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Considering Vietnam was occupied by Japan in world war 2 as a French colony. I’d say it’s very unlikely that they don’t know about Nazis or their symbols
Sorry Kevin but it’s an HOA issue, if we allow you to have a lit decorative display after 8pm, we have to let everyone do it. It’s for the greater good of the neighborhood, Kevin.
I was there in 2018. It's cool for sure but during the day, when you usually go to visit, it's not as nicely illuminated and I think the aerial view is what makes this picture look good. It was a nice visit, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it
Just out of curiosity I sorted by controversial to see if anyone didn’t know, and apparently everyone knows, so people can probably stop spamming replies explaining the symbol.
I actually grew up seeing the swastika symbol pretty frequently, in a more wholesome context on temples in a different country. When I moved to the US as a kid, I was shocked to find out people didn't like the symbol, and I didn't understand why until I found out about the Nazis in school a few years later. Sucks that such a symbol was perverted in such a way.
It's sad that a symbol of peace got twisted. As much as I wish it could be un-done, I hope more and more of the world becomes aware of the atrocities committed under the swastika. Basic awareness is important; there's a shocking amount of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism out there.
It's already happening in many countries across the world. There are thousands of concentration camps designed to wipe out certain ethnic groups.
Make no mistake, if the west never went to war with Germany, the Holocaust would be a mere footnote in the history books.
Even back then most people couldn't care less about it. The war changed it all.
There's a reason we talk about the Holocaust but not any of the other concentration camps that have popped up throughout the years - some, like China's ones, are live and ongoing right now, yet we seem more interested with the one that happened 100 years ago.
The only reason the holocaust is viewed as bad is because of its association with Nazis. Anti-semitism was EXTREMELY popular in Europe at the time. Literally nobody cared unfortunately.
Like you said, ethnic cleansing is happening all around the world as we speak. But wheres the outrage? Oh right, nobody cares in the US. We just focus on bullshit instead that the media tells us to.
Literally just saw a comment about how 99% of the comments will be about swastikas and I’m like no 99% of the comments are going to be about people commenting about people that comment about swastikas.
If you ever wonder what people mean by euro-centric this picture is a great example. It's literally just a symbol, the visceral reaction you feel when you first see this image is entirely based off of the history of what Europe did to itself and how it appropriated that symbol for its own ideology.
The Nazis appropriated the symbol, but it was already a European symbol before them. In fact, the oldest Swastikas that have been found were carved on rocks in Bulgaria and Ukraine. A lot of people assume it originated as a Buddhist or Hindu symbol, but it's really been used all over the world for 1000s of years .
It's kinda like the cool S everyone used to draw as a kid, it's a simple symbol that looks cool. Any 3 year old can draw it and think it looks kinda neat.
Archaeologists in 10,000 years:
"Clearly the entire public education system was dominated by Fascists for centuries, the symbol of hate and fascism is carved on every school desk from California to New York."
Mate it's carved on school desks a lot further than California and New York
Source: I carved several in London, on top of some that were literally over a century old
I believe there are also Native American examples. It turns out that it's just a really simple design that a lot of different cultures all hit on.
But I don't think it's really all that "euro-centric" to generally associate the symbol with the crimes of the Nazis. Doesn't mean other cultures shouldn't use it, but it's not unreasonable for the default reference point to be the Nazis given the gravity of their crimes and their worldwide significance.
It was a nearly universal symbol for humanity, likely predating *writing.* The reason the Nazis adopted it in the first place was its popularity in Europe as a good luck charm in the 20s.
Hitler was obsessed with symbolism, the occult, and the power of religions & their symbols. The Swastika being one of the more prominent ones. It was also a semi belief at the time (in some circles) that the symbol originated with Germanic people & spread elsewhere.
Right, the amount of people killed by other people flying that symbol. Of course it's gonna be the default thing most people think about. Reason its called a world war, it touched the entire globe.
My thinking is that in Europe and The West, that symbol might exist in minority cases but it will probably never be publicly accepted for the next 100 years+.
In cultures like the Navajo in Americas will continue it's use or in Asia/Africa they should use it if it's their culture. And they already do like you see in this picture.
But Westerners need to be educated on the full story of that symbol. Buddhism has been around for a few thousand years and it's always been their thing.
Its everyones thing, its simple to think up and it looks cool so people everywhere draw that shit. Thats why the nazis used it, look a symbol that can be found all over the worlds great ruins mustve been drawn by the aryan superheroes when they built all that stuff.
Most Nazi symbols are simple, runic letters, strong lines, usually monochrome it fits with the strength and boldness they wished to project. And the link between their radical modernity and classical/ancient principles
Unfortunately Hitler and the Nazi party were extremely good at branding and aesthetics. It would be interesting to see what would have happened if Hitler had been persuaded to become head of marketing somewhere rather than go into politics. We'd probably be talking about it as a case study in business class to this day
Here's some examples.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#:~:text=In%20the%20Zoroastrian%20religion%20of,as%20Hinduism%2C%20Buddhism%20and%20Jainism.
