Milliongenerations:Symbol for humanity
Symbol for humanity
Can we think of something easily recognizable as a symbol for a shared humanity?
Motivation
Conflict brings suffering and endangers civilization. Our brains are hardwired to separate into 'we and them'. We use different brain cells to think about someone else if we perceive the person to belong to a different group, but the same brain cells we use to think about ourselves if the person is perceived to belong to our group. Group membership can be created easily. The mechanism has been exploited politically at least since 'divide and rule', politicians still use it to obtain support and voters bring populists to power despite historic examples of dire consequences. Efforts to fight hate, racism and discrimination are in danger of turning against perpetrators with the same mechanism. It seems difficult to counter the political exploiters of group-think, to even define the absence of discrimination and to develop positive memes for a shared humanity. Let's try.
Examples
- human rights and an independent judiciary in which all are equal before the law must count as a great achievement of civilization
- The Anti-diffamation league's symbol consist of a number of raised outstretched hands of different hue, it used to have a symbol of human figures in different colors linked with and entangled by three wavy lines
- Historical marks identifying the bearer as belonging to different groups have a long, infamous history including the Yellow badge and Idenfication signs in Nazi concentration camps
- Widely recognized distinguishing symbols exist for gender and religions, discriminated groups and various hate symbols. Flags, logos and trademarks aim to create recognized distinguishing marks used by organizations like countries, companies and sports clubs.
- Symbols of peace
- De vreedsame school/wijk the peaceful school
- ...fat man, black and white and brown man. Tell me 'bout the colour of your soul. (from Scatman's World, a song by John Paul Larkin aka Scatman John)
Thought on boundary conditions
- A symbol should be easy to recognize, copy and identify with
- Should be inclusive, underlining a common humanity
- Should help us to question the divisions we make
- Should be light, not condescending yet serious
- Should be easy to wear on clothing
- It should be able to be worn/used by those who feel discriminated against, those who are very fortunate in a society, and the 'normal' human in between
- Nice to have if it includes any conscious being rather than only humans, though that would seem to make an already difficult task even much more complicated. Better start as easy as possible.
Ideas
- an outstreched hand
- a circle or multi-rayed star
- various conflicting group symbols (different genders, religions, examples of peace and hate symbols) included