It is bizarre that for so many of the modern day cultural issues we have, there is extensive relevant academic work that we could leverage, but if you look around you at various discussions and goings on, it's as if these resources do not exist. I always wonder the degree to which this is organic.
I'd argue this is because those cultural issues aren't academic. The topics themselves may be studied to smaller or larger degree, and as you note, there's a wealth of relevant, universally applicable knowledge - but this doesn't matter for cultural issues, as the "issues" part here means this is a fight. The people driving the conversation are trying to win something - like political power for their group, or self-esteem for themselves. Being considerate and reasonable in fighting such fight is, unfortunately, a hindrance.
I absolutely agree, my point is I do not know of a single human being on this planet proposing that semiotics and various other academic disciplines within philosophy are relevant and or useful here, I haven't come across anything and I look for these things on the regular. From a systems analysis perspective, it seems to me this is where THE problem is.
If this is actually true, I think it would be absolutely hilarious if this is what took humanity down, I can't think of a more deserving species.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Babel
It is bizarre that for so many of the modern day cultural issues we have, there is extensive relevant academic work that we could leverage, but if you look around you at various discussions and goings on, it's as if these resources do not exist. I always wonder the degree to which this is organic.