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There are no actual swastikas in this meme.

There are no actual swastikas in this meme. | The swastika or manji is a universal symbol of the sun's rays, or reversed: the light of the moon. Related symbols include the black sun, Brighid's cross, Solomon's knot & the gammadion. It's also a Chinese character representing literally the number 10,000; & metaphorically all the diverse types of beings & objects in the universe. The swastika used by Hinduism & most Pagans in the northern hemisphere is a clockwise spinning symbol--the arms point counterclockwise. Jainism & many southern hemisphere Pagans use the sauvastika, a counterclockwise spinning symbol--the arms point clockwise. This is the one that the Nazis appropriated. (They got it backwards sometimes.) Buddhism uses both, each with its own meanings. The Hopi tribe sees the swastika representing earth while sauvastika is the sun. Native Americans may have the right to use such a symbol in our ceremonies, but now we avoid public display of artifacts featuring them, nor do we produce permanent new ones. (Short-term works such as sand paintings may have them.) We can't live in a moral way while ignoring the effects that our actions will have on other people. When a Westerner claims that it's OK to display a swastika because "it's still considered a good symbol in Asia," that's deliberately racist cultural appropriation. I've also seen someone claim to be a Hindu, yet they just wanted to get away with Nazi imagery. Some white supremacists try to be clever & use swastika adjacent symbols such as the black sun, the iron/German cross, or more recently the letters YE. That one is a reference to the artist formerly known as Kanye West, an open admirer of Adolf Hitler. | image tagged in swastikaguy,black sun,more iron cross,history of the world,white supremacists,hate speech | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
2 Comments
TwoWayMirror
3 ups, 2y
Symbols age, die, and decay just like everything else.
Octavia_Melody
3 ups, 2y
I don't think it's racist or cultural appropriation to use a symbol that other cultures have used. And native Americans (in my opinion) should feel free to use the symbol if they want to, because they aren't using it with the same negative meaning as Nazis
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EXTRA IMAGES ADDED: 2
  • SwastikaGuy
  • Black Sun
  • more iron cross
    • IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
    The swastika or manji is a universal symbol of the sun's rays, or reversed: the light of the moon. Related symbols include the black sun, Brighid's cross, Solomon's knot & the gammadion. It's also a Chinese character representing literally the number 10,000; & metaphorically all the diverse types of beings & objects in the universe. The swastika used by Hinduism & most Pagans in the northern hemisphere is a clockwise spinning symbol--the arms point counterclockwise. Jainism & many southern hemisphere Pagans use the sauvastika, a counterclockwise spinning symbol--the arms point clockwise. This is the one that the Nazis appropriated. (They got it backwards sometimes.) Buddhism uses both, each with its own meanings. The Hopi tribe sees the swastika representing earth while sauvastika is the sun. Native Americans may have the right to use such a symbol in our ceremonies, but now we avoid public display of artifacts featuring them, nor do we produce permanent new ones. (Short-term works such as sand paintings may have them.) We can't live in a moral way while ignoring the effects that our actions will have on other people. When a Westerner claims that it's OK to display a swastika because "it's still considered a good symbol in Asia," that's deliberately racist cultural appropriation. I've also seen someone claim to be a Hindu, yet they just wanted to get away with Nazi imagery. Some white supremacists try to be clever & use swastika adjacent symbols such as the black sun, the iron/German cross, or more recently the letters YE. That one is a reference to the artist formerly known as Kanye West, an open admirer of Adolf Hitler.