While browsing the net looking for info about the holocaust I stumbled on an interesting article:

Triangles and Tribulations: The Politics of Nazi Symbols

The gist is the author is concerned about how the gay/lesbian/bisexual community is using the Pink Triangle as their symbol to rally around. It’s a very informative article that revealed more about the inner workings of the Nazi regime than I realized before. Colored shapes were used to mark people in different categories. The familiar Star of David was used to denote Jews. Pink was used for homosexuals. Each group was then rounded up and dumped in their respective concentration camps. I never knew there were more groups than just Jews who were collected and tortured. A telling failure of our education on these issues, most likely. Many people I know have never heard of this either.

But here’s the interesting part. The author is somewhat concerned that the Pink Triangle would be adopted as a chrished symbol given it’s history. Observe:

Why has the rebellious color become pink and not lavender? Why not two male symbols or two women’s symbols? The answer, in part, may be historical ignorance. It may also be internalized heterosexism; the willingness to embrace the very symbols of one’s destruction reflects an incredible degree of hatred and self-contempt. In an age of AIDS and historical revisionism, it is frighteningly coincidental that the current identifiers are symbols from a period of death and totalitarianism.

Internalized heterosexism. Hatred and self-contempt. In this day and age where we are so sensitive to make sure that we don’t offend minority groups, it’s interesting to note the level of alarm this article raises. This was published in the Journal of Homosexuality by the way.

Speaking of minorities, I’m an INFP which makes up only 1% of the general population. :-)