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Let me preface this email by saying that it is not my intent to flame anyone or start a war, this is simply MY opinion. Now that I have probably put people on the defensive, let's move on.
I often hear people say that their handsigns are "very important" to their history, purpose, etc., and while I can think of an instance or two where that might be the case (example follows), most of the time it just seems like "the cool thing to do".
I can see a handsign being important for secrecy reason. Let's say your organization was formed out of secrecy and solidarity, where your very existance was hidden for very real and practical reasons (cultural issues, prohibition, etc.). You might had a handsign that is "hidden in plain site" where if someone was standing in a crowd and they used it, you could pick them out, and know that that person was "one of yours".
In which case, the handsign would be very secret, never used where people could "catch" on (i.e., not in a group photo where everyone was doing it).
I have heard of soldiers doing handsigns in photos/videos to show that they are being held against their will, or to send some sort of message to those viewing it.
Outside of those types of situations, in my opinion, a handsign simply becomes an accessory. Not saying that accessories are bad, but it then loses any sense of a "reason" to do it other than for the sake of "doing it". If you are doing it just because it's "cool" or "cute", then admit that it's the case. If it's truly for "secrecy" or ritual reasons, I would think a member would want to protect and respect it, and therefore not "flashing" it everywhere.
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