General Racist Symbols
Most symbols of negativity are from racist groups, most common know are neoNazis, Ku Klux Klan and White power-oriented skinheads. There symbols are
instantly recognised and are a common language for them to communicate.
Most represented what they consider “Aryan” culture or “white pride”.
Odin’s Cross
Confederate
Flag
Ouroboros
Baphomet
White
power fist
Ku Klux
Klan
Swastika
Symbols are the most powerful communication tools
that have ever existed. As they have the ability to
convey so much meaning. People who wear symbols
have a tremendous effect on others and are
immediately recognised and set the feel of fearand
insecurity. Symbols ranging from the American flag to
the Star of David to the Christian cross to the Red Cross
can evoke to be able to understand exactly how
powerful a symbol can be.
Visual merchandiser’s use symbols so that there
displays show what the season or theme is, but they
need to be careful not to use symbols that are raciest
against others culture or religion.
Is Blue Everyone's Favourite Colour?
More people claim blue as their favourite colour
than any other colour (over 50%). Blue cars have
been among the top selling cars for decades. Blue
denim is the most common clothing material in the
western world. Men and boys in particular favour
blue. Blue is the overwhelming "favourite colour."
Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable, and
committed.
The colour of ocean and sky, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives. As the
collective colour of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce
chemicals that are calming. However, not all blues are serene and sedate.
Electric or brilliant blues become dynamic and dramatic -- an engaging colour that
expresses exhilaration. Some shades or the overuse of blue may come across as
cold or uncaring.
Indigo, a deeper blue, symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery,
and spiritual realization. While blue is the colour of communication with others,
indigo turns the blue inward to increase personal thought, profound insights, and
instant understandings.
Blue is the least "gender specific" colour, having equal appeal to both men and
women.
Survey showed that the colour blue is favoured equally by all ages but over 70+
especially like the colour blue the best .
Blue Symbolism and
Personality
In systems which correlate favourite
colours with colour symbolism, people
who wear light blue are said to be
analytical and have a practical
approach to life.
People who wear dark blue are
intelligent and self-reliant and take on a
great deal of responsibility.
In any case, people are comfortable
with blue and return to blue again and
again.
How the colour blue affects us physically
Positive:
•Calms and sedates
•Cools
•Aids intuition
Negative:
•Depression
•Obesity
•Fear
•Coldness
•Passivity
Blue
Dark Blue: Credible, confident, dependable.
Light or Middle Blue: Cool, calm, faithful, quiet.
Blue Symbolism: Multiple Meanings
Blue symbolism associates blue with freedom,
strength and new beginnings. Blue skies are
emblematic of optimism and better
opportunities. Blue is the colour of loyalty and
faith. Blue is power. Blue is also the colour of
protection. Blue symbolism is nearly universal in
meaning. As a result, blue is used in national flags and symbols around
the world, including the flag of the United Nations.
Blue Symbolism and Nature
In colour symbolism around the world, blue represents water, the
source of life. Agricultural people have traditionally worshipped
water in the form of rivers, clouds, mist and rain. Many favourite
garden flowers are also blue, including delphinium, larkspur, pansies,
irises, anemone, bluebells, hyacinth, lobelia, veronica, and
ageratum.
Blue is associated with ice, water, the sky
and with cold. A cultural association could be with service
workers or the United States Flag. Blue gives the objective
impressions of melancholy and sometimes peace depending on the individual. A subjective impression of blue could be
unhappiness or freedom depending on shade.
Blue Symbolism around the World
Blue symbolism provides a fascinating look at one of the most
prevalent and beloved colours around the world. Blue symbolism
affects many areas of life, including clothing choices, language and
clichés, interior design, art, religion and health. Although blue is even
more popular in the western world than is other areas of the world,
blue skies and blue water are full of positive meaning in every
culture. We are, after all, living on the "blue planet."
Blue: The colour of the throat chakra
Blue is the colour of the Throat Chakra, also known as Visuddha. This chakra is
located in the throat. It is linked to the throat, neck, hands, and arms.
