Hieroglyphs

When reading Modern Hieroglyphs, it is pretty interesting how someone can create such a simple symbol, such as those seen on bathroom doors, but have so much thought behind it. In general, I like the way positivists attempted to analyze language. Symbols should be broken down into their most simple and direct forms, though this is where the cultural differences come into play. I would think that there is a general level of intelligence across cultures, so hopefully if someone saw a symbol of an elevator with only male symbols in it, they would realize it is indeed coed elevator. I think this can relate to the reading about maps,and how there really needs to be certain contexts to extract certain meanings.
When reading about the swastika, I never previously thought about how the swastika was made into a self-fulfilling prophecy by Hitler. It did not represent what he said it did until after the Nazi's obtained the power the symbol supposedly already represented. I am trying to imagine a symbol that is currently recognized as an acceptably good one, such as an exclamation point or a smiley face, and have it totally flipped around to the point of provoking fear and hate out of those who see it. It is impressive the effect something so simple can have.