Yeah, to me the headline is just completely wrong and misleading. None of this has anything to do with semiotics. I was expecting the exact same thing as you -

Yeah, to me the headline is just completely wrong and misleading. None of this has anything to do with semiotics. I was expecting the exact same thing as you -- semiotics would be about what does seeing barbed wire in specific spaces/contexts mean to different groups of people? What are its associations with prisons, compounds, neighborhoods, safety, security, the state, private security, militarization, crime, farming, cattle, trespassing, the American West, freedom to roam, and so forth? When you see barbed wire, does it make you feel safe or nervous or scared? How does that change if it's in a residential neighborhood vs. around a military base? Your experience in South Africa is a perfect example -- thanks for sharing.