The Throat Chakra is connected with speech and hearing, and encourages spiritual
communication. Opening the Throat Chakra is said to improve clairaudience.
Gemstones that will aid the Throat Chakra include turquoise and aquamarine.
Indigo: The colour of the Brow or Third-Eye chakra, also known
as Ajna. This chakra is located at the top of the head.
This chakra is our link to the universal unconsciousness,
Opening this chakra can aid in clear sight, intuition, integrity,
and lessens feelings of despair.
Gemstones amethyst, moonstone and augilite
Blue: The colour of the Throat chakra, also known as
Visuddha. This chakra is located in the throat. It is linked to the
throat, neck, hands, and arms. The Throat Chakra is connected
with speech and hearing, and encourages spiritual
communication.
Opening the Throat chakra improves clairaudience.
Gemstones that will aid the Throat chakra include turquoise, aquamarine, lapis,
sodalite, quartz, angelite, aqua aura
Blue around the globe
Colour
Blue
Positives
Seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquillity,
calmness, coolness, confidence, water, ice, loyalty,
conservatism, dependability, cleanliness, technology,
winter
Negatives
Depression, coldness,
idealism, obscenity,
ice, tackiness, winter
Here are some common cultural connotations attached to colours in Western
cultures, particularly in the United States:
•Various cultures see colour differently. In India, blue is associated with the
paintings of the god Krishna (a very positive association) often depict him as
having blue skin.
•In Chinese culture, colours corresponded with the five primary elements, the
directions, and the four seasons. Blue was associated with wood, east, and
spring.
•Blue, blue-green, and green are sacred colours in Iran, where they symbolize
paradise.
•In the United States, post office mailboxes are typically blue.
•In Mexico, blue is the colour of mourning.
•In Aztec culture, blue symbolized sacrifice.
•In Greece, the colour blue is believed to ward off "the evil eye." Those who
believe in this Greek superstition often wear a blue charm necklace or blue
bracelet for protection.
Cultural Colour Meanings of Blue
Generally the safest colour to use world-wide
Western:
trust and authority
conservative, corporate
peace and calm
depression, sadness
"something blue" bridal
tradition
masculine colour
baby boys
Belgium:
colour for baby girls
Cherokees:
defeat, trouble
Mexico:
mourning
trust
Serenity
Colombia:
associated with soap
Eastern:
•Immortality
China:
• immortality
•associated with
•pornography and 'blue films'
•feminine colour
India:
•Lord Krishna
•national sports colour
Japan:
• everyday life
Korea:
•colour of mourning
Thailand:
•colour for Friday
Iran:
•colour of mourning
• heaven and
spirituality
• immortality
Israel:
Coat of Arms
Holiness
Egypt:
virtue
protection - to ward
off evil
Middle East:
protection
Political associations with blue
Blue represented the Union (North) during the American Civil War.
The colour blue represents the U.S. Democratic Party and beginning with the
2000 presidential election, states that favoured the Democratic candidates
began being referred to as "blue states," while those that favoured the
Republican candidates were referred to as "red states."
In the U.S. Congress, the Blue Dog coalition is a caucus of conservative
Democrats.
US Politics:
liberalism
UK & European Politics:
conservatism
The Blue House is the residence of the President of South Korea.
Blue has been associated with a variety of political positions, often
differentiated from communist red or anarchist black. During the revolt in the
Vendẻe against the French Revolution, blues stood for the revolutionary forces,
and white for the counter-revolutionaries. Later movements like the Breton
blues used the colour to signify allegiance to the ideals of the revolution.
The blue shirts was a quasi-fascist political organisation active in Ireland during
the 1930s (the name comes from the fact that St. Patrick’s Blue is one of the
traditional colours of Ireland).
