History of the Swastika

[Guest]

Swastika

Spoiler

Let me start this by saying that I do not endorse or condone the use of the Swastika. This is post is to educate on the historical relevants of the Swastika and why it does not appear in the current Zombies game mode.

 

The swastika or sauwastika (as a character, 卐 or 卍, respectively) is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon in the cultures of Eurasia. Swastik is used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions. In the Western world, it was a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck until the 1930s, when it became a feature of Nazi symbolism as an emblem of Aryan identity. As a result of World War II and the Holocaust, most people in the Western World associate it with Nazism and antisemitism.

 

 

the word swastika is of Sanskrit origin and the symbol is one of good luck or a charm or a religious symbol (the last, among the Jains and Buddhists) that goes back to at least the Bronze Age. Swastika has nothing to do with Christ and with Christianism. It is a Buddhist symbol for peace, as it still appears nowadays on Buddhist temples in Asia. I have seen one in a bi-lingual edition of a Taiwanese magazine. The editors felt the necessity of explaining in the English text that Swastika is a Buddhist symbol of peace, and this is why the puzzled European reader could see it in pictures showing temples. A difference however can be noticed: the orientation of the arms is clockwise in the Buddhist swastika and anti-clockwise in the one adapted by the Nazis.

 

 

 

Spoiler

The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years.

(That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh)

 

 Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE. 

 

 

 

 

Because of its use by Nazi Germany, the swastika since the 1930s has been largely associated with Nazism. In the aftermath of World War II it has been considered a symbol of hate in the West, or alternatively of white supremacy in many Western countries.

 

As a result, all of its use, or its use as a Nazi or hate symbol, is prohibited in some countries, including Germany. Because of the stigma attached to the symbol, many buildings that have used the symbol as decoration have had the symbol removed.[citation needed] In some countries, such as the United States' Virginia v. Black 2003 case, the highest courts have ruled that the local governments can prohibit the use of swastika along with other symbols such as cross burning, if the intent of the use is to intimidate others.

 

The public display of Nazi-era German flags (or any other flags) is protected by the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech. The Nazi Reichskriegsflagge has also been seen on display at white supremacist events within United States borders.

As with many neo-Nazi groups across the world, the swastika was also a part of the American Nazi Party’s flag before its first dissolution in 1967. The symbol was originally chosen by the initial organization's founder, George L. Rockwell. Its "re-use" was initiated by successor organizations in 1983, without the publicity Rockwell's original organization possessed.

The swastika, in various iconographic forms, is one of the hate symbols identified in use as graffiti in US schools, and is a part of the 1999 US Department of Education's emergency school-wide response trigger.

 

 

If you would like to look further into this topic here are a few links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/symbol-swastika-and-its-12000-year-old-history-001312

https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/unknown-history-of-swastika

[Inconcievable]

Risky post! But I'm personally glad you made it.

 

I've always been interested in the history of the swastika, myself. Given, I did a whole presentation in high school about Jainism and made a point of talking about the swastika originally being used as a symbol for peace and religious... stuff. It's incredibly unfortunate that the Nazis had used it in a way that would forever change and brand it into something completely different - malformed by the actions of evil men with power.

 

That said, I don't think shifting history around by not showing symbols like the swastika is appropriate, either. Our collective history is our collective history, and it's a dishonor to tell it incorrectly. People lived and died in these wars, and these were the types of things they saw - no matter how horrible. While I understand and respect the decision to be PC, it's... just not accurate. It's questioning cultural integrity to change details like that between BO1 Kino and BO3 Kino as is.

 

But... that's just my thoughts. Even if they're a tad bit... controversial, I guess? 10/10, Requix. Thank you.

[Guest]

There are many different symbols far worse that are discussed openly, but this one is the most notable in my opinion. symbolism of the Nazi flag: "The red expressed the social thought underlying the movement. White the national thought. And the swastika signified the mission allotted to us-the struggle for the victory of Aryan mankind and at the same time the triumph of the ideal of creative work 

 

 Germany (see Strafgesetzbuch section 86a), Austria, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil, and Israel have banned Nazi symbols and it is considered a criminal offence if they are displayed publicly for non-educational purposes. On August 9, 2018, Germany lifted the ban on the usage of swastikas and other Nazi symbols in video games. "Through the change in the interpretation of the law, games that critically look at current affairs can for the first time be given a USK age rating," USK managing director Elisabeth Secker told CTV. "This has long been the case for films and with regards to the freedom of the arts, this is now rightly also the case with computer and videogames." -https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/09/germany-lifts-ban-nazi-symbols-video-games/

 

Symbols like the Black Sun..etc. 

 

Thanks for some positive feed back @The Meh its much appreciated.