20 Widely Used (And Widely Misunderstood) Symbols

The people who used these symbols definitely did not pass any of their history classes.
20 Widely Used (And Widely Misunderstood) Symbols

They say those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. We like to say, "Those who forget history will probably end up appropriating a symbol to represent their cause whose connotation probably meant the exact opposite." Or something like that.

Anyway, here's pictures of all those words you just read.

Guy Fawkes is an icon for toppling theocracy. But he was trying to install one. Anarchists use Fawkes as an icon because of his attempt to blow up Par
The pink triangle is second only to the rainbow as a symbol of support for sexual diversity. It got its start in Nazi Germany- The Nazis categorized p
To Christians, the ichthys fish represents Jesus. Before that, it was a vagina. One of the names given to the pre-Jesus Jesus Fish is the vesica pisce
A barber pole is a candy-striped symbol of small-town America. It's based on a bloody bandage. The pole got its start during the Middle Ages, when bar
The peace sign seems almost naively optimistic. 0000 It was designed to look defeated. British graphic designer Gerald Holtom created the peace sign b
Mistletoe makes people feel romantic. It should make them nervous. Mistletoe is actually the product of two traditions. In the first, the Viking god B

Witch Feet

A rabbit's foot is an old-timey good luck charm. They were originally seen as witch feet. Superstitious weirdos thought that rabbits were witches in d
Uncle Sam is a symbol of the U.S. government. He was once a caricature of it. Uncle Sam dates back much earlier than the recruitment posters from the

Hammer and Sickle

The hammer and sickle stand for Marxism and communism. And also gender equality. At the time of its design, the hammer and sickle stood for worker-pea
There's a new world order' eye on the dollar bill. Eptr NNUR MCD It's referring to America's democracy. Conspiracy theorists will tell you that the

Pentagrams

When you see a pentagram, you might think of evil. But it's a symbol of protection. Although the five-pointed star in a circle has long been associate
A lot of people think this is the Confederate flag. It isn't, and never was. For the first two years of the Civil War, the Confederate army marched un
Think a shamrock is a four-leaf clover? It isn't. It has three leaves. While a four-leaf clover is widely considered a sign of good luck, the traditio
These days mermaids are seen as playful and sweet. They used to mean death by seduction. In mythology, mermaids are brutal sociopaths who lure sailors

The Horns

Every rocker knows about the devil horns sign. It's actually for protection. The devil horns hand gesture was first associated with metal music by Ron

Christmas Stockings

Christian children hang stockings at Christmas.. They do so because of prostitution. According to legend, in the 4th century there was a poor man who
The donkey represents the Democratic Party. It was originally an insult. The Democratic Party of America adopted the donkey logo specifically because

Inverted Crosses

You might think an inverted cross iS satanic. But it's the symbol of the first Pope. When St. Peter was martyred by crucifixion, he was said to have r
The swastika is a widely recognized symbol of hate. L But it originally stood for luck. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which mean

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