LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Hi,
Make sure you are drawing the Peace symbol correctly, it is more than an
inverted Y in a circle. It is correctly a circle with an inverted Y
superimposed on a vertical diameter. There is a bar bisecting the V of
the Y.
Source:Dreyfus, Henry
Symbol Sourcebook, 1972
Text of entry:
Peace:
Controversy surrounds the origin of the ubiquitous peace symbol. It was
introduced by pacifist Lord Bertrand Russell during Easter of 1958, when
he marched at Aldermaston, England, campaigning for nuclear disarmament.
The most acceptable explanation of the design relates it to the
international semaphore alphabet: N (for nuclear) D (for disarmament).
These superimposed signals are surrounded by a circle indicating
complete, world-wide or total. Thus total nuclear disarmament.
So today, this distinctive mark is universally a symbol for peace.
World book or any gen encyclopedia will give nice pictures of the flag
positions for semaphore---the flag alphabet used by military signal corps.
As I recall...from the 60's the peace symbol did not get a "bad name"
until the war protests in the 70's. Then, it was associated with "bad
people" namely student types who wanted world peace and burned incense
and read Mad magazine, had hair that was too long, and went barefoot, and
listened to rock music and did other anti-establishment things
Oh---and had pierced ears too. Anti-establishment things, like florescent
black-light posters or psychedelic-anything were viewed as "evil",
Communist, Hippie-oriented, and therefore "things of the Devil" and who
knows what else the kids are "into" besides "folk music"
The establishment was very nervous then---how many of you remember that
listening to Puff the Magic Dragon was GUARANTEED to turn you into a drug
addict?
My parents were concerned when, as a 3.80 GPA college sophomore I asked
for a guitar for Christmas. I promised them that I would never play Puff
the Magic Dragon. I was also refused permission to have my
ears pierced. I got it done when I was 22. Real "Woman of the 50's" huh?
Part of the confusion perhaps is that, in rural Great Britain, the "V for
Victory" sign that Churchill made popular in WWII, is a VERY old (Celtic)
sign for "The Horned One" which was the Druid Harvest Lord, who became,
under Christian church influence, the "evil one", hence Devil.
Vietnam war protesters, evil hippie-types, of course, greeted each other
with the "V for Victory" sign while saying, "Peace". Since they also
usually had a Peace Symbol on them somewhere, as a belt buckle, on a
headband, or a necklace or on a picket sign, the Peace symbol came to be
associated with the V for Victory sign which, in "symbol reference books"
often was listed only as Victory or a sign of the Devil. Since the
war protesters were anti-war and therefore anti-victory, their use of the
V for victory sign obviously meant something Satanic. Just try
explaining that Satan and devil are not synonymous. Oh well. Anyhow,
that is the reason for the confusion.
Whew! Guess I got long winded there.
Marsha L. Pfingsten * Librarian * Ferguson/Florissant School District *
** McCluer North H.S., 705 Waterford Dr., Florissant, MO, 63033 **
** voice: 314-831-6600 ex 331 --- Fax: 314-839-3503 **
Internet:<mpfingst@services.dese.state.mo.us>
On Wed, 4 May 1994, Sophia Smith wrote:
> sure hope you can help me out with this one. One of my students told
> another teacher that the peace sign of the sixties had its origins as a
> satanic symbol. Could some share the symbolism of this inverted y with a
> circle? This has become a heated debate in two classroom. I told them if
> anyone could solve this argument the members of LM_NET would.
> Thanks in advance, sophia Smith
>
LM_NET
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