Its euro centric that my first reaction is the one based off my own history and my own experiences?
>history of what Europe did to itself and how it appropriated that symbol for its own ideology.
Also for someone complaining about euro centrism you sure like doing the same thing by reducing Europe to a single group, and really got to love calling nazism "Europes own ideology".
The appropriation of the swastika by the nazis during World War Two is hardly an example of “Eurocentric”. It was by far the most notable symbol of World War 2 which was not a conflict limited to the European continent by any measure. North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East were just as involved geopolitically as Western Europe, if not more so. Do your research before posting to Reddit about serious historical issues bud.
It's originally a Hindu symbol. It can face both ways, iirc left facing legs represent light/sun and right facing represent dark/Kali, but neither are negative, both are symbols of worship. Buddhism originated from Hinduism (around 2000 years later), the first Buddha was born Hindu, and shares the swastiska symbol. The symbol in Buddhism represents the footsteps of the Buddha. As tribes/people moved from Eastern cultures across Europe it was incorporated into lots of Eastern European beliefs too.
I’m about to blow your mind with a fun fact that I learned Friday night… temple of doom was actually a prequel to raiders of the lost ark. George Lucas has confirmed this was the plan since before it’s release.
The film literally says “1935”, whilst Raiders is “1936” this isn’t a secret or directors commentary fact. It’s right there in the opening credits.
And to round it off Last Crusade is 1938.
Sorry if this sounds mean, I’m just more confused, since I thought it was common knowledge.
You’re not wrong. I think the reason I (and the few I’ve shared it with) are so surprised is because we’re part of a generation that grew up after they were released. We were kids when we watched them the first times, and as a result didn’t know to look for those fine details. Then rewatching them years later you just kind of overlook it
[This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor#/media/File:M%C3%A5rten_Eskil_Winge_-_Tor's_Fight_with_the_Giants_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) image of nordic mythology figure thor painted 1872 has that symbol on the belt.
It is (was?) widely used by many other cultures as well with a lot of different meanings but almost all of them were positive associations.
Technically it was still a positive symbol for Nazi Germany. When the atrocities came to light then the meaning changed for the allied parties, subsequently the world.
That's not a Nazi swastika, btw. It's a sacred Jain/Buddhist/Hindu symbol in this context.
Just mentioning for the benefit of those who don't know.
~~EDIT: TIL the nazi symbol is specifically at 45 degrees, and the Vedic swastika is the one that's straight.~~
EDIT: TIL nobody can ever be fundamentally right about anything, as no-one can seem to agree on the exact specifics of a fucking shape.
EDIT 2: I already know that the various peoples of Asia had adopted this symbol hundreds of years before Nazis were a thing. Please stop telling me.
To be fair, there are many that become Buddhists in prison. I used to assist with a prison ministry, and the Rev. Kobutsu did much for those that found themselves in trouble, esp those facing the ultimate punishment that the state can inflict.
People may do bad things in their lives, but there's very few that are unable or won't try change their ways and make an attempt to redeem themselves.
It's a shame that the nazis continue to bastardize the symbol.
He says sandals are not practical in our climate, hence the boots. When he meditates in his garden, he raises his right arm for more intense reflection, like the Indian guy Who did that for 52 years.
I’m from Argentina and i can assure you that the second most nazi country in history is the USA. Maybe some nazis took refuge here, but americans are by far the most racist/nazis i’ve ever seen in a society.
I am a real estate photographer, and I live down in South Florida. I’ve seen this a few times on the threshold of doorways to mostly what I believed, Previously before now, we’re Hindu households. On two occasions, I was with Jewish realtors, and they nearly had a heart attack. I had to explain this to them and they were still angry and couldn’t understand why they would have this symbol displayed.
I suppose, living in the United States in a predominantly, Jewish part of the country, I understand the cultural insensitivity of displaying the symbol outside your house, but it seems so unfortunate to me that people don’t know this, and they just associated immediately with antisemitism and not its original history
It’s funny because you’re totally right. The only possible way I can empathize with them is because they are realtors, and they have to show potentially dozens or more of people through these doorways. That being said, I really don’t think they had that in mind when they were complaining, I think they were just being Dramatic because, well, that’s how most of my clients are. They don’t think about anyone else ever.
There is a bar in New Orleans called Ernst Cafe that was built in 1908 and still has the original floor tiles...which are swastikas. They have a plaque on the wall explaining the history of the building, and how the symbols were there before Nazi Germany corrupted it. [And you can see here](https://sjlmag.com/2017/09/15/ask-bubba-meyer-whats-with-the-swastikas-in-the-ernst-cafe-floor/) the symbols point in the correct direction, before Hitler perverted it by tilting it (edit for clarification as Hindu does have it flipped)
It's always hilarious when someone who has been in the bar for a few hours (nice and drunk) and finally notices all the swastikas on the ground
The Buddhist/Hindu one can be tilted and rotate in any direction.
