yang

the masculine principle

This word is familiar to most Americans as one half of yin-yang, the famous symbol of spiritual balance.

If yin is female, yang is male. But there's actually much more to it than that. Yang also represents the active and positive forces in the universe. It's the source of light and heat.

However, it's the gendered aspect of yang that interests me. One can't help but wonder if this is the root derivation of that slangy redneck term for the male generative organs: the yang-yang.

I even drew a picture of this once, kind of like the yin-yang, but all the same color. Homogenous. Kinda like the suburbs where I grew up. In fact, the yang-yang could be a symbol of homogeniety, of anti-diversity. I think Greenwood, Indiana, should adopt it for their town seal.