Symbols can unite towns, armies, even nations.
A new survey of the attitudes of those who stick Darwin fish symbols on their cars shows that while some are merely making fun of religion, many want to appropriate a sacred symbol and wreck it. The Darwin symbol's obvious emulation of a religious symbol gives it unique power to express ridicule in a vivid and symbolically pointed fashion. The brouhaha began with the Christian fish symbol. It is thought that in the early days of Christianity, when the faith was considered dangerous, believers often drew the outline of a fish to quietly proclaim their faith. Applied to 20th-century car bumpers, the fish symbol was a public statement of belief.