Live data from Hacker News

Swastikas and context

stepto.com

1–10 of 38 posts

Re: Swastikas and context

#2
I don't know, the article seemed so badly reasoned from my perspective - a very narrow Western view. In my country (and in my religion) the Swastika is seen everywhere and it is no way used in relation to the Nazis at all. Ironically, the fact that it is such a hated symbol, I learned from the Internet. Maybe he's being reasonable because the target audience is indeed Western. Hmm. But from my seat, I find this really lame.

Re: Swastikas and context

#3
To be fair, Swastika is considered very auspicious by Hindus.

Here in India, you'll see Swastikas everywhere. Till I grew up and read about Nazis, I never even knew that there was anything negative about the symbol. It's just a symmetric symbol and I don't see any reason for blocking that symbol.

The author might not agree with the political views of the Nazis but that is frankly not a reason to ban a symbol. To use the author's words, no one in the educated world would consider the Swastika as a purely Nazi symbol. Then, why block it for people who have other sentiments attached?

PS: Personally, I don't have any affinity to the swastika or any other symbol. My point is that its just a symmetric shape. Some people have positive feelings, some have negative, others have none at all. As a service provider, your duty is to cater to consumers without letting your personal preference mix.

Re: Swastikas and context

#4
I am amused by his attempt to correct his info on the history but continuous to be belligerent. Note the symbol in question was the most pervasive religious symbol ever before it was adopted by a political party. If you beleve the cross was adapted from it then all the more respect. Of you remove one religious symbol than ban them all. I dot want to waste my time with this kind of thing but don't make it into am popularity contest. This should be about the game not ego.

PS thismis ome of the first web sites in months I could not read on my web pad due to bugs. What do you guys think this reveled?

Re: Swastikas and context

#5

I don't know, the article seemed so badly reasoned from my perspective - a very narrow Western view. In my country (and in my religion) the Swastika is seen everywhere and it is no way used in relation to the Nazis at all. Ironically, the fact that it is such a hated symbol, I learned from the Internet. Maybe he's being reasonable because the target audience is indeed Western. Hmm. But from my seat, I find this reall…

Right - In India and in many parts of Asia the symbol is considered as a positive, being used for religious adornment, political parties and product advertising. It's a great piece of graphic art and it's a real pity the Nazis screwed it up with bad associations for the western world. Most Americans aren't aware of the Symbol being used in other contexts (my wife expressed surprise when she saw it on a Balinese temple earlier this year). Perhaps as the USA becomes more multi-cultural the symbol can get rehabilitated.

Re: Swastikas and context

#6

I don't know, the article seemed so badly reasoned from my perspective - a very narrow Western view. In my country (and in my religion) the Swastika is seen everywhere and it is no way used in relation to the Nazis at all. Ironically, the fact that it is such a hated symbol, I learned from the Internet. Maybe he's being reasonable because the target audience is indeed Western. Hmm. But from my seat, I find this reall…

He really should have put the TL;DR at the top. He could have worded the entire piece as "You may think our policy is capricious and arbitrary but the internet is filled with a lot of jerks. We hope to be consistent in our rulings; you'll just have to deal with it, as we don't want to spend our time dealing with lame issues. And this is a lame issue."

Re: Swastikas and context

#7
It’s not political correctness, it’s fundamental respect.

I think that's the battle cry of all those who enforce PC behavior.

UH OH! OUT COMES THE INTERNET PUNDITS! ... Most of them are just contrarians. They would never dare to wear a swastika openly, but they love to argue about how the world has "misunderstood" this symbol.

The way I read this is as a criticism of people who do not hold a particular belief, but are defending the rights of others who do hold it. This seems completely contrary to the ideal attitude of "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

Re: Swastikas and context

#9
post #6

I don't know, the article seemed so badly reasoned from my perspective - a very narrow Western view. In my country (and in my religion) the Swastika is seen everywhere and it is no way used in relation to the Nazis at all. Ironically, the fact that it is such a hated symbol, I learned from the Internet. Maybe he's being reasonable because the target audience is indeed Western. Hmm. But from my seat, I find this reall…

He really should have put the TL;DR at the top. He could have worded the entire piece as "You may think our policy is capricious and arbitrary but the internet is filled with a lot of jerks. We hope to be consistent in our rulings; you'll just have to deal with it, as we don't want to spend our time dealing with lame issues. And this is a lame issue."

What is the point of putting the tl;dr at the bottom, or the middle, or anywhere but the very top?

Re: Swastikas and context

#10

To be fair, Swastika is considered very auspicious by Hindus. Here in India, you'll see Swastikas everywhere. Till I grew up and read about Nazis, I never even knew that there was anything negative about the symbol. It's just a symmetric symbol and I don't see any reason for blocking that symbol. The author might not agree with the political views of the Nazis but that is frankly not a reason to ban a symbol. To use…

When I was a kid, I came up with a swastika design all by myself. At maybe 6 or 7 years of age. I knew nothing about WW2, and had had no exposure to it in any form.

I carved it on a block of wood because I liked the shape of it. My father saw it and sat me down and told me that it was a symbol that had come to represent an awful lot of Bad Shit(TM).

It is a symbol that you simply can't disassociate from the context it is known for. In India, that context may be different. In the western world, it is not.

Post reply on HN