Bond
03-23-2006, 04:41 PM
RED
Usage, symbolism, and colloquial expressions
- Red catches people's attention, and is often used to indicate danger or emergency.
- Red is the color of heat and fire. Taps for hot water are often labeled red. Red is commonly the color of fire alarm boxes, fire extinguishers, and the firefighter profession itself.
- Red denotes "stop" in, for instance, stop signs, traffic signals, brake lights, or the flashing lights of a school bus.
- Red is the color of blood, and a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Red Crystal flag signify medical personnel, facilities, or equipment, or the Geneva Conventions.
- Red indicates extreme danger on Western color-coded scales, such as wildfire hazard signs or the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory System.
- In auto racing, a red flag signals all cars to immediately stop. The redline is the maximum speed an engine and its components can safely run.
- Emergency exits on passenger aircraft are indicated by red signs and lighting.
- "Redlining" is delineating a forbidden area (as on a map), for instance where a company denies or increases the cost of services, and is illegal in various circumstances in the U.S.
- With ships on collision courses, the ship on starboard tack sees the Green for Go light on the ship on port tack, while the ship on port tack sees the Red for Stop light on the ship on starboard tack.
- Red is the traditional color of race cars sponsored by Italian companies.
- In Western religion, red represents the color of fire and so symbolizes the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is also considered the color of the Church, since red can also symbolize the blood of martyrs. It is sometimes used for Holy Thursday and during Eastertide. In Catholic tradition it is used for Palm Sunday in anticipation of the death of Jesus.
- In Association football (soccer), the referee shows a red card to a player who is being sent-off.
- Red can sometimes symbolize evil in any kind of work that involves a villain.
- Being the color of blood, red was associated with the Roman mythology god of war, Mars, and the reddish planet Mars became named after him. The phrase "red-blooded" describes someone who is audacious, robust, or virile; it is sometimes used to contrast with a cold or effete "blue blood" although the terms are unrelated in origin.
- Red is the color of sex and romance, (because of its association with blood, which is responsible for arousal) thus the red of a Valentine heart and of a "red-light district". Paradoxically, it also denotes anger, as in the expression seeing red, or embarrassment, as in being red-faced (many of these effects themselves caused by the blood rushing to the brain from adrenaline).
- Red is considered holy in some parts of sub-sahara Africa. In these regions women are forbidden to wear red clothes.
- In English heraldry, red (called gules) denoted ardent affection or love, while crimson (blood-color) stood for boldness, enthusiasm, or impetuosity. (The American Girls Handy Book, p. 369-370)
- Before the French revolution red was the color of the flag signifying the imposition of martial law.
- Beginning with the Revolution of 1848, "Socialist" red was used as a color of European Revolutionaries, often in the form of the red flag. It was also used by Garibaldi's camicie rosse ("redshirts") in the Italian Risorgimento, and taken up by Leftist and generally radical groups, while the white of legitimist Bourbon partisans became associated with pre-World War I conservatives. This relates to the term "Blood of the workers", representing the suffering of the proletariat.
- For instance the Civil War in Russia and the Civil War in Finland were fought between the "Red Army" and various "White Armies".
- The identification of Communism with "Socialist" red (with the red flag being the primary color of the flag of the Soviet Union) and the red star being a Communist emblem led to such Cold War phrases as "the Red Menace" and "Red China" (distinguished from Nationalist China, "Free China," or Taiwan). See also The East is Red. Mao Zedong was sometimes referred to as a "red sun". The color was also associated with political vehicles such as the Red Guard in China and the Red Guards during the Russian Revolution of 1917 as well as with left wing paramilitary groups such as the Red Army Faction in Germany and the Japanese Red Army.
- Red remains associated with parties on the left of the political spectrum, with several notable exceptions (see "Political Parties" below)
- In Chinese symbolism, red is the color of good luck and is used for decoration and wedding attire. Money in Chinese societies is traditionally given in red packets.
- Red ink is also used to denote debt - as well as losses on a balance sheet (hence the phrase, "in the red" usually indicates economic losses).
- In North American stock markets, red is used to denote a drop in stock prices. In East Asian stock markets, red is used to denote a rise in stock prices.
- In maps of political parties, red is traditionally used for the following parties:
o Australia: Labor
o Brazil: Workers' Party
o Canada: Liberal Party of Canada
o Finland: Social Democratic Party of Finland
o Germany: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic party of Germany) and Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (Party of Democratic Socialism)
o Malta: Malta Labour Party
o The Netherlands: Partij van de Arbeid (Social Democratic party), Socialistische Partij (Socialist Party)
o Portugal: Portuguese Communist Party (and the Unitarian Democratic Coalition, of which the PCP is part of)
o Sweden: Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Left Party (Sweden)
o United Kingdom: Labour Party
o United States: Republican Party, since the 2000 presidential election, when contrasted with blue representing Democrats.