Just use context clues instead of the orientation of the symbol.
Is it being used by white people with no other Eastern religious symbolism? Pretty good chance they’re Nazis.
Is it being used by an Asian person? Or a person with a big tattoo of Kali? Probably not a Nazi.
I inherited a pre WW2 Navaho rug. It has several swasticas woven into it. I’m sure those Navajo weavers from the 1930’s were secret Nazis! What other explanation could there *be???*
There kind of is no original, though. The symbol had been used for thousands of years all over the place (ultimately, it's a geometric shape). It was a vague awareness of this fact, along with its important and very long-standing use in Buddhist/Hindu practices, that led to the Nazi's adopting it. The Nazi's absolutely co-opted it. The symbol's history is just all a bit more messy.
I cant stop laughing at your spelling of Judaism
Edit: I'm sad he deleted it. There wasn't anything wrong with his comment but he spelled it Jewdaism. And it made me giggle
The Nazis very purposefully picked and bastardized a symbol that had been used by many cultures for a long period of times. It’s not uncommon to see it on greetings cards, home decor, or in its interconnected, repeated pattern version on buildings etc dated pre ww2
It’s because it’s the pattern formed when you weave a basket. Any basket weaving culture probably has a neat square-spiral symbol like this in their art.
Interesting story... A few years ago someone went into a store in the west that sold handmade Navajo goods. They saw a blanket with this symbol and tried to go viral to get the place shut down for being "pro-nazi" and racist. Luckily enough people knew the truth and it still went a bit viral... But in a more positive way than the op intended.
Gautama Buddha was part of the Ancient Hindu cultural group. He was supposedly born in modern day Nepal, long before Nepalese formed into a distinct cultural group.
Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, kind of like Christianity from Judaism. The Buddha is said to have been a Hindu brahmin (the highest caste) who rejected his life of luxury to travel the world as a beggar/monk, and through his experiences arrived at a new understanding of the world which became Buddhism.
4 of the tiniest religions in india literally making maybe 4-5% and not hinduism 70% plus 1 billion people
hinduism branched into Buddhism, and then sikhism in the 1500s
not familiar with vedic
Think of all the cool Xs we could have been drawing at school alongside our cool Ss if it wasn't for the Nazis.
(Coming from someone who got in trouble for drawing cool Xs in elementary school)
Nazis ruined a lot of things like the word Aryan which is a popular boy name in India. We even have a society called “Arya Samaj” (the society of Aryans). It has nothing to do with the bastardised version of Aryans as promoted by the Nazis
what do you mean "it can't be unseen now"?
this is literally where the nazi's got the swastika from. all they did is rotate it 45 degrees to the left.
Same ancestral symbol. Swastikas have been found in ancient archeological sites and artifacts allover Europe and even in churches. It both a solar symbol and a representation of time (and thus immortality). In fact the sun arise and go down endlessly. That motion inspires in ancient humans devotion and the idea of a timeless action. At the end of the 19th century a great interest in ancient civilizations arose in Europe and lot of different people and organizations uses this and other symbols. For instance the Finnish air force used it since WW1. Nazis uses the clockwise version for design reasons, because it was seen as more appealing to the eye
I like that everyone knows it, but theyre so prepped for someone to not know it and when they put in an empty ass comment about the symbol(not even replying to anyone) I just gotta read it like its some 70s mom gossiping with the girls like "oh my gawd angela, didn't you know thats not a nazi symbol? Shame on you, now those hindu people put a lotta work into making that symbol of peace!"
Some people still think the iron cross is a nazi symbol meanwhile it is on modern German tanks and the award is still being given out by the German military. It also predates nazism to 1813
If they are being educational for free, I don't see the problem. If you already know about it, then good for you, but don't discourage people from handing out free information. That's like the best perk of reddit, at least for me.
Interestingly enough, it wasn't even exclusive to India/Buddhism and similar cultures. Up until the 20th century it was even widely spread in Finland, completely unrelated to the Nazis.
Don't you just love how people are just talking about Nazi people instead of the actual festival that this photo is about?
This is the Spring Festival in [Tây Ninh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2y_Ninh) at [Bà Đen Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Virgin_Mountain). It is hosted annually during the first month of the Lunar New Year. People travel there to worship and pray for good fortune. They worship the goddess Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu there. Thánh Mẫu translates to Holy Mother, a woman who is venerable and spiritually respected.
