lacansmirror, 9/14

De Saussure's theory of signifier and signified brought up a lot of interesting ideas and great examples in class.  Thinking about these two ideas in different context or using different texts to describe them was fun.  The gas station examples from the PowerPoint incorporated linguistics of their time with certain semiotics that created meaning for those using the company.  However, when our class viewed the old signs, we pulled out other meanings behind the signs. Interestingly, without living where the gas stations were located, understanding the marketing context was vague. 
De Saussure said "without language, thought is a vague, uncharted nebula" (5).  I believe the thoughts we had were very vague because we didn't have the language of the location to understand the brand.  The idea that ideology travels through media texts is very true in these examples.  Without understanding the language, the ideology is almost irrelevant or misrepresented.  When the context of a message is clear, and both the linguistics and semiotics are provided, the media text can then be understood.  A case of a misrepresented sign that we used in class was for BP.  Originally, their logo used the colors green and yellow to portray healthy and environmental consciousness. 

A lot of drivers viewed them as a greener option, even though the gas was the same.  When the BP oil spill occurred, the logo's meaning was the opposite.  Even today people think of the oil spill before thinking about a gas station.  There are even jokes that the BP stand for "be prepared".  In many cases, mistakes, misconceptions or disasters can ruin a brand identity.  Most of the time, the brands message is just misunderstood by a new audience as seen in the older gas station signs.  Often times, the brand slogans and linguistics get lost over generations.  The signifier is often the only segment left.  Just like in a game of telephone, over time the message can get changed or completely altered.  However, to truly understand a message, both the linguistics and semiotics must be apparent.