was and how Hustler Magazine played an integral role challenging cultural norms while also championing every Americans’ right to freedom of speech protected under the First Amendment of our Constitution. Flynt once stated, “If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, then it will protect all of you. Because I’m the worst.”
Larry became known as more than just a businessman in the media and pornographic industry; he was also a political figure notorious for getting under the skin of many people, particularly politicians and conservative groups. He called out political corruption in a way that was considered unconventional and put a spotlight on many of the things he considered to be social ills during that period. This led to him being embroiled in many legal battles related to his clubs and the content of his magazines throughout his career.
It’s one thing to discuss issues taking place in our world on the various social media platforms that we all have access to today. It’s an entirely different thing to dedicate your life and career to bringing important issues to light by calling out powerful organizations and individuals in the face of political and legal persecution. Not only did he voice what he believed in, he also “walked the walk.” Ironically, Larry Flynt lost his ability to walk because of his perspectives and was ultimately shot by a white supremacist who was offended by Hustler’s publication of an interracial couple.
The arts, especially political satire cartoons, have always been used as a form of human expression to push the limits of culture. My cartoon illustrations while at Hustler Magazine were no different — as many were designed to create discussions around sensitive topics. Flynt was once quoted saying, “I decided to run cartoons lampooning blacks, whites, Jews, Christians, rich and poor,” as he wanted to “offend everyone on an equal-opportunity basis.”
Without the likes of Larry Flynt championing for First Amendment rights, Twitter might not even exist as it is today as a forum for free speech. To this day there have been movies and documentaries made about Larry Flynt and his crusade to defend First Amendment rights. Flynt leveled the playing field for everyone by calling out the injustices of class antagonism and class structure by tearing us all down to the same human level. It is these such topics that were highlighted by the satirical cartoons I drew.
At the time, publishing these cartoons was one of the ways to do just this. Satire cartoons and art are sometimes subjective and open to the eye of the beholder, but if you truly want to understand the agenda of Larry Flynt and artists commissioned like me, reference this tweet from 2018 by Larry Flynt himself, calling out Donald Trump for his 1973 discrimination of African Americans in his housing project, his discrimination against immigrants, and his ignorance in denouncing the KKK. He goes on to say, “we’ve made a lot of progress towards racial justice since 1973 but Donald Trump has not budged an inch — most of his cabinet is composed of white male billionaires-the whitest since Reagan.”
Race was not the only topic of focus charged by these cartoons. We do not want to deflect away from the topic of race, but we want to share these cartoons I made that evoked discussions around multiple themes, including some that were very critical of law enforcement. Additional topics were around corruption, legalization of marijuana, religion, inappropriate content for children, sexuality, drugs, animal rights, drunk driving, gun control, corporate greed, religion in school, reckless government spending, pollution and environmental issues, police brutality and the death penalty. Also of note, Larry Flynt went as far as to oppose the death penalty for the man convicted of shooting him, ultimately leaving him paralyzed.
We have provided a small archive of cartoons throughout this article for context that were drawn by me, at the commission of Larry Flynt and published in Hustler, to paint a clearer picture of the counterculture movement that Hustler was pushing — shining light upon all these issues by using satire in the only medium of communication available at the time that would not fall victim to the mainstream media’s politicized agendas and filters. We hope the community and our fellow Freaks will see that ALL topics were subject to this satire to create discussion and to break down social and racial barriers.
All of this being said, we apologize wholeheartedly to anyone who has been hurt or offended by these racially charged cartoons — but it makes the context no less important. We do not support in any way the literal actions that are depicted in some of the cartoons, but we ask that you look at what the cartoons are calling attention to. We wish that these cartoons had been immediately associated with such context but unfortunately, they were not. We hope that this situation can serve as a catalyst for change in the NFT community, opening the floor for the discussions and activities that will improve racial equality around the world.
Art can be disruptive, offensive, and wildly inappropriate but can also spark much-needed change. This was Hustler’s intent before the 2000s and that is the juxtaposition the Jungle Freaks is at right now. At times it is hard to explain cryptocurrency and NFTs to previous generations. Some of my fellow “boomers” have characterized it as “currencies for criminals.” As you well know, it is so much more than that. The cryptocurrency and NFT community is about change, understanding and un-learning previous generation’s ideologies. It’s about calling to light and disrupting inefficiencies and inequalities within economics and society, it’s about counterculture and encouraging involvement of a group of people to change the world. We have made some strides within our country since the 1970s, but we have a long way to go.
From day one, we publicly stated we wanted to be a catalyst for change and our first allocation of proceeds went to a Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation for the month of October. When our Discord group was under attack and compromised, we made the decision to refund community members who lost funds to ensure our holders were taken care of. This good faith act exemplifies our character and what we truly stand for.
We thank our Jungle Freaks community for its patience and we truly hope that the spirit of disruption that Hustler Magazine sought through the cartoons published, and which sparked outrage to demand change in the world we live in today, is ever present in our hearts and minds now.
Proud to lead these efforts and do the work, if this situation can bring about some positive change in the world, we built the right community to align with. The right community is vital to the success of an inclusive and socially responsible culture, which is why we will be creating the JF DAO.
When launched, this DAO will allocate votes to all holders of a Jungle Freak NFT. Holders will be able to vote on how a percentage of funds and other resources are distributed to social issues that are important to the community, such as financial literacy. A portion of profits from future projects and drops will be allocated based on the voting of the DAO to the cause that is selected by the holders.
The social causes that are selected will be submitted by community members and selections will be shortlisted and vetted for the DAO to subsequently vote on and to ensure responsible use of funds and resources.
The Jungle Freaks team is excited and thankful to have an opportunity in the future to assist communities in need, worthy causes, and to continue to bring awareness to social plights that plague our society. We look forward to shaping a better future for everyone.
Lastly, we included a cover from Hustler magazine in 1978. Please read it. Announcing to his readers a random decentralized community reward distribution, much like crypto projects — 40 years before crypto existed — Larry Flynt wanted to thank his community for their support and vowed to not turn his back on them. My work for Hustler illustrating these issues was part of a revolutionary time and I hope my drawings for Jungle Freaks during this new technological boom paves a way to create opportunities for growth in marginalized communities and encourages impactful activism. I hope that the Jungle Freaks army continues to demonstrate courage so that we can create an inclusive worldwide economy for all.
Please speak up and join us on our spaces via Twitter at 7:30pm EST on Friday, November 5th.
Sincerely,
George Trosley and George Trosley III
