Word: symbolics
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...unfamiliar language and cultural traditions. The origin of the Bosnian conflict is largely alien to the average American GI, and the rationale behind American intervention is further hidden in ambiguity. In as much as Vietnam became the manifestation of George Kennan's containment doctrine, so has Bosnia become the symbol of America's ambivalent role as the global superpower. If not with Vietnam, then similar comparisons are provided by the military disaster in Somalia, one whose hazy military objective resulted in the useless sacrifice of American lives...
CORRESPONDENT ELAINE RIVERA had a problem. She needed to talk to people who knew six-year-old Elisa Izquierdo, a victim of child abuse, whose death in New York City became a symbol of America's deeply flawed child-welfare system. Under deadline pressure, Rivera needed to move quickly, so she turned for help to TIME's in-house research center. Using a CD-ROM directory, the staff was able to supply Rivera with a list of people who live in Izquierdo's apartment building. The results of her interviews appeared in last week's cover story...
...rather than a woman's head, neck and breasts, but of course the sculpture is richer for its double meaning.) Because his work was deeply influenced by classical Indian and Khmer sculpture, it may be that the Eastern practice of gilding the effigy of the Buddha--gold being a symbol of supreme reality--prompted his use of high polish. But there is no doubt about its results...
...liberal camp, populated largely by Democrats, believes that there is no symbol of our national unity and sovereignty so important that it should be deemed sacred. In fact, the notion of a sacred national symbol conflicts, they say, with part of what makes America special in the first place. A flag-burning amendment devalues both the symbol and what is symbolized: part of what makes the flag worthy of respect is the fact that we have the right to burn...
Fortunately, my mother corrected my false impression by explaining in so many words that the flag is merely a symbol that stands for the nation. It is not itself the physical embodiment of the sovereignty of the country, she explained; there is an important distinction to be made between symbols and what is being symbolized. Of course, my mother is also a liberal...