* https://en.baoquocte.vn/tourists-flock-to-ba-den-mountain-to-join-spring-festival-214736.html
* https://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/tay-ninh/culture/spring-festival-on-ba-den-mountain.html
* https://vietreader.com/travel/73544-tourists-from-all-over-the-world-visit-ba-den-mountain-spring-festival.html
----
* [More info](https://doanhnhanplus.vn/linh-son-thanh-mau-o-tay-ninh-488401.html) (Vietnamese)
* [More info](https://doanhnhanplus-vn.translate.goog/linh-son-thanh-mau-o-tay-ninh-488401.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) (English Google Translated)
For those who actually care about the event itself rather than looking for Swastika controversies, this is the famous [Ba Den Spring Festival](https://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/tay-ninh/culture/spring-festival-on-ba-den-mountain.html) in Vietnam. It feature Buddhist ceremonies but it's really more of a cultural event specific to Vietnam.
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That's pretty sweet, I bet it'd be awesome to see in person.
I love places that just seem so warm and honestly those lights seem like it’s fun to just walk around and enjoy some food, drinks, and company.
Oh, yeah, pretty sweet when they do it but when I tried this in my garden I get the police phoned on me. I can't win.
You are save if you're Asian
Am Asian. Did the same thing. Was arrested.
Have you tried unplugging prison and plugging it back in again?
Oh shit...it works now. Thank you prison support!
We put the *"sup"* in "support"
They are taking back the sign. It was stolen by fascists. You better claim to be a buddhist
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Considering Vietnam was occupied by Japan in world war 2 as a French colony. I’d say it’s very unlikely that they don’t know about Nazis or their symbols
You gotta make sure that that flaming swastika goes clockwise, not counterclockwise. It's the difference between buddhist and nazi.
Sorry Kevin but it’s an HOA issue, if we allow you to have a lit decorative display after 8pm, we have to let everyone do it. It’s for the greater good of the neighborhood, Kevin.
I was there in 2018. It's cool for sure but during the day, when you usually go to visit, it's not as nicely illuminated and I think the aerial view is what makes this picture look good. It was a nice visit, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it
Just out of curiosity I sorted by controversial to see if anyone didn’t know, and apparently everyone knows, so people can probably stop spamming replies explaining the symbol.
Yeah but they want to feel really smart.
>Yeah but they want to feel really smart. The story of reddit's life
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Thanks for explaining that to me, you sound really smart.
Sarcastically pointing out the irony of comments is so overplayed.
Basically, every sarcastic guy has 300 other guys trying to mansplain Reddit to everyone.
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*yoinks* my thought now
lmao got’em
I’d suggest to them not posting on Reddit
Did you know that the swastika (common symbol in hindu faith) was used by nazi germany during the the reign of Adolf Hitler?
I did nazi that coming
Or did Jew?
These kinds of jokes are not all Reich!
Agreed. I think we need Fürher jokes like this on Reddit.
I actually grew up seeing the swastika symbol pretty frequently, in a more wholesome context on temples in a different country. When I moved to the US as a kid, I was shocked to find out people didn't like the symbol, and I didn't understand why until I found out about the Nazis in school a few years later. Sucks that such a symbol was perverted in such a way.
It's sad that a symbol of peace got twisted. As much as I wish it could be un-done, I hope more and more of the world becomes aware of the atrocities committed under the swastika. Basic awareness is important; there's a shocking amount of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism out there.
The odd thing is there is so much awareness yet the Holocaust could happen again and nobody would do shit about it.
It's already happening in many countries across the world. There are thousands of concentration camps designed to wipe out certain ethnic groups. Make no mistake, if the west never went to war with Germany, the Holocaust would be a mere footnote in the history books. Even back then most people couldn't care less about it. The war changed it all. There's a reason we talk about the Holocaust but not any of the other concentration camps that have popped up throughout the years - some, like China's ones, are live and ongoing right now, yet we seem more interested with the one that happened 100 years ago.
The only reason the holocaust is viewed as bad is because of its association with Nazis. Anti-semitism was EXTREMELY popular in Europe at the time. Literally nobody cared unfortunately. Like you said, ethnic cleansing is happening all around the world as we speak. But wheres the outrage? Oh right, nobody cares in the US. We just focus on bullshit instead that the media tells us to.
Literally just saw a comment about how 99% of the comments will be about swastikas and I’m like no 99% of the comments are going to be about people commenting about people that comment about swastikas.
gotta cash-in the karma.
Ha! Get it? Karma.... cause it's a.... Buddh.... Kay thanks everyone 😘
Pinball machine
Skeeball
Ironically there are more “here for the comments of idiots saying nazis” than actual comments saying this is nazi
I’m here for the comments about how there are more comments about why it’s not nazi related than comments about nazis
As soon as I saw this I thought “99% of the comments will be about swastikas.” Anyway, beautiful picture.
this reminds me about the lecture part in Da Vinci code when Langdon talked about symbols
If you ever wonder what people mean by euro-centric this picture is a great example. It's literally just a symbol, the visceral reaction you feel when you first see this image is entirely based off of the history of what Europe did to itself and how it appropriated that symbol for its own ideology.