- Red is one of the Christmas colors, with green, white, or both.
- Red, along with yellow and orange, is thought to provoke hunger, hence its use in logos by food vendors.
- In the history of Japan red is the color of military flags used by the Heike (or Taira) clan and of the Genji (or Minamoto) clan, two clans that struggled for power at the close of the Heian era, in the late 12th century.
- Red is the color claimed by the street gangs Bloods and Norteños.
- Red is the word for a fish of the genus Myripristis in Tobian.
- Red is an album by progressive rock band King Crimson.
- Red is the color of the lowest-value balls in snooker. There are 15 at the beginning of a game, each worth 1 point.
- Red Indians is a British term for Native Americans.
- Red and black are colors associated with Satanism (the life force, excitement, arousal etc, sustained by ruthless self interest and idolatrous materialism, represented in "darkness") and were also the colors of the Nazi party, and are sometimes claimed by neo-Nazis or sympathizers.
- Red is the color commonly associated with the British Army (e.g., Redcoats) and is also used to describe someone of British nationality.
- Red is the color often used for the Roman, British and Soviet Empires.
- Red is the color used for critical or important systems (such as emergency lighting) that operate in low-light or night-time conditions, as rod cells in the human eye do not respond to it and therefore does not interfere in the eye's ability to focus in dim environments.
- A red filter used in black and white photography increases contrast in most scenes. For example, combined with a polarizer, it can turn the sky black. Films simulating the effects of infrared film (such as Ilford's SFX 200) do so by being much more sensitive to red than to other colors.
- Oxygenated blood is red due to the presence of oxygenated hemoglobin. Red light is the first to be absorbed by sea water, so that many fish and marine invertebrates that appear bright red are black in their native habitat.
- Red is the color of the coat of arm of Ħamrun, Malta.
- In the Finnish Army, red is the color of artillery. Black symbols on a red field signify field artillery, white symbols signify anti-aircraft artillery.
- In Finland, bright red is the "color of technology". It is seen in TKY regalia; also, the student union of chemical engineering has bright red as its distinctive color. Its use is traditional, tracing its history back into the 19th century. It probably originated from the red insignia identifying artillery.
- Red is the national colour of Wales
Usage, symbolism, and colloquial expressions
- Red catches people's attention, and is often used to indicate danger or emergency.
- Red is the color of heat and fire. Taps for hot water are often labeled red. Red is commonly the color of fire alarm boxes, fire extinguishers, and the firefighter profession itself.
- Red denotes "stop" in, for instance, stop signs, traffic signals, brake lights, or the flashing lights of a school bus.
- Red is the color of blood, and a Red Cross, Red Crescent or Red Crystal flag signify medical personnel, facilities, or equipment, or the Geneva Conventions.
- Red indicates extreme danger on Western color-coded scales, such as wildfire hazard signs or the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory System.
- In auto racing, a red flag signals all cars to immediately stop. The redline is the maximum speed an engine and its components can safely run.
- Emergency exits on passenger aircraft are indicated by red signs and lighting.
- "Redlining" is delineating a forbidden area (as on a map), for instance where a company denies or increases the cost of services, and is illegal in various circumstances in the U.S.
- With ships on collision courses, the ship on starboard tack sees the Green for Go light on the ship on port tack, while the ship on port tack sees the Red for Stop light on the ship on starboard tack.
- Red is the traditional color of race cars sponsored by Italian companies.
- In Western religion, red represents the color of fire and so symbolizes the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is also considered the color of the Church, since red can also symbolize the blood of martyrs. It is sometimes used for Holy Thursday and during Eastertide. In Catholic tradition it is used for Palm Sunday in anticipation of the death of Jesus.
- In Association football (soccer), the referee shows a red card to a player who is being sent-off.
- Red can sometimes symbolize evil in any kind of work that involves a villain.
- Being the color of blood, red was associated with the Roman mythology god of war, Mars, and the reddish planet Mars became named after him. The phrase "red-blooded" describes someone who is audacious, robust, or virile; it is sometimes used to contrast with a cold or effete "blue blood" although the terms are unrelated in origin.
- Red is the color of sex and romance, (because of its association with blood, which is responsible for arousal) thus the red of a Valentine heart and of a "red-light district". Paradoxically, it also denotes anger, as in the expression seeing red, or embarrassment, as in being red-faced (many of these effects themselves caused by the blood rushing to the brain from adrenaline).
- Red is considered holy in some parts of sub-sahara Africa. In these regions women are forbidden to wear red clothes.
