SAMANTHA TROUP | staff writer
The peace sign is one of the most widely recognized symbols in the world. It has been used to represent everything from peace protests and nuclear disarmment to fl ow power hipping and devil worhsip. This symbol is one of pop culture’s most powerful images— it is a movement and a political position,a reality and a dream. Created by Gerald Holtom in 1958, the peace sign was originally made to support Britain’s campaign for nuclear disarmament, which protested the nuclear bomb in any country. It was based off the naval sign language of semaphore, combining the signs for the letter “N” and “D.”
Although this was its original intention, different associations have emerged over the years as to the symbol’s meaning. “I think the peace sign is a harmless symbol,” junior communication studies major Rachael Parker said. “People have turned it into a negative thing.”
The peace symbol brings up political agendas. In its original creation, there was a political agenda of peaceful protest being expressed visually. Today it is used in reference to the war on terrorism and associated with the widely held belief that American troops should leave Iraq. In the Nixon era, it was associated with pulling out of Vietnam. Different time periods have associated the peace symbol with different things.
When the peace sign came to America and was adopted by the Student Peace Union and the countercultural movement, it became an international symbol for the antiwar movement. While there is no obvious way to escape its political implications, it is more than a purely political symbol. Despite early resistance, it has become an integral part of history, standing for many campaigns and protests and calling for peace across the globe. To me, the peace sign represents the ultimate ideal of peace, (escaping the violence of a broken gun or its implicit religious affi liations.) It offers all people hope for peace and a silent way of expressing this desire, despite other associations. “The age of the peace symbol doesn’t matter to me but what it represents is still important,” junior commercial music major Kevin Stowell said.
Ultimately, the peace sign is a simple but concise statement of what I think the world should look like and it is something that is accessible to everyone.
