Class: An Ideograph Used Around the World Differently

-Select a specific ideograph and study how it is used to support the ideology of a group? Or, show how two groups use the same ideograph differently?


         "Class" is a prime example of a word with multiple meanings. To most of us students, "class" means the allotted time our courses meet, our obligatory session in which we get to meet with our professors. However, when approaching a protester participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement, their definition of "class" would be entirely different then a student's (in most cases).
       
         "Class" is a good example of an ideograph, it is a word that is a heavy hitter in the modern political arena. Class warfare has been a critical issue for centuries now and it even defines some political ideologies including socialism. Karl Marx believed that class struggle would be the downfall of all capitalist societies which would eventually end with a communist revolution that establishes a "classless" society. The first real socialist revolution occurred when Vladimir Lenin established a socialist state in 1922, the Soviet Union. Within the USSR, "class" was considered an evil concept, it stood for corruption, inequality, and capitalism. They used this ideograph to support their communist ideology.

         However when you come to the United States, "class" holds an entirely different meaning or interpretation. We use this ideograph differently than other societies (socialist societies in particular). It is often used in a manner such as, "Hey, show some class", meaning conduct yourself as if you were of high class. Here, we celebrate class and regard it as something worth chasing. You want to be known for your class.

         It is quite interesting to see how one ideograph can be interpreted so many different ways. In some societies "class" is feared, while in others it is praised. In the meantime we students just worry about getting to our CLASS on time.