Semiotics

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*Political Editorial*. Mod note: If any of the images are not allowed please remove the problematic image and leave the article.

With all the talk about statues of racist slaving confederates, I have been thinking a lot about symbolism. 

The study of symbols is also known as semiotics. Semiotics intrigues professionals from a wide range of professions, from marketing to anthropology. Studies have shown affiliations for brands such as Apple and Nike mimic how religious people feel about their religions. The feeling a Christian gets when they enter their Church, is perhaps how I feel when entering the 5th Avenue Apple store. 

To me and many liberals, the symbolism of the statues to slaving racist confederates stand for racism and injustice. Yes to conservatives, the statues represent some combination of legacy, culture, and history. 

The thing about symbols is, the power they hold is in the eye of the beholder. Without the individual assigning value to the symbol, it holds no meaning. 

So, when conservatives say that statues to slaving confederate racist traitors should stay up, it is because they have incorrectly not associated confederate slaving racist traitors with evil. Conservatives think the statues are emblematic of legacy, culture, and history. 

Sure, the statues represent history. But that history, slavery and the confederacy, is entirely evil.

Liberals don’t want to erase confederate history from the history books. We simply want to erase monuments whose purpose is to stand as symbols in honor of traitorous racist slaving confederates.

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The alt-right is extremely good at using semiotics to their advantage. 

Specifically, the alt-right adopts the same symbols used by more ordinary conservatives, and turns them into hate symbols.

To white supremacists, neo-nzis and the alt-right, Pepe the frog is hate symbol. 

To liberals, centrists and moderates, Pepe the frog is hate symbol. 

To ordinary conservatives who are simply trying to get off trying to trigger liberals, Pepe is just a frog liberals are freaked out over. 

Yet, a simple Google Image search for “Pepe Jews” reveals exactly how this symbol is being utilized by the worst of actors. 

When a symbol so clearly means something to so many people, denying its meaning is a luxury only those in certain positions of privilege can afford (predominantly conservative Christians). 

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And that brings us to “Cultural Marxism”. In the same way that Pepe the frog is a hate symbol utilized by neo-nzis, white supremacists, the alt-right, the term “Cultural Marxism” is also utilized by neo-nzis, white supremacists, the alt-right. 

To ordinary conservatives, Cultural Marxism represents the latest version of culture wars: Feminism, LGBT rights, Atheism, ‘political correctness’, and Blacks Lives Matter.

Semiotics

To neo-nzis, white supremacists, the alt-right, Cultural Marxism represents the latest Jewish attempt to suppress white, heterosexual working-class males. 

In the same way that Pepe is beloved by neo-nzis, white supremacists, the alt-right, reviled by centrists and moderates, and embraced by conservatives, the notion of Cultural Marxism is beloved by neo-nzis, white supremacists, the alt-right, reviled by centrists and moderates, and embraced by conservatives. 

With regards to both Pepe and ‘Cultural Marxism’, Neo nzis have effectively turned conservatives into their pawns, spreading a watered-down version of the neo-nzi gospel.

When a symbol so clearly has taken on a specific meaning, how do conservatives live with themselves in denying reality? It’s very Orwellian, in the sense that republicans refuse to believe their ‘lying eyes’. 

I invite conservatives to cease their usage of terminology and symbolism beloved and embraced by neo-nzis, white supremacists, and the alt-right.