Meg
Meg
Jul 23, 2017 · 2 min read

Let me be more clear about symbolism and sensitivity to it.

Let’s say I go about dressed in lots of black leather, chains and spiky jewelry. I may be a mild mannered person, but the message I am sending is that I am to be feared.

Why? Because quite a lot of people who want to be feared, and who probably should be feared, have adopted this costume for the very purpose of intimidating others. They are sending a message with their attire. Others learn the meaning of this costume and respond with fear and avoidance, which is the desired outcome of those who wish to intimidate. They don’t need to waste their time growling at everyone. Their dress does it for them.

Because scary people have co-opted the symbolism of this ensemble, it is not unreasonable for people to assume that someone wearing such an outfit wants to intimidate.

And here we get back to the flag. It is now being used by violent racists to intimidate and to send a clear message of “get out of my whites-only America.” They have essentially co-opted a cultural symbol that had one meaning and have given it another. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for a person subject to their threats to see every privately flown flag as suspect. Whether their suspicions are correct or not, better safe than sorry.

Assumptions are our own responsibility. But we all must make assumptions based on cultural information to navigate the world safely. Understanding symbolism is part of cultural literacy, and using symbolism requires a sensitivity to the message sent.

I don’t waltz around in intimidating outfits because I don’t want to send the message that I’m spoiling for a fight, and I no longer display the flag on holidays because I don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome because of me.

Flags and spiky jewelry are inanimate objects. Their meaning is what culture at any given time says they mean.

To be insensitive to the message embodied in symbolism is to be insensitive to the feelings of others.

Meg

Written by

Meg

Writing, because talk is cheap