I attended a semi-decent middle school in Pittsburgh, a magnet they called it, and there was a disproportionately large number of Jewish kids there, in part given the close proximity to the Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. I befriended a couple of them just to attend a couple Bar Mitzvahs, which I soon learned was more like a wedding ceremony than a birthday party, and any gifts or offerings should be more commensurate with the latter. But some of them were rich and snobby anyway, so screw them that they only got $10.
Back to the point, surrounded with so much Judaism, it wasn't surprising to see Hebrew signs and print everywhere, even in school. But the best was when one kid wore a t-shirt to school with Hebrew print on it, a message that was indecipherable to anyone who wasn't orthodox Jewish, really. Except that was the joke, it wasn't actually Hebrew, just an upside down message with the letters distorted to look like ancient characters. Instead, it read "Go fuck your-self" (the dash where the line broke). Pretty funny actually, I think I had to be told what it said since why would anyone think to objectively view the message upside down. I don't know if he ever got busted, I like to think not, since anyone wearing a shirt that cool in middle school deserves nothing but respect.
Then there were the classic calculator one-offs. Where you could type the number 07734 and it would read "hELLO" upside down. Pretty lame stuff, and I'm not sure you can even do that on a calculator these days, if kids even use calculators or if they just punch everything into a smart device that doesn't have as much verbal efficiency with the numbers.
There's also the text that was made popular by Dan Brown in Angels & Demons. The Illuminati. That word, along with air, earth, wind, and fire were all written in ambigram form so that when turned 180 degrees it looked and read exactly the same as the original orientation. Pretty clever stuff that actually was the brainchild of the (real) artist John Langdon. And who is the inspiration for the fictional character Robert Langdon in Brown's novels, in name at least. I skimmed a book once called Word Play that actually goes into a lot John Langdon's work, his methods, and illustrates tons of other great examples that he has developed over the years. An interesting fact about his work, too, is that when he gets close to finalizing a piece, he only works on half of the message. A slick, and tremendously efficient, approach since then all he needs to do is copy and flip it to complete the work.
Walking thru the park the other day, I noticed another plain symbol that, if rotated 90-degrees transforms from a trespassing directive into a welcoming gesture. The hand, alone, is a ready stand-in for plenty of signals, including peace, living long (and prospering), and affirmation of a good job. It is also effective at the aforementioned "fuck yourself".
But an extended open hand also represents a gracious open mind. One that is willing to look at issues from a different light and different perspective. Or at least to appreciate and reciprocate the offering of accord. A message, perhaps, more of our crossroads should reaffirm.