Blue is the colour of the Conservative Party in Britain and Conservative Party
of Canada. Television coverage in the United States since the 2000 presidential
election has made it fashionable to link the Democratic Party to "blue" and the
Republican Party to "red" (especially in reference to "red states and blue
states"). In Brazil, blue states are the ones in which the Social Democratic
Party has the majority, in opposition to the Workers' Party, usually represented
by red.
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and Canada,
designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday
as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping. The word
blue was used in the 17th century as a disparaging reference to rigid moral
codes and those who observed them, particularly in blue-stocking, a reference
to Oliver Cromwell's supporters in the parliament of 1653.
Blue is associated with numerous centre-right liberal political parties in Europe,
Including the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Netherlands), the
Reformist Movement and Open VLD (Belgium), the Democratic Party
(Luxembourg), Liberal Party (Denmark) and Liberal People's Party (Sweden).
Blue is the colour of, and associated with, the New Progressive Party of Puerto
Rico.
Historical associations with blue
Blue has a long and topsy-turvy history in the Western world. Once considered a
hot colour, it is now icy cool. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric,
but most Americans and Europeans now pick it as their favourite colour. In this
entertaining history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the
changing meanings of blue from its rare appearances in prehistoric art to its
international ubiquity today in blue jeans and Gauloises cigarette packs.
Any history of colour is, above all, a social history. Pastoureau investigates how
the ever-changing role of blue in society has been reflected in manuscripts, stained
glass, heraldry, clothing, paintings, and popular culture. Beginning with the almost
total absence of blue from ancient Western art and language, the story moves to
medieval Europe. As people began to associate blue with the Virgin Mary, the
colour entered the Church despite the efforts of chromophobic prelates. Blue was
reborn as a royal colour in the twelfth century and functioned as a formidable
political and military force through the French Revolution. As blue triumphed in the
modern era, new shades were created, and blue became the colour of romance.
Finally, Pastoureau follows blue into contemporary times, when military clothing
gave way to the everyday uniform of blue jeans, and blue became the universal
and unifying colour of the Earth as seen from space.
With an exceptionally elegant design and strikingly illustrated with one hundred
colour plates, Blue tells the fascinating history of our favourite colour and the
cultures that have hated it, loved it, and created great art with it.
"Egyptian blue" (irtiu, sbedj) was made combining iron and copper oxides with silica and
calcium. This produced a rich colour however it was unstable and sometimes darkened or changed colour over the
years.
Blue was symbolic of the sky and of water. In a cosmic sense, this extended its symbolism to the heavens and of the
primeval floods. In both of these cases, blue took on a meaning of life and re-birth.
Blue was naturally also a symbol of the Nile and its associated crops, offerings and fertility. The phoenix, which was a
symbol of the primeval flood, was patterned on the heron. Herons naturally have a gray-blue plumage. However, they
were usually portrayed with bright blue feathers to emphasize their association with the waters of the creation. Amon
was often shown with a blue face to symbolize his role in the creation of the world. By extension, the pharaohs were
sometimes shown with blue faces as well when they became identified with
Amon.
Baboons, which are not naturally blue, were portrayed as blue. It is not
certain why. However, the ibis, a blue bird was a symbol of Thoth, just like
the baboon was. It may be that the baboons were coloured blue to
emphasize their connection to Thoth.
The gods were said to have hair made of lapis lazuli, a blue stone. Note in
the image above of the Opening of the Mouth ceremony that the mummy and
Anubis both have blue hair.
The Blue Crown was also known as the 'war crown' or the Khepresh crown.
It was probably made from cloth or leather, then painted blue. Sometimes it was
decorated with golden discs and a twisting royal ureaus usually adorned the front.
It is a military helmet and is often worn during battles and hunting.
Rameses II was depicted wearing this crown in a famous painting to celebrate his
victory over the Hittites.
Religious & mythological associations with blue
Religious Beliefs in Many Cultures:
Christianity: Christ's colour
Judaism: holiness
Hinduism: the colour of Krishna
Catholicism: colour of Mary's robe
Several mosques are referred to as the Blue Mosque:
•The Blue Mosque of Tabriz in Tabriz, Iran
•The Blue Mosque of Cairo in Cairo, Egypt
•The Blue Mosque of Yerevan in Yerevan, Armenia
•Rawze-e-Sharif in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan
•Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
•Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia.
