We are weak.

Being too lazy and stubborn to trouble ourselves with comprehending new ideas and people, we require symbols, the ultimate shortcut.

This means this. End of story.

You don’t have to spend time getting to know a person. The most base part of you and your peers permits you to pass judgement on all other beings within minutes, if not blinks, of meeting someone.

See his rags and his whiskey? They mean he is lazy. End of Story.

See her halter and her skirt? They mean she is a whore. The End.

See my robes and my cross? They mean I am a man of God. Follow me.