Word: symbolic
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...exhibits of cultural and historical relevance to the attention of the community is a loss to be mourned. While I am saddened very much by this decision of the University, I am even more astonished and chagrined by the process used to dismantle an institution that has been a symbol of learning and cooperation for Christians, Jews and Moslems for 13 years...
That is a tough audience to reach. "Guns are a status symbol," explains University of Pennsylvania sociologist Elijah Anderson, who has just finished a study on codes of sex and violence in the inner city. "If you have a new, powerful one, you get a certain amount of juice, of respect, and people are afraid...
Debating the number of reindeer sufficient to secularize a scene depicting Jesus' birth misses the point. A symbol's meaning is determined by the perceptions of those who see it. With its recent decisions, the Court has steadfastly ignored the views of non-Christians, who see the lavish public displays as annual reminders that they live in a Christian society...
...sure, mine is not the only Jewish opinion on the subject. During one discussion about the Leverett House tree as a religious symbol, one student remarked, "I see no problem with it all. I'm Jewish, my family celebrates Hanukkah, and we have a tree in my home as well...
This student conceives of the tree as a holiday symbol that has become Americanized, losing its religious meaning. But I wonder whether the symbol has become Americanized, or whether she has merely succumbed to a Christian interpretation of the American identity...