The ADL Did Not Add Sneed To Their Hate Symbol Database

Megan Healey

Artsandculture

20th July 2021

The ADL Did Not Add Sneed To Their Hate Symbol Database

Why does it feel like we're being trolled? (Screenshot).

The Claim

The Anti-Defamation League added the term “Sneed” to their database of hate symbols.

News posted on

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Emerging story

A screenshot is circulating on social media that appears to show an entry from the Anti-Defamation League’s Hate on Display™ Hate Symbols Database. The screenshot shows an image of a character from the Simpsons, along with a definition that begins saying, “‘Sneed’ is a racist dog whistle used to self identify as either a Neo-Nazi, white supremacist or white nationalist, or an extreme misogynist…”

One Twitter user commented, “The ADL has been a joke, always. They're gullible and tricked by whatever dumb prank the internet pulls the wool over their eyes.”

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

The ADL has not added “Sneed” to their database of hate symbols. The image was an alteration of a screenshot of the ADL’s site. “Sneed” is a term used on 4chan and other message boards to identify someone who doesn’t get a joke, or who is otherwise being obtuse. It’s also been linked to white supremacist rhetoric.

The word is a reference to a subtle visual joke from a 1999 episode of The Simpsons, which shows a sign on a general store that reads, “Sneed’s Feed and Seed, Formerly Chucks.” The image of the store is often used as a meme template or “exploitable.”

The ADL’s Hate on Display™ Hate Symbols Database is a collection of symbols most frequently used by white supremacist movements and other extremist groups across the ideological spectrum. It’s been used by law enforcement, schools, and individuals, and is consistently updated to accommodate for new symbols, and changing definitions.