The visceral vs. the literal

I found this sticker pasted to the exterior face of an administrator’s office window at the University of Freiburg. Immediate attraction sprung. The revolutionary feel drew me in. It was clearly designed to prompt a strong reaction — to get branded into one’s memory. At the end of the day, however, I didn’t care enough about the image to try to understand it beyond my visceral reaction.

I regularly posted the sticker to my Twitter feed. It was welcomed with a multitude of responses. However, after several weeks in the rotation, I received a message from a furious follower in south central Asia who wanted the image removed. He’d seen the image before and, to him, it represented nothing but death.

Where I saw a Pop revolution, he saw genocide.

I promised to remove the image and promptly forgot. A week later, his request was apoplectic. I removed the graphic from my rotation. I’m not sure what a third reminder would have looked like — and don’t want to know.

About the power of symbols.

Dodger Stadium

Throughout the rest of the major leagues, nothing’s akin. It appears to have been designed, in part, by George Jetson. In particular, the lines of the outfield facades telegraph a stark 1950s design style. Nary a straight line in the architecture, a visitor can attend a game today and know precisely how a fan felt on the day the park opened in 1962.

Chavez Ravine

A grandson in Los Angeles spends every afternoon playing baseball until dark. When he returns home, after his school work, he reads about baseball, watches baseball and attends every game possible. His love for the Los Angeles Dodgers knows no bounds.

During his twelfth birthday party, his father gifts an authentic Dodgers’ game jersey. His son goes wild. Seconds later, the grandfather stomps angrily out of the house leaving everybody astonished. The grandfather’s hatred for the Dodger’s knows no bounds. Upon seeing their logo, his fury couldn’t be contained.

Sixty years before, the grandfather lived in a small farming community contained within the limits of Los Angeles county. Despite being so close to such a dense urban metropolis, the sprawling neighborhood felt almost rural and bucolic. Primarily working class, Chavez Ravine provided a quality of life that most of its residents would otherwise not be able to afford. The community was loved.

Dodger Stadium fills Chavez Ravine.

Stolen land

The owner of the Dodgers, Walter O’Malley, stole Chavez Ravine from the people of the community by manipulating its residents, throwing money at politicians and offering the city something it desperately wanted — a Major League Baseball team.

As part of the run-up, then mayor Norris Poulson promised a new community, with better housing, to the current residents. Subsidized by a federal government grant, the prospect brought joy. To fulfill the promise, the mayor assured the residents that they would only need to vacate their neighborhood temporarily and, when they returned, their new homes would be space-age.

His home lost forever, the grandfather was never able to return to Chavez Ravine.

About the power of symbols.

Hope

A single word was laid carefully below the stark graphic image on the campaign poster for then-Senator Barack Obama. The image was unmistakable and ubiquitous. Combined with his charisma, his speeches, his debates and his rallies, the image created a provocative statement that nearly half the country saw as a thumb in the eye. The other half of the country’s citizens could not have fallen more in love. The poster distilled love and hate into a single lightning bolt.

About the power of symbols.

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Newsletter: Sugary candy for the soul

I don’t teach, preach or sell hard. I do send out silly ten second stories about people, places and things.

November 2022
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October 2022
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September 2022
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August 2022
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July 2022
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June 2022
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May 2022
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April 2022
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March 2022
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February 2022
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January 2022
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December 2021
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November 2021
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October 2021
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September 2021
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August 2021
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July 2021
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June 2021
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May 2021
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April 2021
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March 2021
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February 2021
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January 2021
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December 2020
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October 2020
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August 2020
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July 2020
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June 2020
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May 2020
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April 2020
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March 2020
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February 2020
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August 2019
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July 2019
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June 2019
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