That Salute

There has been quite some discussion over a salute made by a footballer, that was considered offensive - see the latest story I can find. It raises some interesting questions for me.

The argument that Anelka made was that he had used it as an anti-establishment gesture, not anti-semitic. There is a lot of debate over whether this was a valid interpretation of it. In the end, I have no idea whether this is a reasonable interpretation of the symbol. I also cannot comment on exactly what Anelka was really thinking at the time. These matters will, I am sure, be debated at length.

The point I want to make is that signs and symbols are very powerful, and yet their interpretation may not be the same for everyone. That is a lesson to learn from this.

The quinelle salute may be an acceptable anti-establishment sign, but that is not always how it is perceived, and if it is perceived differently - offensively - then that is what it means. It is acceptable to argue that the intention was different - that the meaning the person making the gesture intended it to have was different and not intended offensively. But to deny that others took it offensively is to miss the point.

In faith matters - for example Christianity - we use a lot of symbols, a lot of symbolism. We use them in a way that we understand, and we assume that everyone understands them in the same way. But they don't. In honesty, even Christians do not totally agree on their meaning. But we need to appreciate that the symbols, the signs, the images we use are not always clear - or not always giving the same message that we intend.

Imagery is everywhere - communion is imagery; the cross is imagery; the birth stories are imagery; our songs use imagery. This is not to say that these events did not occur, but that the way we use these images in our faith is important. They convey huge parts of what is important to us. But they don't always convey the same message to others.

In so many areas of our lives, the images and symbols that we use speak to us, and speak to others. But they might not say the same things. We need to remember that.