It's important to remember that symbols, gestures, signs (etc) do not have intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. Humans give them meaning, and the same symbols/signs/gestures can have radically different meanings in different cultures, or even in different contexts.
Here are some examples of what I mean:
We're probably all very familiar with this symbol,
And because of its usage by the Nazis and everything they stood for, and we have an aversion to it--and rightly so. But also there's this,
The swastika has an ancient use and meaning in India, among Hindus and Jains. For them it is a positive symbol, it was hijacked by the Nazis and that's why we have negative connotations about it.
Here's another:
You probably see this upside-down cross and think that it's a satanic symbol. In fact it's not, this is a Christian symbol, it's the cross of St. Peter.
But isn't this the antichrist symbol?