Do you associate particular colors, specific shades, with emotions? I know it's an old saw to think of things painted red as energetic, sexy, literally hot. And blue is cool, etc.
Then there are all the ribbon colors that have become associated with particular causes, which is less about the emotional impact of the color itself than an effort to encourage emotions connected with the cause behind the ribbon.
I was fascinated to find the following grid on Wikipedia (what DID we do before Wikipedia?) that sets forth an entire matrix of what cause is associated with what color ribbon. Some of them are surprising, at least to me. Check out the grid here.
I've become newly interested in the power of color as the carrier of a message because we made a decision with the folks building MyVetwork, the online community for our service men and women and their families and friends. MyVetwork is planning a major PR/media splash on Veterans Day, coming up November 11. As part of the excitement around their message, they are starting a campaign urging people to wear something purple on November 11.
Purple is the color associated with valor, bravery, courage. Not for nothing do we decorate heroes injured in combat with the Purple Heart as opposed to the Yellow...or the Green Heart. Additionally (and to my surprise), purple is the color signifying unity. In the case of our armed services, the tradition says that if you mix Army green, Air Force blue, Marine Red, Navy blue and Coast Guard blue, the result is voila! purple.
So you heard it here first. Whether you are an active member of the military, or retired, or a veteran...or a family member or simply an advocate, let your support be known and sport purple in any form on Veterans Day. And let the folks at http://community.myvetwork.com/ know you did. They'll be thrilled.
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