The Swastika

CForrester

<div class="IPBDescription">We let 4 years of war destroy it...</div> As the topic says... How could we let 4 years of war destroy many, many more years of culture?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, <a href='http://www.manwoman.net/swastika/swastika.html' target='_blank'>click here</a>.

These days, if someone sees a swastika they immediately think... "OMG NAZI DESTROY DESTROY U R EVAL!" I <i>hate</i> this. How could we let this happen?

(Just a quick note: If someone intends to bring religion in to this discussion, <b>don't</b>. If someone intends to say "That's bull****", and never come back again, <b>don't</b>.)

CommunistWithAGun

Swastika is actually a religious symbol of Indian cultures. (Indian from India...not native americans)


It also represents 4 disciples I believe...

Nemesis_Zero

Bluntly put, the blood of 22 million people can change the meaning of a symbol quite a little.

Yes, the swastika is part of many a cultures heritage. But the Third Reich created a more recent, by far deeper and darker meaning than the germanic sun rune it used to be was. Thus, it was replaced. I can honestly not really be sad about this in my opinion smallest loss generated by Hitler.

Jammer

My thoughts EXACTLY nem.

Quick, take a picture! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

EDIT
On that same note, why are people still found of the much bloodier hammer and sickle?

Nemesis_Zero

Because the memory of Hammer and Sickle isn't as completely bleak as the Swastikas: The Swastikas former meanings had little actual cultural significance anymore, whereas we still remember the ideals Hammer and Sickle stood for.

Renegade

<!--QuoteBegin--Nemesis Zero+Sep 9 2003, 09:32 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Nemesis Zero @ Sep 9 2003, 09:32 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Because the memory of Hammer and Sickle isn't as completely bleak as the Swastikas: The Swastikas former meanings had little actual cultural significance anymore, whereas we still remember the ideals Hammer and Sickle stood for. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Hammer and Sickle was the symbol of the Soviet Union and of the working class, which their system of government revolved largely around. Yet not everyone recognizes the symbol when they see it, which is suprising because the Cold War is such a significant influence in American national defense policy today. Yet whenever someone sees the Swastika they automatically know who it belongs to, even though the Nazi's were only a factor of threat for 5 or so years. Interesting isn't it.

DocterJ

<!--QuoteBegin--CommunistWithAGun+Sep 9 2003, 10:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CommunistWithAGun @ Sep 9 2003, 10:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Swastika is actually a religious symbol of Indian cultures. (Indian from India...not native americans)


It also represents 4 disciples I believe... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Its more of a Buddhist symbol. The swastika is actually a tilted version of the buddhist one.

torque

The swastika is also a symbol you see pretty often in my heritage (Japanese & Korean), though I haven't a clue what it stands for. Anyway, I see it all the time when I'm shopping in Japanese towns.

Marine0I

I was going to jump up and down and call you evil for a moment there forrester, but then I saw that badger and my heart just melted <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

Nem said it all.

CForrester

Pheer the badger. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

However, I still don't see how the war could destroy so many years of culture. It's not JUST a religious symbol, either. I draw swastikas all over my notebooks and stuff as a sort of symbol of good luck. Just because of one evil man, we can throw away so much history? I don't think so, and I'm glad that it hasn't happened in many other countries.

Heh, I even saw a swastika in Final Fantasy XI. If you go in the entrance to the airship docks in San d'Oria, their symbol is a swastika. Not a traditional one by any means, but it's still a swastika.

RyoOhki

The fall of Nazism was only almost 60 years ago. It's not enough time for the symbol to lose the reputation it gained during the 20th century. Give mankind another 100 or so years and the swastika will probably be seen as a religious symbol again. Much as I hate it, mankind forgets his past quite easily.

Ekaj

I was walking down the street the other day and was a little bit surprised to see one on the main doors to a local Buddhist temple (I live in Toronto, Canada). I guess it really isn’t seen by non-western cultures as having much to do with the Nazis at all.