Peace And An AMG GT Black Series

Readers usually find lots of birthdays in my posts. Today is no exception; however, the center of our attention is a thing rather than a person. Yes, today is the birthday of the "Peace Sign." It was introduced on this day in 1958 by Gerald Holtom a British artist who developed it as a logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The anti-war movements of the 1960's readily adopted it as an international peace symbol.

The design was quite simple. The vertical line was derived from the British semaphore code symbol for "N" - standing for "Nuclear." The arms came from the symbol for "D." - standing for "Disarmament." Both were set in a circle symbolizing the world. We've come fifty years and two generations from those early demonstrations and their new symbol. That's plenty of time for symbology to change but in this case most contemporary demonstrators still get it right. That is, most demonstrators but not all.

For example, I'm totally in favor of giving Mercedes-Benz a chance just as I am defending capitalism and the accumulation of as much wealth as one can out of wise and honest work. That's the least we should ask for the makers of some of the finest automobiles in the world.

And then there are those who ask humankind to end the horrors of war and replace them with a quality driving experience:

Perhaps this phenomenon is little more than a common oversight. On the other hand I suspect that the huge growth in American prosperity and marketing over the past three generations may be a greater influence. From getting by to getting there may sound like a comfortable journey from the houses most boomers experienced as children to the bourgeoisie dwellings we own - perhaps "finance" is a better term - in today's world. It was a bit more complicated than that, so much so one can see why there may be some confusion with historic symbols and the branding going on in Mom and Dad's three-bay detached garage.

If those new Flower Children only knew.

Alas, Gerald Holtom earned nothing directly from designing the peace symbol.  He chose not to copyright it and it cannot trademarked. Commercial users have made billions off the symbol now ubiquitous in our culture 63 years following its introduction.

So what is an AMG GT Black Series?

This is a revision of an earlier post.



Sources



Text:
Wikipedia, Gerald Holton
Center for Nuclear Disarmament
The Peace Symbol Celebrates Its 57th Birthday, But Still No Peace, truth-out.org