Currency Signs Replacing Similar Letters
The dollar sign ($) can be inserted in the place of the letter "S", the euro sign (€) in place of "E", the yen (¥) sign in place of "Y", the won (₩) sign in place of "W", or the pound (£) sign in place of "L" to indicate plutocracy, greed, corruption, or the perceived immoral, unethical, or pathological accumulation of money. For example:
- Bu$h (George W. Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush, or any member of the Bush family),
- E$$o / €$$o (Esso or Exxon Mobil): used by the UK-based Stop Esso campaign encouraging people to boycott Esso, in protest against Esso's opposition to the Kyoto Protocol
- "Green Chri$tma$", a song by Stan Freberg, satirizing over-commercialization of Christmas
- Micro$oft, M$, M$FT (Microsoft): used to emphasize the allegation that Microsoft has business practices that focus on making money rather than producing good products or looking after the end user's needs and interests. Microsoft was found to have violated United States anti-trust law by taking unfair advantage of its monopoly position by giving Internet Explorer away for free to anyone who purchased a Windows or Macintosh computer and pre-installing it on Windows computers so that you can use the internet right out of the box. See also: Criticism of Microsoft. A relevant misspelling is had in Microsoft's founder's name, Bill Gate$, and another relevant misspelling in the current CEO's name, $teve Ba££mer.
- App£e, (Apple Inc.): used in a similar way as Micro$oft, but with the Apple company. Relates to the allegation that the company charges high prices for their products. Also criticized for taking advantage of loyal customers and upgrading products annually for an expensive price. Similarly, $teve Job$ is used for the company's former chief executive just like "Bill Gate$" is used for Microsoft's former chief executive. See also Criticism of Apple Inc. for a full list.
- Co$, or $cientology (Church of Scientology): used by opponents to the Church of Scientology to imply that the religion is founded solely on financial rather than spiritual motives.
- Ru$$ia (Russia): used in reference to perceived corruption in the country.
- Uncle $am (Uncle Sam)
- United $tates, United $tate$, U$, U$A (United States).
- Wa$hington (Washington).
- kla$$ (class) used to draw attention to the belief that American citizens are widely and unfairly ranked solely on terms of their material wealth
- Lar$ Used by critics of Lars Ulrich after he and Metallica sued and ultimately closed down Napster.
- Orac£e (Oracle Corporation): Used by critics of Oracle Corporation after they acquired Sun Microsystems and their habit of being a patent troll (used in a similar way as M$ and App£e). "£arry €££i$on" is also used to insult Oracle Corporation in a similar way as "Bill Gate$".
- ￦indo￦$ (Microsoft Windows): used for critics of Microsoft Windows in a similar way as Micro$oft (see also Criticism of Microsoft Windows).
- G$$gle
- $ocialism (Socialism): Critics have pointed out that the idea of socialism has been exploited for profit, by politicians, corporations and artists. In particular as a criticism of Michael Moore.
- $on¥
- Ke$ha: Pop music artist.
A recent related usage is replacing "E" with the Euro sign ("€") as in "I€€€" (used by critics of the copyright policy of the IEEE), "€$$O", "€urope", and "€C" (used by critics of the European Commission who accuse it of involvement in bribery and corruption).
Read more about this topic: Satiric Misspelling
Famous quotes containing the words currency, signs, replacing, similar and/or letters:
“It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic, and sub-atomic, and galactic
structure of things today. And you have meddled with the primal forces of nature! And you will atone! Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale?”
—Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981)
“Wherever I look, I see signs of the commandment to honor one’s parents and nowhere of a commandment that calls for the respect of a child.”
—Alice Miller (20th century)
“I do not mean to imply that the good old days were perfect. But the institutions and structure—the web—of society needed reform, not demolition. To have cut the institutional and community strands without replacing them with new ones proved to be a form of abuse to one generation and to the next. For so many Americans, the tragedy was not in dreaming that life could be better; the tragedy was that the dreaming ended.”
—Richard Louv (20th century)
“The history of all Magazines shows plainly that those which have attained celebrity were indebted for it to articles similar in natureto Berenice—although, I grant you, far superior in style and execution. I say similar in nature. You ask me in what does this nature consist? In the ludicrous heightened into the grotesque: the fearful coloured into the horrible: the witty exaggerated into the burlesque: the singular wrought out into the strange and mystical.”
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
“It is hard to believe that England is so near as from your letters it appears; and that this identical piece of paper has lately come all the way from there hither, begrimed with the English dust which made you hesitate to use it; from England, which is only historical fairyland to me, to America, which I have put my spade into, and about which there is no doubt.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)