For months, I've been feeling discomfort seeing "W" stickers on cars, and seeing "W"'s sprout up in campaign advertisements, etc. (For a good example of this, see this video from the official B/C website: http://www.georgewbush.com/news/VideoLauncher.aspx?id=1082). I could not figure out exactly where my discomfort came from. It's only a letter, right?
Well, that seems to be exactly the problem with the "W". It is only a letter - essentially, a black and white symbol.
It's odd power comes from the fact that it is just a symbol, not even a name or a complete word. Even the words "Bush/Cheney" summons up the world of words, of discourse, of analysis, of logic. All of the realm in which actions or ideas may be thought upon and discussed. Symbols bypass this realm - which is what makes a powerful symbol so powerful. Black-and-white symbols bypass - and are meant to bypass - the world of words, reason, analysis, discussion - and conjure up directly the non-logical world of images, impressions, emotions - things that cannot be adequately conveyed, if conveyed at all, in words.
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