Quote:
Originally Posted by Legbreaker
The swastika itself isn't inherently and solely a nazi symbol, but rather the badge of a defunct (can't imagine why  ) German car manufacturer which in turn was borrowed from an ancient fertility/sun symbol and comes in both male and female (mirror image).
Unfortunately for the symbol, it's now associated almost without exception to a very short space of time in the first half of the twentieth century. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by copeab
For example, the Nazi use of the swastika has ruined any use of it by non-Nazi groups, despite it being a symbol thousands of years old and use widely around the world before Hitler was ever born.
|
Exactly the point I was making.
In the late 90's I worked in the old Customs House building in Sydney.
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/c...ouse/heritage/
In the foyer, and right across the entire ground floor (about 400 square metres) prior to the renovation completed in 1998, the solid granite floor is inlaid with the swastika, black symbols on a white background. Both the male and female symbols are there, all about three inches across and one about every square foot. Note the date the building was constructed.
I've had the "pleasure" of trying to explain to holocaust survivors why they are there and "no, I'm sorry, I can't get a hammer and chisel and rip them all up for you while you watch". In all my years this encounter was the most extreme and emotional I've ever experienced, and I've seen some pretty nasty stuff!
Now while those symbols have every right to be where they are, there's no way in hell they would, even could be used in a new construction today.
So yes, symbols have power, usually from the actions of groups which at some point in history used and abused their original meaning.
As another example, think of the word "gay". Original meaning was simply happy, now it's homosexual. You won't find too many people using the word in it's original context any more will you?