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Moments later, a car passed us that had a yellow ribbon magnet. Messages contained within this symbol, ranging from music, war, and disease, confirm the theory of second order signification. Following our previous discussion, Phill had a Mass Mediagasm as the recognition of class material and life came flooding into conversation.
This symbol finds its origins in the song by Tony Orlando and Dawn, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.” This brought the connotations of love, forgiveness, openness. In the early 90’s, the symbol resurfaces under the banner of the Persian Gulf War. Americans tied yellow ribbons around the trees in their yards as a welcome for the troops returning from conflict. This was done to alleviate perceived tensions relating to the Vietnam Conflict. While the ribbons still retained the connotations of forgiveness and openness, the meaning shifted more towards patriotism.
Around the same time, actors started wearing a red ribbon pinned to their lapels in an effort to raise awareness for AIDS. This gave us the shape that is now manufactured as magnets for car bumpers. Widely accepted as an easy and cost-effective way to express patriotism, the idea caught on and was co-opted by other groups.
These continue to develop at a quick rate that starts with the communication of basic awareness. Many organizations have attempted to employ the use of ribbon magnets to support their mission. Pink, indicating breast cancer awareness, has also appeared on people’s bumpers conveying support for a cure. This more closely resembles the original AIDS ribbon which fought for awareness of this epidemic. Black and white, for POW and soldiers MIA, identifies closer to the yellow ribbon, still maintaining a patriotic theme.
Those in the van acknowledged that they had seen other ribbons, such as a puzzle piece design signifying autism, and a ribbon that was half red, white, and blue and half yellow, further emphasizing the mixture of patriotism and forgiveness.
All in all it was a wonderful trip as we were able to apply our communication knowledge to real-world events. Ah, sweet euphoria.
Co-written by Alyssa Pearson and Phill Demarest.
2 comments:
I love your referring to it as a "mass mediagasm". I too have seen this everywhere. From the typical breast awareness to a Christian cross over a yellow ribbon signifying that Jesus is on the side of American troops. It is everywhere. I have also noticed that while the meaning has slipped over time, it continues to slip overtime. Now, these have become so common that it is normal to see something that isn't really considered to be a typical cause, like praying for troops.
I love your referring to it as a "mass mediagasm". I too have seen this everywhere. From the typical breast awareness to a Christian cross over a yellow ribbon signifying that Jesus is on the side of American troops. It is everywhere. I have also noticed that while the meaning has slipped over time, it continues to slip overtime. Now, these have become so common that it is normal to see something that isn't really considered to be a typical cause, like praying for troops.
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