In that busy universe that is Twitter, sometimes we can go unnoticed some details due to the chaotic nature of the network. A very common one is use of emoji that many personalities, influencers and important profiles begin to use and that spread quickly among users.
What does the red triangle mean on Twitter?
On Twitter fashions come and go and It is very common to use this social network as a platform to position ourselves in the face of any controversy that arises naturally or artificially: the latest sentence of a court, the umpteenth declaration of a Minister, the vote in one direction or another of a Law or any other news that provokes a certain ideological debate. And as you may also know, many confuse social, political, economic commitment, etc. by sharing a post or saying how much the deforestation process in the Amazon affects them. Positioning and commitment are not the same: the first is a kind of aesthetic posture while the second has to do with rolling up the sleeves, picking up the shovel and starting to work.
But what does the red triangle mean? The fact is that in mid-2019, many users began to position themselves using a peculiar inverted red triangle emoji. The first to show it on their profiles were Spanish politicians from progressive parties and, little by little, its use was extended to more and more users from, apparently, other political spectrums. But… what does it mean exactly?
Well, the fact is that the meaning of that inverted red triangle is a way of expressing a rejection of fascism. Today, its use has become standardized and we can see it in the form of a pin on the jackets of many progressive European political leaders who wear it on a daily basis, in the real world, not just on Twitter.
The dark past of the inverted red triangle
However, the red triangle is not just an emoji. It’s about a symbol that has been given a little twist not exempt from some controversy since its origin dates back to the time of Nazism. That is, to the 30s and 40s of the last century when the National Socialist regime of Adolf Hitler persecuted and purged thousands of opponents in the name of a Reich destined to endure for a thousand years. There is nothing.
Just as the Jews were marked by the Nazis with a yellow Star of David, it is not so well known that the political prisoners of that time in Germany also received a special identification that was, as you can see in the photograph that you have just above, a inverted red triangle This was common to see in the concentration camps where they kept these political prisoners confined and, although at first they were only members of the communist parties of the time, over time it was also used with all the other opponents of the Nazi Party: anarchists, union leaders, freemasons, liberals and even old colleagues involved in the rise of the movement led by Adolf Hitler.
When all the barbarism ended in May 1945 and the Second World War ended, the inverted red triangle now used on Twitter became a symbol. This one remembers all the prisoners who lost their lives for thinking differently from the regime in which they lived. Today, its connotation goes a little further and expresses opposition to any pro-fascist or pro-Nazi school of thought. Therefore, it does not mean that a person clearly positions himself as leftist, progressive or not right-wing by wearing this red triangle logo on his profile. Just show your rejection of these types of ideologies.
Are there other similar cases?
Another similar phenomenon on Twitter is the use of snake emoji. It has political symbology again and refers to the defense of constitutionalism, classical liberalism and libertarianism. Specifically, that emoji symbolizes the rattlesnake that appeared on the Gadsden flag flown by settlers from the period before the United States War of Independence at the end of the 18th century, around 1775, and which was accompanied by the motto « No [sic] tread on me”, which roughly translates to “Don’t walk on me”. Surely it also sounds familiar to you because of a song composed by Metallica in 1991 that proclaims that same phrase.
Already in the real world, the word that begins with ‘n’ with which the descendants of African-Americans in the United States refer to each other has a very similar origin. The word was used derogatorily by slavers in the cotton fields to refer to their oppressed. Again, the meaning was reversed to give the symbol greater strength.
Are these symbols used correctly on Twitter?
Now you know the origin and meaning of the famous red triangle that one day went viral on Twitter and many people were left without understanding. However, not all users use this emoji correctly.. It is easy to see the inverted triangle (because of ignorance or rejection) to users who use it without really knowing its significance, both in the case of this red Twitter triangle and the snake that we indicated above or the ‘n’ to refer to to the African American community.
In any case, whenever you come across a phenomenon like that of this red Twitter triangle we recommend you look for its meaning asking without fear to the community, without fear of what they can answer you (funny and haters they are everywhere). Although it is true that a quick Google search can relieve you momentarily until someone finishes confirming your theory.
In any case, remember that positioning yourself is very good to believe that you are defending something, but only when it is accompanied by a clear commitment does it make sense. Everything else is posturing.
