It’s Time to Abolish The OW Hand Gesture
December 3, 2021
As winter sports approach and students begin to attend events and join in on cheers and chants, it is time to discuss the OW symbol that is popular amongst the Olathe West student body. Whether they know it or not, the symbol is also commonly associated with Proud Boys and far right organizations.
The symbol originally appeared on an unrestricted online message board as an “OK” hand sign that also represented “WP” for white power.
“Some users of 4chan began what they called ‘Operation O-KKK,’ to see if they could trick the wider world — and especially liberals and the mainstream media — into believing that the innocuous gesture was actually a clandestine symbol of white power,” said The New York Times article, When the OK Sign Is No Longer OK.
What started as a heinous joke slowly turned into a symbol of hate and was officially added to the Anti-Defamation League’s “Hate on Display,” a catalogue of hate symbols, in Sept. 2019.
“Segal said that while many of those images were misconstrued by users on the online message boards, the number of people espousing hate while using the gesture has grown so widespread that it can no longer be considered a prank,” said NPR article, The ‘OK’ Hand Gesture Is Now Listed As A Symbol Of Hate
When Olathe West first opened in 2017 they chose their colors, their mascot, but other school traditions were adopted by the community as the school began to open. The OW hand symbol has been displayed by students, faculty, and fans at various events since the opening. At the time, the hand symbol was not prevalent yet, so the OW hand symbol was purely a sign of school spirit. However now that the symbol is a sign of hate, it might not be such an innocent act anymore.
While most who wave the OW hand symbol at games and events can plead ignorance, some people might hide behind the hand gesture for more intolerant motives. Similar to the “Let’s go Brandon” fad of 2021 where far right conservatives display the saying with the deeper meaning of the disdain of President Joe Biden, the OW hand symbol could be displayed by conservative students and faculty for an act of hate disguised as school pride.
“Context is always key,” Segal said. “More people than not will use the OK symbol as just ‘OK.’ But in those cases where there’s more underlying meaning,” said NPR.
While some may argue that the hand gesture is clearly OW and not a white supremicist symbol, you have to ask yourself, do you even want to be adjacent to something that is such a vile sign of hatred and discrminaton? As a school, Olathe West can do better and it would be a manageable switch to adopt a new hand gesture to represent our school spirit. Here are a few simple alternatives that could be implemented in schools instead.
Trenton S. • Dec 4, 2021 at 1:16 pm
It’s nice to see the owl post slowly turning liberal…I know this is someone’s opinion but that original topic came from a unrestricted chat room… where people say stuff and it’s their opinion. The OW hand sign came after the OK hand sign.. just because a unrestricted chat group says that the OK/OW hand sign is racist and stands for “White Power” doesn’t mean it’s racist. Olathe west was founded in 2017 WAY before the crapshow from antifa and BLM during the end of Trumps presidency. Anyways this is all someone’s opinion so.. THATS MINE.
Riley K • Dec 7, 2021 at 9:12 am
Hi! I was on the Owl Post for three years and opinion articles are written entirely to represent the specific writer. The entire publication doesn’t necessarily agree, it’s all stated and backed by Emily herself- so the Post isn’t liberal, but Emily might be. Also, I believe she is aware that these hand symbols come from a non-violent place, but, as she said, the meanings of the hand symbol could now be skewed, regardless of when West was founded. It might not be racist to you, but it could very well be for others. The people in the photos provided are obviously using it as a political statement, for example. I also have strong opinions on this topic, but I think we should read and consider the full arguments on both sides before making assumptions.
Kendyl Anderson • Dec 3, 2021 at 7:44 pm
It’s nice to see someone finally realize something I’ve always noticed. I’m glad you wrote about this despite the lash back it bought
Mireya McInnis • Dec 3, 2021 at 7:19 pm
I’m a writer for the Eyrie at Olathe south and I just wanted to let you know that I don’t care what other people say, this is a very very well written piece that you should be proud of it!