[Mo3]

> But that would imply that e.g. the weird S[2] everyone draw at school was a different symbol every time.

I'm not sure, this symbol is not known in Germany or at least has not been when I went to school there, but if the general context, meaning or reference of all of these S symbols is the same, and no matter the exact visual representation the intent behind it was the same, then yes. It's probably the same symbol, but again I'm not an expert on symbols.

> Does it? The German Bundeswehr still uses the Iron Cross. It's the same symbol, it has the same name, the same origin. But doesn't the meaning differ, whether you see it on a German tank now or on a tank of the Imperial Army in WW1 or the neck of a german officer in WW2?

Yes, the intent behind displaying the symbol is different. I believe it could be regarded as a new iteration of this symbol.

[schroeding]

Ok, fair enough, then we just have different definitons of symbols, and there apparently is no hard definition. :D

> I'm not sure, this symbol is not known in Germany or at least has not been when I went to school there

Interesting, it was when I went to school! Maybe it's not as universal as the internet thinks it is. But the meaning surely was different, in my class it was used by the class clown as a personal symbol of approval :D

[gommm]

I don't remember seeing it at school in Germany in the 90s either. Curious if it's something that came later.