What does the symbol mean or imply? Gay rights? If so, pick a damn symbol and stick with it. I’ve seen rainbows, pink triangles, yellow equals signs, etc.
I really have no idea what in the hell the symbols mean anymore, other than the driver is likely liberal and part of some minority.
I’m being serious; this is a marketing/branding issue; I’m all for symbols, but you have to pick one or two and make it stick, otherwise you just confuse the public.
The equal sign means, not unsurprisingly, that one stands for equal rights, particularly with reference to GBLT people, since the HRC’s purpose is as an advocacy group for them.
One of the Ask the Gay Guy threads went into some detail on the symbolism behind the rainbow. The pink triangle is a case of “reclaiming” – it was the symbol of shame used by the Nazis to brand gay people, and I gather the feeling is that to wear it as a badge of pride is redeeming that former mark of degradation.
The thing is, Slyfrog, folks tend not to actually be homogenous demographic blocks.
Some people might not like the pink triangle because of its horrible origin, and may consider using it to be identifying with victimhood.
Likewise, some people might not like the rainbow because it can be seen as, well, a little bit My Little Pony.
Before you can “pick one and stick with it” you have to something that works for nearly everyone.
Sure, there’s an element of branding in there – but marketers rarely “pick a logo and stick with it.” Things evolve. If they didn’t, my local hockey franchise would still have jerseys sporting a crude drawing of a skating, toque-wearing lumberjack.
Must…resist… crass comments… must resist…
Whew, made it.
The Black/blue/black is supposed to indicate a law enforcement officer, or his family. " The thin blue line."
As far as “pick a symbol and stick with it” goes, the HRC symbol is a symbol of that organization, not of the gay community in general. The organization, a completely self-governing entity, chose that symbol as a general trademark. It’s not like we all voted to add yet another symbol in.
And you forgot about lambda…
Hey, go for it! I come here partially for the crass comments.
Agreed. I had a sticker on the old van, and somewhere around I have a baseball cap embroidered with the same logo. I’m straight, but am a vigorous supporter of gay rights. Or, how does one say it appropriately? Equal rights for all?..
Cartooniverse
“Pong” means ‘bad smell’. 
For the British vocabulary impaired.
All I’m saying is that I’m just starting to tune them out and ignore them, because I’m sick of trying to figure out what the flavor of the month is going to be. The reasons it is hard to do are fine, but many organizations have managed something, and it is diluting the message at this point to keep coming up with more symbols that seem to fundamentally mean “gay rights” or “please don’t hate gays”.
A cross, a Bible, a steeple, the flames of Pentecost, hands in prayer, a dove.
A Mogen David, the Torah, the tablets of the Decalogue, a menorah.
An elephant, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan.
An eagle, Old Glory, the Constitution, a minuteman.
Symbols accrete. Some have staying power and some fall by the wayside. Asking the gay community to be some monolithic bloc and vote on ONE symbol is unrealistic. At various times, the lambda, the triangle, the rainbow have all been the dominant symbol, but the others never disappeared (though the lambda is quickly falling under the radar).
In any event, that equals sign is just the symbol for the HRC, not for all gay rights in general. It says “I gave money to these people specifically.” I’m sure there are other gay rights groups that may differ with the HRC on some points or strategies.
Likewise the WWF uses that panda logo on stickers for itself, implying the individual is an envornmentalist, but symbolizing the WWF directly. I don’t hear anyone saying “The world, that ecology flag, the panda… why can’t you people just pick one symbol and stick with it?”
Besides, maybe a LITTLE bit of confusion is good as it causes you to look at the sticker and think about it and wonder what it might mean. I mean, it prompted this thread, right? Of course, a prevalent “I don’t know what that is, so I’ll ignore it” attitude could kill the effect.
Mine doesn’t say that. :-/
Actually, for each of those, I’d almost guarantee that there is one symbol that by far exceeds the others in “recognition quality.” Except for the last one, and I have no idea what you are trying to get at there unless it’s some general sense of “Amercia.”
And even then, the difference between those examples and yours is that the gay symbols, to a much greater degree, are part of an intentional effort to brand and create public awareness. Most of your examples occurred organically.
That’s what’s irritating me. Your examples are organic creations, and even though I believe there’s an example in each that has far greater brand recognition than the others, they were not originally created to pop on bumper stickers and create public awareness. The gay rights symbols, on the other hand, are effectively part of a “marketing scheme.” That implies that some actual marketing thought and effort should be put behind them.
Are you seriously attempting to promote the canard that the promotion of equal rights for GBLT people is part of some sort of conspiracy, as that well-refuted 1988 book suggested?
If you have a debate that you’d like to open, or a BBQ Pit thread, then please do so. But don’t bring your opinions into GQ.
samclem GQ moderator
Let’s see:
So here’s a General Question (I think) - no one else brought anything but questions in here, right? You had no agenda in targeting my (I thought) pretty good natured discussion? You make sure that you really pare down the discussion to Q&A only?
That’s pretty insulting.
Oh yes, and I will state in advance that I should have put the last one in the Pit. I’d do it now, but obviously can’t edit it. My apologies.
No, not that. Only three stripes, but the same shade of blue.