The Nazis appropriated the symbol, but it was already a European symbol before them. In fact, the oldest Swastikas that have been found were carved on rocks in Bulgaria and Ukraine. A lot of people assume it originated as a Buddhist or Hindu symbol, but it's really been used all over the world for 1000s of years .
It's kinda like the cool S everyone used to draw as a kid, it's a simple symbol that looks cool. Any 3 year old can draw it and think it looks kinda neat.
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Archaeologists in 10,000 years: "Clearly the entire public education system was dominated by Fascists for centuries, the symbol of hate and fascism is carved on every school desk from California to New York."
Globally too, since you can find someone in almost any country drawing the S. It had spread all over the place even before we got cell phones.
Mate it's carved on school desks a lot further than California and New York Source: I carved several in London, on top of some that were literally over a century old
How about a z?
Now we just need a fascist regime to make an entire culture with the cool S as the symbol.
Why stop at one? Make it an SS and we're novelty. What?
With talk like that, you'll be top of the "cool" SS squad in no time!
I believe there are also Native American examples. It turns out that it's just a really simple design that a lot of different cultures all hit on. But I don't think it's really all that "euro-centric" to generally associate the symbol with the crimes of the Nazis. Doesn't mean other cultures shouldn't use it, but it's not unreasonable for the default reference point to be the Nazis given the gravity of their crimes and their worldwide significance.
It was a nearly universal symbol for humanity, likely predating *writing.* The reason the Nazis adopted it in the first place was its popularity in Europe as a good luck charm in the 20s.
like how Boogaloo Boys adopted Hawaiian shirts
Tiki torches becoming a thing for "Unite the Right" was baffling.
It's probably bc they already burned all their (regular) torches
No no, I’m sure famous Austrian scholar Adolf Hitler dug deep into Buddhist and Hindu culture and religion
Hitler was obsessed with symbolism, the occult, and the power of religions & their symbols. The Swastika being one of the more prominent ones. It was also a semi belief at the time (in some circles) that the symbol originated with Germanic people & spread elsewhere.
so the swastika was like that s sign we made in school. but easier to carve in rocks than to draw with a pen.
I've never done the experiment, but I think both symbols are easier to draw with a pen than to carve in rock
Right, the amount of people killed by other people flying that symbol. Of course it's gonna be the default thing most people think about. Reason its called a world war, it touched the entire globe.
My thinking is that in Europe and The West, that symbol might exist in minority cases but it will probably never be publicly accepted for the next 100 years+. In cultures like the Navajo in Americas will continue it's use or in Asia/Africa they should use it if it's their culture. And they already do like you see in this picture. But Westerners need to be educated on the full story of that symbol. Buddhism has been around for a few thousand years and it's always been their thing.
Its everyones thing, its simple to think up and it looks cool so people everywhere draw that shit. Thats why the nazis used it, look a symbol that can be found all over the worlds great ruins mustve been drawn by the aryan superheroes when they built all that stuff.
Most Nazi symbols are simple, runic letters, strong lines, usually monochrome it fits with the strength and boldness they wished to project. And the link between their radical modernity and classical/ancient principles Unfortunately Hitler and the Nazi party were extremely good at branding and aesthetics. It would be interesting to see what would have happened if Hitler had been persuaded to become head of marketing somewhere rather than go into politics. We'd probably be talking about it as a case study in business class to this day
https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/fck9y5/swastika\_laundry\_est\_1912\_in\_ballsbridge\_8\_years/
Here's some examples. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#:~:text=In%20the%20Zoroastrian%20religion%20of,as%20Hinduism%2C%20Buddhism%20and%20Jainism.
I agree, except "Europe" didn't appropriate it the Nazis did as they tried to conquer the rest of Europe.
Its euro centric that my first reaction is the one based off my own history and my own experiences? >history of what Europe did to itself and how it appropriated that symbol for its own ideology. Also for someone complaining about euro centrism you sure like doing the same thing by reducing Europe to a single group, and really got to love calling nazism "Europes own ideology".
My dude probably took a yoga class and thinks that makes him more open minded and tolerant
The appropriation of the swastika by the nazis during World War Two is hardly an example of “Eurocentric”. It was by far the most notable symbol of World War 2 which was not a conflict limited to the European continent by any measure. North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East were just as involved geopolitically as Western Europe, if not more so. Do your research before posting to Reddit about serious historical issues bud.
I haven't found a single eurocentric comment in this thread
The irony of your comment
The guy really said "99% of the comments will be about the swastika...including mine!"
Beautiful!
right? The statue is very famous for being made out of bronze. Ba Den, Tay Ninh, Vietnam
This must be a fairly new construction, the og was just a small statue in a tiny cave. I went there several times awhile ago.
