Simplistic Thoughts

I was sitting in my U.S. History class watching a documentary about the Freedom Riders (if you do not know who they were I suggest you look it up) and the sight of the Confederate flag roused my distaste for what that flag represented. It also reminded me of the disdain I sometimes have towards individuals in this state who wave around that flag proudly as if they had something to do with the history of it. That flag to me represents a bigoted, oppressive Southern mindset that held people in bondage for generations and the fact people still are proud of that history disturbs me. The point being, each symbol represents something. Businesses use logos to distinguish a product to the masses and we the people enjoy representing those emblems all over our clothes, cars, etc... In essence, there is nothing wrong with this but what one should take in consideration is the fact that the symbols one wears or advertises, identifies them with that ideology, company or philosophy- conscious of it or not.

Symbols have power and meaning- just because certain symbols are trending does not deprive them of the original and intended meaning. So next time you tote around a symbol, remember you are representing an ideology you may not truly associate with. So, what symbol are you representing?