Author Topic: Symbolism gone wrong (Read 4175 times)

Hariti · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2019, 04:18:41 am »

Quote from: EnderDragonFire on March 07, 2019, 03:01:38 am

Real life has been kicking my ass lately. Don't have time to dig up sources; feel free to take what I say about Hindus and Jains getting harassed with a pinch of salt. Will look for sources when I'm less distracted by shit.

Darkhawk · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2019, 11:08:06 am »

Quote from: EnderDragonFire on March 07, 2019, 02:53:50 am

(I really hate Nazis, and the way they abused Indian culture offends everything I value - I always have to be careful how I express myself because some of the Nazis dabbled in -and bastardized- eastern religious ideas. I imagine some protestants feel the same way about the KKK and the cross.)

When I was looking up (for my own curiosity) some of the things the Brahmin I follow on the tweeters has said about the swastika in Hindu usage, I came across one tweet that really stuck with me, where he commented that he really wishes that people would call the Nazi thing the hakkencreuz - the actual word the Nazis used for it.

Because not only has the symbol been stolen the indigenous word has been taken too.

Hariti · « **Reply #17 on:** March 08, 2019, 11:45:30 am »

Quote from: Darkhawk on March 08, 2019, 11:08:06 am

he really wishes that people would call the Nazi thing the hakkencreuz - the actual word the Nazis used for it.

I could get behind that sentiment, especially since the word Swastika doesn't just refer to the actual pictoral symbol, but also the concept that symbol represents; it's also a somewhat common given name in parts of India, and nobody need their name associated with acts of genocide they didn't commit.

Eastling · « **Reply #18 on:** March 08, 2019, 06:12:06 pm »

Quote from: Darkhawk on March 08, 2019, 11:08:06 am

When I was looking up (for my own curiosity) some of the things the Brahmin I follow on the tweeters has said about the swastika in Hindu usage, I came across one tweet that really stuck with me, where he commented that he really wishes that people would call the Nazi thing the hakkencreuz - the actual word the Nazis used for it.

Because not only has the symbol been stolen the indigenous word has been taken too.

This seems like a good start when it comes to distinguishing the personal religious practices of some Eastern faiths from harbingers of hate crimes.

I'd also point out that if you're not Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain and still find value in the swastika design, you're not completely out of luck either. The symbol's history in Europe is complex, and it has a number of variant designs that can be tweaked such that they carry a similar "radiating solar image" symbolism but do not immediately evoke the Nazi hakkencreuz. For instance, I created this symbol on those principles.

Zlote Jablko · « **Reply #19 on:** March 09, 2019, 11:16:36 pm »

Quote from: Eastling on March 08, 2019, 06:12:06 pm

This seems like a good start when it comes to distinguishing the personal religious practices of some Eastern faiths from harbingers of hate crimes.

I'd also point out that if you're not Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain and still find value in the swastika design, you're not completely out of luck either. The symbol's history in Europe is complex, and it has a number of variant designs that can be tweaked such that they carry a similar "radiating solar image" symbolism but do not immediately evoke the Nazi hakkencreuz. For instance, I created this symbol on those principles.

Yeah, some Eastern European wheel symbols are distinguishable from the swastika of popular culture. The Slavic kolovrat (below) and the Baltic ugunskrust for example. I’ve still seen people react with confusion to them though.

https://goo.gl/images/MWRb2P