Last week a bizarre situation in Germany met with international outrage. The famous sign outside the Aucshwitz concentration camp declaring "Arbeit Macht Frei" (or "Work Sets You Free") was stolen in the middle of the night. This act was branded as atrocious, with some Israeli ministers going so far as to call it an "act of war". Putting aside the ideological concepts behind these acts and reactions it is useful to look at the specific act involved. A group of people scaled a fence and stole a sign. How could this illicit such a furious response? A physical act has threatened an ethical and ideological concept.
A similar question arises at this time every year in relation to Christmas. The use of the word 'Xmas' to talk about this time of year has become a point of contention between religious and secular, materialist and anti-capitalist for years. By taking the word 'Christ' from the signifier, many believe that the season has lost its original religious causes. By changing the name this time becomes less about religion and more about spending and gift-giving. When in a generous mood, many religious people would call this mis-appropriation and when in a more fervent mood, they would call it theft. The simple re-arranging of letters has in this case, threatened an entire religious concept.
In both of these situations the degradation of a signifier has damaged the signified. When we put so much belief and importance on these signifiers they become focal points for the original causes that created them. That makes them very obvious targets for those with contrary agendas or opinions. We would readily admit that these focal points are merely representations that can never fully encompass the originating situations. But we must also realise that the destruction of these focal points can never fully destroy these originating situations either.
If we can understand this as a society our communication will become far more comfortable and more importantly, far more honest.
-The English Student
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