Damn you, Literary Theory.

An idea hit me a few months back and I was hoping for some feedback, despite it being the product of too much literary theory studying:

I wonder if anyone has ever written a paper on the potential metaphoric meaning behind 'rock, paper, scissors.' As I dallied across the internet the other day, I spied a picture of a chalk board that questioned why paper always beats rock (it was supposed to be a joke, but I took it way too seriously)--what's it supposed to do, wrap itself around the rock and hope it wins?

The first thing that popped into my head was: "Don't be so literal." Perhaps my literary theory class is going to my head, but:

If you were going to think about this game symbolically, why not make this game one of war? After all, whoever wins the game usually wins a prize, and what is more of a prize than land, treasure, political power, ect?  So, as I lay in bed pondering the damage my lit theory class has done to my thought process, I wrote out the symbolism of this age old game.

Rock, obviously, would stand for sheer power or physical force. This could mean a military--army, navy, air force, what have you. Rock is normally viewed as a material of nature that seems impenetrable (time and weathering aside). When I think of rock, I think of castles, strongholds, and the men behind the rock--the fighting force.

Paper then, would stand for knowledge. The weight of words and the power in language is immense. It can do so much more damage than physical force. Words can inspire people, give them ideas, hope, the courage to stand up and do what is necessary whether for good or bad. Words can also bring down reputations, destroy paradigms. Bliss should not be found in ignorance, but in the knowledge handed down or discovered by others.

Scissors represents the control the powerful have over those words. I consider China's restriction on their internet, USA's WW2 propaganda, or Russia's 'Pravda.' One hopes that truth will out, but this is not always the case.

In essence, Rock beats scissors (armies can take down deceitful regimes), scissors beats paper (powerful governmental figures can control the output of certain knowledge), and paper beats rock (words, even those unaccepted by their government, can hold more power over armies; the right words in the hands of the people can inspire a coup).

Anyway, let me know what you think. I wonder when this 'game' originated.
Of course, to write a paper you'd have to think of several good (and consistent) examples, explore more into the history of each section, ect. But still, make for a fun one, I think.