NicoleB Photography

Hmm, y do ppl got arrested?

Because some smart people can't tell the difference between this Swastika and the one Hitler perverted.

Klar, es war mal ein ganz normales zeichen bevor es missbraucht wurde. Das ist sehr schade.

I read your earlier post on the subject and it was quite informative. I think the effort to eradicate the symbol is mis-guided and probably futile. What should, perhaps, be the focus is the misappropriation of an ancient religious symbol for the purposes of perpetuating attitudes of hatred. Only education and enlightenment of the general public can hopefully diminish neonazism and other destructive elements in a society. Ok, I'll get off of my soap box now! : )

Your previous article was very informative. I was raised with this symbol and did not know most of the things. I say live and let live.

We have buildings on the south and west sides of Chicago with that symbol decorating the tops of the facades. I, too, was puzzled by its existence in that context, when I was a kid. But I researched it and found that it is truly an ancient good luck symbol, and its origins had nothing to do with the Nazis. Not only was the swastika used as a symbol by the ancient Aryan peoples who settled in the Middle East, it is also a symbol used by the Navajo Native Americans. The Nazi swastika is differentiated from the Aryan and Buddhist symbols by the fact that the Nazi symbol is slanted, whereas the ancient symbol usually rests flat. And exception is the Native American usage wherein it is also slanted.

Greetings from Helsinki!!!

I think it's a cool symbol on a Tee for me i like it because of it's look and reminds me of Hitler.

Klar, es ist ein bitteres Zeichen der Erinnerung...
Wenn es in anderen Kulturen andere Bedeutung hat, dann kann man wenig, eigentlich nichts dagegen tun...
Lieben Gruß
Kvelli

Ali: Just curious...are you a Charles Manson fan too?

I have to admit that its weird to see such symbols used, but then I remind myself about the difference in usage. I focus on thinking that it was the nazis who misused a very good symbol.

Ok, I am sorry and have to differ with the masses here...
also, if you read my latest post you will see that I have just read 2 books dealing with the nazis and saw "the reader"...nazi influence in the movie...

I also read your past article, very informative indeed. So, how do I put this...first of all, please know that this is my personal opinion. I do not mean any harm, offense or detriment to anyone by saying this.

I appreciate the past meanings of the swastika, what the word means, the differences in religions, etc..
I think that if you are a follower of those religions then there is not much one can do except lament the tragedy that Hitler chose this symbol for his regime...

but I have a very hard time seeing it....
I have a hard time getting past remembering the suffering of the Jewish people....the hatred hidden behind it, the discrimination, the murder of a whole generation...

Again, this is my opinion and my limits, my hardships, my choice to not want to see it for it's beauty in other cultures...and trust me, I am extremely tolerant of other cultures...I have lived in them, read about them, studied them...
As I said, I would never expect another culture to shroud it's symbols, or not use them, but for me, it is just too much...

@April
Etwas mehr als schade, da Leute die Zeichen leider nicht auseinander halten koennen, zumindest in Europa

@Dan
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
But I sadly doubt that Neonazis will ever disappear. They have in one form or another always been there and when I look at our society they most likely always will.

@Scriber
Agreed

@Lou
Thanks. I didn't know that you in the US, had them on public buildings as well.

@Ali
That's the problem this symbol faces.
I know that many in your hemisphere think Hitler's a great man.
You will excuse me, when my opinion differs a bit there.

@Kvelli
Das ist der Punkt.
Man will etwas dagegen tun und es in Europa verbieten. Nur weil einige zu bloed sind, um den Unterschied zu erkennen.

@Dan
It's very common for people from the Middle East to think Hitler was great.

@Øyvind
And that's the only way we can one day accept freedom of religion again.

@Ballerina girl
You don't have to apologize for being of a different opinion.
As long as one doesn't get rude, I accept different opinions

The thing that always irks me a bit is, that millions of people died thanks to people sporting the cross.
Nobody ever made the suggestion to ban the cross.

Why?
Because it happened a few hundred years ago. Does that make it less valid?

Just a thought.

Wow...your post has provoked a lot of thought and feeling! I don't want to believe that neonazis will always exist...you may be right, but I choose not to resign to it.
BG, I get the same gut punch when I see the swastika, but I think it is because I see it at its worst in spray paint defacing a synagogue, and often amidst ludicrous gang signatures. For Zazzle to pull Nicole's images of the symbol in their proper context is as ludicrous as all that.
And yes, the cross could be viewed the same way. What is that symbol? A humanitarian being nailed to a post, is one way to look at it. What kills more people than cancer? Religious intolerance. Peace to any and all of you, regardless of your beliefs...or mine. Hey, I've got an idea! Let's stop killing each other! : )

Wow. Lots of action on your post.

I have to say that I was raised with the Hindu swastika everywhere. And people were not happy that Hitler flipped it and used it. I think they were offended that it was flipped. At least that's how I remember it. There is a distinct difference between the hindu/Buddhist swastika and what Hitler used. Zazzle is ignorant.

Dan, Ballerina girl, prob. doesn't know what happened today.
Zazzle happened coincidentally (?) after my post the day before.
Call it Karma payback?

Maybe the people one day will not be called Neonazis any more. Maybe something different, like they have been called something else before Nazis came along.

Or what would you call the Crusades?

And the crusades are what I meant regarding the Cross.

Yepp, stopping to kill each other would be a good start, but greed stops that thought...

Scriber, I'm sure the Hindu people were more than unhappy that Hitler used one of their symbols.
Like I said, some Morons arrest Hindus and Buddhists in Europe for wearing it.

And yes, zazzle's employees sometimes are not particularly smart. Nope...