- In English heraldry, red (called gules) denoted ardent affection or love, while crimson (blood-color) stood for boldness, enthusiasm, or impetuosity. (The American Girls Handy Book, p. 369-370)
- Before the French revolution red was the color of the flag signifying the imposition of martial law.
- Beginning with the Revolution of 1848, "Socialist" red was used as a color of European Revolutionaries, often in the form of the red flag. It was also used by Garibaldi's camicie rosse ("redshirts") in the Italian Risorgimento, and taken up by Leftist and generally radical groups, while the white of legitimist Bourbon partisans became associated with pre-World War I conservatives. This relates to the term "Blood of the workers", representing the suffering of the proletariat.
- For instance the Civil War in Russia and the Civil War in Finland were fought between the "Red Army" and various "White Armies".
- The identification of Communism with "Socialist" red (with the red flag being the primary color of the flag of the Soviet Union) and the red star being a Communist emblem led to such Cold War phrases as "the Red Menace" and "Red China" (distinguished from Nationalist China, "Free China," or Taiwan). See also The East is Red. Mao Zedong was sometimes referred to as a "red sun". The color was also associated with political vehicles such as the Red Guard in China and the Red Guards during the Russian Revolution of 1917 as well as with left wing paramilitary groups such as the Red Army Faction in Germany and the Japanese Red Army.
- Red remains associated with parties on the left of the political spectrum, with several notable exceptions (see "Political Parties" below)
- In Chinese symbolism, red is the color of good luck and is used for decoration and wedding attire. Money in Chinese societies is traditionally given in red packets.
- Red ink is also used to denote debt - as well as losses on a balance sheet (hence the phrase, "in the red" usually indicates economic losses).
- In North American stock markets, red is used to denote a drop in stock prices. In East Asian stock markets, red is used to denote a rise in stock prices.
- In maps of political parties, red is traditionally used for the following parties:
o Australia: Labor
o Brazil: Workers' Party
o Canada: Liberal Party of Canada
o Finland: Social Democratic Party of Finland
o Germany: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic party of Germany) and Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (Party of Democratic Socialism)
o Malta: Malta Labour Party
o The Netherlands: Partij van de Arbeid (Social Democratic party), Socialistische Partij (Socialist Party)
o Portugal: Portuguese Communist Party (and the Unitarian Democratic Coalition, of which the PCP is part of)
o Sweden: Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Left Party (Sweden)
o United Kingdom: Labour Party
o United States: Republican Party, since the 2000 presidential election, when contrasted with blue representing Democrats.
- Red is one of the Christmas colors, with green, white, or both.
- Red, along with yellow and orange, is thought to provoke hunger, hence its use in logos by food vendors.
- In the history of Japan red is the color of military flags used by the Heike (or Taira) clan and of the Genji (or Minamoto) clan, two clans that struggled for power at the close of the Heian era, in the late 12th century.
- Red is the color claimed by the street gangs Bloods and Norteños.
- Red is the word for a fish of the genus Myripristis in Tobian.
- Red is an album by progressive rock band King Crimson.
- Red is the color of the lowest-value balls in snooker. There are 15 at the beginning of a game, each worth 1 point.
- Red Indians is a British term for Native Americans.
- Red and black are colors associated with Satanism (the life force, excitement, arousal etc, sustained by ruthless self interest and idolatrous materialism, represented in "darkness") and were also the colors of the Nazi party, and are sometimes claimed by neo-Nazis or sympathizers.
- Red is the color commonly associated with the British Army (e.g., Redcoats) and is also used to describe someone of British nationality.
- Red is the color often used for the Roman, British and Soviet Empires.
- Red is the color used for critical or important systems (such as emergency lighting) that operate in low-light or night-time conditions, as rod cells in the human eye do not respond to it and therefore does not interfere in the eye's ability to focus in dim environments.
- A red filter used in black and white photography increases contrast in most scenes. For example, combined with a polarizer, it can turn the sky black. Films simulating the effects of infrared film (such as Ilford's SFX 200) do so by being much more sensitive to red than to other colors.
- Oxygenated blood is red due to the presence of oxygenated hemoglobin. Red light is the first to be absorbed by sea water, so that many fish and marine invertebrates that appear bright red are black in their native habitat.
- Red is the color of the coat of arm of Ħamrun, Malta.
- In the Finnish Army, red is the color of artillery. Black symbols on a red field signify field artillery, white symbols signify anti-aircraft artillery.
- In Finland, bright red is the "color of technology". It is seen in TKY regalia; also, the student union of chemical engineering has bright red as its distinctive color. Its use is traditional, tracing its history back into the 19th century. It probably originated from the red insignia identifying artillery.
- Red is the national colour of Wales