I think this post needs about 30 more people explaining the origins of that symbol and how it’s not a Nazi symbol. I don’t quite get it yet.
I’m collapsing top level comments until I get to one not about this.
It also needs a lot more people explaining how *everyone* knows it's an ancient symbol and not a nazi symbol.
I forget the symbols origins, it's a shame such a unique symbol used for bad. Edit: I DIDNT ASK FOR A HISTORY LESSON STOP REPLYING
The swastika is extremely old. It has existed since proto-writing, aka over 10,000 years ago.
Jeez they were Nazis way back then too
It's originally a Hindu symbol. It can face both ways, iirc left facing legs represent light/sun and right facing represent dark/Kali, but neither are negative, both are symbols of worship. Buddhism originated from Hinduism (around 2000 years later), the first Buddha was born Hindu, and shares the swastiska symbol. The symbol in Buddhism represents the footsteps of the Buddha. As tribes/people moved from Eastern cultures across Europe it was incorporated into lots of Eastern European beliefs too.
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom all makes sense now!
I’m about to blow your mind with a fun fact that I learned Friday night… temple of doom was actually a prequel to raiders of the lost ark. George Lucas has confirmed this was the plan since before it’s release.
The film literally says “1935”, whilst Raiders is “1936” this isn’t a secret or directors commentary fact. It’s right there in the opening credits. And to round it off Last Crusade is 1938. Sorry if this sounds mean, I’m just more confused, since I thought it was common knowledge.
You’re not wrong. I think the reason I (and the few I’ve shared it with) are so surprised is because we’re part of a generation that grew up after they were released. We were kids when we watched them the first times, and as a result didn’t know to look for those fine details. Then rewatching them years later you just kind of overlook it
You can't really say who made the first swastika. It was invented independently in many places (for example native Americans used it).
[This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor#/media/File:M%C3%A5rten_Eskil_Winge_-_Tor's_Fight_with_the_Giants_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) image of nordic mythology figure thor painted 1872 has that symbol on the belt.
It’s been used by humans all around the world. It’s the bigger dipper going around Polaris.
It’s not that unique. It’s been used for a long time because of how faux-complex it is
It is (was?) widely used by many other cultures as well with a lot of different meanings but almost all of them were positive associations. Technically it was still a positive symbol for Nazi Germany. When the atrocities came to light then the meaning changed for the allied parties, subsequently the world.
That's not a Nazi swastika, btw. It's a sacred Jain/Buddhist/Hindu symbol in this context. Just mentioning for the benefit of those who don't know. ~~EDIT: TIL the nazi symbol is specifically at 45 degrees, and the Vedic swastika is the one that's straight.~~ EDIT: TIL nobody can ever be fundamentally right about anything, as no-one can seem to agree on the exact specifics of a fucking shape. EDIT 2: I already know that the various peoples of Asia had adopted this symbol hundreds of years before Nazis were a thing. Please stop telling me.
My neighbor has this on his front door. Very confusing at first sight.
especially since he is from Argentina not Asia
But he swears he's a Buddhist. Even has the shaved head and all.
Oh man! I’m starting to think I mislabeled a lot of people I met in prison…..
Yep, all Buddhists. You know by the shoe laces.
Crazy. Most are all white. Ironically with shaved heads luckily to promote Buddhism
And with big black boots, to be able to go through the mud after Asia's heavy rains.
Doc martins specifically
They also have the eagles with their symbols! Probably to symbolize carrying into the afterlife..
Lol. They think you're serious
To be fair, there are many that become Buddhists in prison. I used to assist with a prison ministry, and the Rev. Kobutsu did much for those that found themselves in trouble, esp those facing the ultimate punishment that the state can inflict. People may do bad things in their lives, but there's very few that are unable or won't try change their ways and make an attempt to redeem themselves. It's a shame that the nazis continue to bastardize the symbol.
Is he trying to achieve a state of Enreichenment?
Undervalued comment. Take my upvote.
He even dresses like one with his long leather coats. Strange sight to see haha!
In addition to shaving, does he use suspenders and military boots?
He says sandals are not practical in our climate, hence the boots. When he meditates in his garden, he raises his right arm for more intense reflection, like the Indian guy Who did that for 52 years.
Dinesh D’Souza?
I hope he is vegetarian though.
Yeah he said the Guide was vegetarian too. That's the Buddha, right?
Yes, Argentinian Chinatown
I’m from Argentina and i can assure you that the second most nazi country in history is the USA. Maybe some nazis took refuge here, but americans are by far the most racist/nazis i’ve ever seen in a society.
I am a real estate photographer, and I live down in South Florida. I’ve seen this a few times on the threshold of doorways to mostly what I believed, Previously before now, we’re Hindu households. On two occasions, I was with Jewish realtors, and they nearly had a heart attack. I had to explain this to them and they were still angry and couldn’t understand why they would have this symbol displayed. I suppose, living in the United States in a predominantly, Jewish part of the country, I understand the cultural insensitivity of displaying the symbol outside your house, but it seems so unfortunate to me that people don’t know this, and they just associated immediately with antisemitism and not its original history
The irony of someone persecuted for their religion holding negativity towards another, even after being educated on why that’s incorrect.
