Symbols are a funny thing. We all know what they are…. But do we really?
What is it about, say, the Pride Flag, a piece of cloth with a lot of brightly colored stripes on it, that evokes such strong feelings? Do candy stripes have secret magic powers?
Of course not.
Symbols work, not because of what they INherently are, but what EXherent meaning we bring to them.
They are metaphorical containers of meaning. And, as we’ve written before, their ability to a) compress, b) signal, and c) spread ideas makes them powerful levers for the people who create them.
The Pride Flag got its start in 1976, during the American Bicentennial, when the country was awash with American flags.
As the Pride Flag’s original designer, artist Gilbert Baker, put it, “[The American Flag] was everywhere, from pop art to fine art, from tacky souvenirs to trashy advertising. On every level, it functioned as a message. I discovered the depth of [flags’] power, their transcendent, transformational quality. I thought of the emotional connection they hold… I thought a gay nation should have a flag too.”
The pride flag spread, galvanizing a powerful sense of community, declaring to those who had long hidden their true selves: “You belong, and you are not alone.” In doing so, it helped reshape the culture of the country.
Its simple design has helped keep the movement and its evolution going. In 2017, the Philly Pride flag was unveiled, a version with black and brown stripes to include the QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color) community that has historically been excluded from the movement. The next year, Daniel Quasar built upon the flag, introducing white, pale pink and blue stripes of the trans pride flag, to commemorate the role of transgender and gender diverse people of color in 1969’s Stonewall Uprising.
And so it continues. Someone recently added the Intersex purple circle to it… Is that a permanent addition? Hard to say. Meaning tends to have a life of its own. It evolves and mutates as people do, not because the “chosen experts” say so but because it’s organic. Something anyone can create.
This isn’t just about Pride. It’s a lesson in symbolism we’re all seeing play out in real time every June- that ineffable link that unites abstract metaphor with physical reality, interplaying in real time.
And for leaders who are in the business of “creating meaning and purpose” for the troops, it is fascinating to watch. This is Capital-C Culture in action.
Happy Pride Month!
