Historical symbols

[MarxSchmarx]

It's America-centric, some of it is a little ridiculous, but you might learn something.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-historic-symbols-that-mean-opposite-what-you-think_p1.html

[Tablo]

Interesting stuff. I already knew the stuff about Guy Fawkes, the inverted cross, and Che Guevara. The guy who wrote the thing is an idiot though.

[FreeFocus]

The article wasn't that bad, actually, especially the one about the Alamo.

[Invincible Summer]

I don't think the author understands the whole V for Vendetta/Guy Fawkes thing (i.e. V for Vendetta was about anarchism, but Guy Fawkes isn't), much less anything about left politics.

[Blake's Baby]

Holy crap, the American Right has stolen Tom Paine? Ignorant twits. Don't they realise he criticised property, privilege, religion... I nearly registered on RevLeft as "Tom Paine's Bastard Grandson" but "Blake's Baby" was shorter.

Favourite Tom Paine story:

One of America's founding fathers, I forget which one so let's say it was Jefferson, declares at some point "Wherever Freedom rears her head, that is my country".

Now that's fine and noble sentiment I think, expressing a profound hope for the revolutionary spirit of humanity. But in an age when people could sum up a lot in an epigram, Paine is reported to have replied "Wherever man is in chains, that is mine".

Now it seems to me that Paine's reply expresses an more profound sense of solidarity with those at the bottom of the social pyramid.

F***ing great geezer Tom Paine. Even if he was a taxman before he went to America.