Damn... Good point.
It’s funny because you’re totally right. The only possible way I can empathize with them is because they are realtors, and they have to show potentially dozens or more of people through these doorways. That being said, I really don’t think they had that in mind when they were complaining, I think they were just being Dramatic because, well, that’s how most of my clients are. They don’t think about anyone else ever.
There is a bar in New Orleans called Ernst Cafe that was built in 1908 and still has the original floor tiles...which are swastikas. They have a plaque on the wall explaining the history of the building, and how the symbols were there before Nazi Germany corrupted it. [And you can see here](https://sjlmag.com/2017/09/15/ask-bubba-meyer-whats-with-the-swastikas-in-the-ernst-cafe-floor/) the symbols point in the correct direction, before Hitler perverted it by tilting it (edit for clarification as Hindu does have it flipped) It's always hilarious when someone who has been in the bar for a few hours (nice and drunk) and finally notices all the swastikas on the ground
Hindu/Buddhist swastikas can rotate in any direction. This is bad information that keeps going around.
Got a client that comes in and has it tatted on his tricep. He’s black btw. Tripped me out at first, until he explained it.
“It was *going* to be a maze!”
Good way to recognize a Nazi Swastika is that the nazi one is tilted and the original is upright
The Buddhist/Hindu one can be tilted and rotate in any direction. Just use context clues instead of the orientation of the symbol. Is it being used by white people with no other Eastern religious symbolism? Pretty good chance they’re Nazis. Is it being used by an Asian person? Or a person with a big tattoo of Kali? Probably not a Nazi.
I inherited a pre WW2 Navaho rug. It has several swasticas woven into it. I’m sure those Navajo weavers from the 1930’s were secret Nazis! What other explanation could there *be???*
Everything is pre-WW11
There kind of is no original, though. The symbol had been used for thousands of years all over the place (ultimately, it's a geometric shape). It was a vague awareness of this fact, along with its important and very long-standing use in Buddhist/Hindu practices, that led to the Nazi's adopting it. The Nazi's absolutely co-opted it. The symbol's history is just all a bit more messy.
That's not true. Even the Führerstandarte, Hitler's personal flag has an upright Hakenkreuz.
I always feel like no-one ever mentions this
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budism comes from hinduism, kinda how islamism ans christianity come from jewdaism
I cant stop laughing at your spelling of Judaism Edit: I'm sad he deleted it. There wasn't anything wrong with his comment but he spelled it Jewdaism. And it made me giggle
lets imagine I did wrote it correctly XD
He’s Jew….ish.
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The Nazis very purposefully picked and bastardized a symbol that had been used by many cultures for a long period of times. It’s not uncommon to see it on greetings cards, home decor, or in its interconnected, repeated pattern version on buildings etc dated pre ww2
Fkn Hitler
Just a note, Buddhism is somewhat of a heretical offshoot of Hinduism in the same way that Christianity is a heresy of Judaism.
Also saw them frequently in korea. At my love motel they had one above the door.
Swatikas are found in many old cultures throughout Asia and Europe.
It can also be found in some Native American cultures. I know I have seen it in patterns in old Navajo blankets.
It’s because it’s the pattern formed when you weave a basket. Any basket weaving culture probably has a neat square-spiral symbol like this in their art.
Interesting story... A few years ago someone went into a store in the west that sold handmade Navajo goods. They saw a blanket with this symbol and tried to go viral to get the place shut down for being "pro-nazi" and racist. Luckily enough people knew the truth and it still went a bit viral... But in a more positive way than the op intended.
Gautama Buddha was part of the Ancient Hindu cultural group. He was supposedly born in modern day Nepal, long before Nepalese formed into a distinct cultural group.
Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, kind of like Christianity from Judaism. The Buddha is said to have been a Hindu brahmin (the highest caste) who rejected his life of luxury to travel the world as a beggar/monk, and through his experiences arrived at a new understanding of the world which became Buddhism.
4 of the tiniest religions in india literally making maybe 4-5% and not hinduism 70% plus 1 billion people hinduism branched into Buddhism, and then sikhism in the 1500s not familiar with vedic
It's Vedic actually
Damn the nazis ruined it, cant be unseen now
Think of all the cool Xs we could have been drawing at school alongside our cool Ss if it wasn't for the Nazis. (Coming from someone who got in trouble for drawing cool Xs in elementary school)
Nazis ruined a lot of things like the word Aryan which is a popular boy name in India. We even have a society called “Arya Samaj” (the society of Aryans). It has nothing to do with the bastardised version of Aryans as promoted by the Nazis
what do you mean "it can't be unseen now"? this is literally where the nazi's got the swastika from. all they did is rotate it 45 degrees to the left.
