The Danger of Symbols- Sumblog 10

We encounter many symbols on a regular basis. We live in a world with an emphasis on visuals. Visuals make are a fast way for our brains to categorize without much thought. One example of a symbol that we see daily is the handicap symbol, a stick figure in a sitting position on a wheel. This is made a symbol in our culture because it indicates that whatever holds the symbol is “user friendly” or prohibited use, such as a parking space. People continue to understand the value of this particular symbol because we see it all around us. There are many benefits and risks of symbols. I think the biggest benefit with symbols is that they can be see and simply understood. On the flip side of that, there can be an over generalization or stereotype attached to a symbol based on our past experiences. They can be helpful to a society because when we see something like a simple drawing, take for example the stick figures that differentiate a men’s or women’s restroom, we are able to distinguish the difference. Again, they can be harmful for the same reason. Someone who did not understand our meaning of the symbol may be confused by our over use of symbols. If you think about how many symbols we depend on in a day, without meaning attached to those, to some we may live in an over simplistic society. We put a lot of pressure on those within a society to recognize and understand the symbols we use so frequently. I think overall it is important to remember that all symbols are not universal and we should not hold a single meaning to a certain symbol.

I choose to include a picture of 28 frequently used symbols that often used. We may not think much about them because we have been exposed to them for so long, but they may be very intimidating to someone who has just moved here and is trying to learn the cultural norms.