[Gocamino] The new "Xacobean" symbol

[Kathy Gower]

I'm here, Rosina, and have already registered my disproval on Santiago-Today 
AND at

http://www.elcorreogallego.es/index.php?idNoticia=48732

(anyone can add to the comments there...)

I'm ready to collect comments to send on...if you think it'll help...but do 
comment on the above url as well....

It hurts to see the Camino and the symbolic, humble yellow arrows so 
trivialized and lampooned.


From: Blaroli at aol.com
To: GoCamino at oakapple.net, saintjames at yahoogroups.com
CC: jdufour at videotron.ca
Subject: [Gocamino] The new "Xacobean" symbol
Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2006 16:39:15 EDT

Dear Patricia, Glen, Paul et. al,
For one, I couldn't agree with you more.
At Mass today I showed the new symbol  to a few New York pilgrims and their
reaction went from howls of laughter to outrage.  To me, it looks weird and
silly and it reeks of insensitivity:
What about bicycle and rider pilgrims?
Why two male right feet and only one female foot, and a left one, at that.
Why only the colors of the European flag?  What about the thousands and
thousands of us who go to the Camino from other continents at a huge 
additional
expenditure of money and time to do it?
What about pilgrims on crutches, wheelchairs, etc.?

Maybe I'm too much of a New Yorker suffused with ADA and Title VII
considerations....... but even discounting such regional considerations, the 
purpose of
painting the bottom of toes is totally incomprehensible to me.
That  Msgr. Barrio, the Archbishop has stated his liking of the thing might
be explained by the fact that he is (very) computer-shy and may believe the
statements by the creators and approvers of the thing  that "visual 
affective
dependency" has become paramount in means of communication.  According to 
the
designer of the symbol, the figure represents "the basic elements of visual
communication while referring to the situational objective"   ??????

I've been thinking of collecting comments from us and sending them to Sr.
Fernando Blanco who was in charge of the project, to the Xunta and to the
Archdiocese..  If the comments could be sent under the rubric of, let's say, 
the
"American Pilgrims on the Camino" in the USA   (KAT, where are you?) and the 
Saint
James Confraternity in the UK they may carry some weight.

What do you all think?

Rosina
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