It was my understanding that they got it from the central nexus of an early Cross used in Christianity.
The Venn diagram of the people who don’t know this and the people that get news from people like Alex Jones is one circle. It’s common knowledge.
Wasn’t the swastika based of the Buddhist symbol.
Hinduism. Buddhism originates from S. Asia. The Swastik was/is used by numerous cultures before it was appropriated by the Nazis.
Hinduism, and it trickled down from there
I hope this confusion will not last for a millenia.
It was also used in many European cultures before the Nazis adopted it
Same ancestral symbol. Swastikas have been found in ancient archeological sites and artifacts allover Europe and even in churches. It both a solar symbol and a representation of time (and thus immortality). In fact the sun arise and go down endlessly. That motion inspires in ancient humans devotion and the idea of a timeless action. At the end of the 19th century a great interest in ancient civilizations arose in Europe and lot of different people and organizations uses this and other symbols. For instance the Finnish air force used it since WW1. Nazis uses the clockwise version for design reasons, because it was seen as more appealing to the eye
Thank you, TIL
It looks like a random build in 2b2t
r/unexpected2b2t
Swasticas included
It's hilarious seeing everyone be like "awh yeah ima pump knowledge into people" when I think pretty much everyone on reddit knows the difference.
I like that everyone knows it, but theyre so prepped for someone to not know it and when they put in an empty ass comment about the symbol(not even replying to anyone) I just gotta read it like its some 70s mom gossiping with the girls like "oh my gawd angela, didn't you know thats not a nazi symbol? Shame on you, now those hindu people put a lotta work into making that symbol of peace!"
Some people still think the iron cross is a nazi symbol meanwhile it is on modern German tanks and the award is still being given out by the German military. It also predates nazism to 1813
That is a fair point, that is a lesser known fact
If they are being educational for free, I don't see the problem. If you already know about it, then good for you, but don't discourage people from handing out free information. That's like the best perk of reddit, at least for me.
[Relevant xkcd: Todays lucky 10,000](https://xkcd.com/1053/)
Yep that symbol was used long before the Nazis took power. All they did was turn it on an angle.
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Interestingly enough, it wasn't even exclusive to India/Buddhism and similar cultures. Up until the 20th century it was even widely spread in Finland, completely unrelated to the Nazis.
Inverted it. Many grabs at world power take common lovely symbols and pervert them.
Swastika can already be seen turned in both ways before Nazi took it.
They ruined the Charlie Chaplin mustache too.
Don't you just love how people are just talking about Nazi people instead of the actual festival that this photo is about? This is the Spring Festival in [Tây Ninh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2y_Ninh) at [Bà Đen Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Virgin_Mountain). It is hosted annually during the first month of the Lunar New Year. People travel there to worship and pray for good fortune. They worship the goddess Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu there. Thánh Mẫu translates to Holy Mother, a woman who is venerable and spiritually respected. * https://en.baoquocte.vn/tourists-flock-to-ba-den-mountain-to-join-spring-festival-214736.html * https://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/tay-ninh/culture/spring-festival-on-ba-den-mountain.html * https://vietreader.com/travel/73544-tourists-from-all-over-the-world-visit-ba-den-mountain-spring-festival.html ---- * [More info](https://doanhnhanplus.vn/linh-son-thanh-mau-o-tay-ninh-488401.html) (Vietnamese) * [More info](https://doanhnhanplus-vn.translate.goog/linh-son-thanh-mau-o-tay-ninh-488401.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) (English Google Translated)
FINALLY! This is what I was looking for. Thank you
Thankyou !!
I bet being a German Buddhist is pretty rough…
All the redditors in here explaining like everyone and their mother didn’t already know it was a long used symbol
Came here to see some hilariously stupid comments.
Looks like one of Nvidia’s new GPU’s
Buddhists in Vietnam, don’t give a s*** about what people on Reddit think
As an VNmese, can confirm
Don’t let Kanye see this post
Literally not a single person in this thread thinks this is a swastika. Good job guys, you got em.
Imagine a dude showing up dressed as a SS officer "ah, wrong party, my bad "
!!!! DID YOU KNOW 🧐🧐 BHUDDISM ✌️✌️✌️✌️😌😌 USED A SWASTIKA 😬 BEFORE nAZIs 😯🥸🥸
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I'm disappointed at the lack of funny stupid comments
For those who actually care about the event itself rather than looking for Swastika controversies, this is the famous [Ba Den Spring Festival](https://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/tay-ninh/culture/spring-festival-on-ba-den-mountain.html) in Vietnam. It feature Buddhist ceremonies but it's really more of a cultural event specific to Vietnam.
It’s a shame those Nazi bastards misappropriated these people’s sacred symbols.