•The Catholic religion associates blue with the Virgin Mary.
Religious Colour Symbolism
In Greek and Roman days, blue symbolism was
associated with the sky gods Jupiter, Juno and
Mercury.
In Judaism, blue symbolism is connected
to God the Father.
In the Catholic Church, blue
symbolism is most closely related to the Virgin Mary,
the Queen of Heaven.
In Islam, blue symbolism (including turquoise) is the
colour both of religion and community and is often
used for decorating mosques.
Interesting information about blue
•President Martin VanBuren is credited with introducing blue into the
decorating scheme of the White House in 1837 and since then, there has
been a "blue room" in the White House.
•Blue is one colour that means "low" or "guarded" in the colour-coded threat
system established by presidential order in March 2002. This system quickly
informs law enforcement agencies when intelligence indicates a change in
the terrorist threat facing the United States.
•Blue is the favoured colour choice for toothbrushes.
•Powder blue is often used in products to promote cleanliness and purity.
•IBM's Deep Blue became the first computer to win a chess tournament
against a reigning world champion chess master. Deep Blue had 32
processors and processed about 200 million chess moves per second in its
historic six-game match against Garry Kasparov. Today, Blue Gene is the
fastest supercomputer in the world and the descendent of Deep Blue. It
uses 131,000 processors to routinely handle 280 trillion operations every
second.
•The blue ribbon has been widely recognized as a national symbol of child
abuse awareness.
•Over the past decade, scientists have reported the successful use of blue light
in the treatment of a wide variety of psychological problems, including
addictions, eating disorders, impotence, and depression.
•People are often more productive in blue rooms.
•The highest quality ultramarine blue is made with powdered lapis lazuli from
Afghanistan.
•The 1993 film "Blue" consists entirely of the colour blue with narration and
sound bytes.
•"Alice Blue" is a light blue-gray or steel blue colour that was favoured by Alice
Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt; it sparked a fashion
sensation in the United States.
•Mosquito's are attracted to the colour blue twice as much as to any other
colour.
•In ceramics, a variety of ingredients -- including cobalt oxide, copper
carbonate, and iron oxide -- produce the blue colours. The different variations
are produced when each ingredient is combined with other materials or with
each other. The application, thickness of the glaze, how it is applied, and the
type of clay used also have an impact on the final colour after firing. Unlike
paint, raw glazes look nothing like their final appearance after firing.
•Owls are the only birds that can see the colour blue.
•Blue Tigers (Maltese Tigers) have been sporadically reported in the
mountains of the Fujian province in China. They are described as
bluish-grey or slate-blue with white patches on the face and black
stripes.
•Pablo Picasso's "Blue Period" refers to a series of paintings in
which the colour blue dominates and which he painted between
1901 and 1904. The Blue Period is a marvelous expression of poetic
subtlety and personal melancholy and contributes to the transition of
Picasso's style from classicism to abstract art.
Shades of blue
Air Force blue
Alice blue
Azure
Celeste
Cerulean
Cobalt blue
Egyptian blue
Electric blue
Eton blue
Maya blue
Midnight blue
Navy blue
Royal blue
Sapphire
Sky blue
Ultramarine
Yale Blue
Baby blue
Bleu de France
Blue
Bondi blue
Brandeis blue Cambridge Blue
Columbia blue Cornflower blue
Cyan
Dark blue
Deep sky blue
Dodger blue
Duke blue
Electric indigo
International
Klein Blue
Iris
Light blue
Majorelle Blue
Periwinkle
Persian blue
Phthalo blue
Powder blue
Prussian blue
Tiffany Blue
True Blue
Tufts Blue
Turquoise
UCLA Blue
Federal blue
Glaucous
Non-photo blue Palatinate blue
Steel blue
Teal
Carolina blue