Chinese Swastika

[tywy_99]

I saw a photograph of a rather large statue somewhere in China depicting a goddess of some kind. The first thing that caught my eye was a carving of an aryan swastika on the breast of this statue.

My stepdaughter wants to use this picture in a powerpoint presentation for a school project. I don't know if it would be a good idea. Someone might take it the wrong way. Some people might be offended by it. I just don't know.

I knew the swastika was a symbol used by cultures long before the Nazis stole it. I never really thought about it being in Chinese culture.

I'm just afraid how it might be taken by people coming from a Chinese girl and the terrible stigma attached to the symbol because of the Nazis. She is the only Asian in a rural conservative highscool. I just don't want it to cause any trouble for her.

Maybe I'm over-reacting. My god; I have become my father!...

 

Any opinions are welcome. Thanks.

[warpedbored]

Considering the tumultuous relationship you have had with her recently it may be a chance to bond with her. You both know it is not a Nazi symbol as it is portrayed. back her up 100% and go to the mat for her. What's to lose? piss off a few rednecks and in the process have a better relationship with your step daughter? Sounds like a win win to me.

[david_dawei]

Certainly one can find it in many cultures, east and west...

 

If she wants to do it, I would try to support her... but encourage her to talk to the teacher and carefully plan the explanation. There are so many variations of it that one can also find one not too objectionable (Hindu's add dots in some versions of it)... in the east, it has also been an emblem used by buddhist.. which is clearly the most non-threatening of followers one can find...

[tonado]

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

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

I say use it, and without a second thought. It's one thing to offend another group or individual by design, and quite another for a group to claim they were "offended." It's sad that one has to even consider this sort of thing before they speak or give a presentation, but your concern is real. I say she go ahead and present it. Learning to present a case that is in no way designed to offend another, can help strengthen one's character in the midst of outcry. The measure for determining whether political correctness has run amuk, is by looking back to see how many times we modify our behavior each day so as not to offend. Learning deference to others is a character quality only learned by experience. Attempting to be politically correct shows just the opposite.

[tywy_99]

http://www.geocities.com/peteyeep/sc.jpg

 

Here's the pic.

I'm sure there will be some recoil from it. People will talk.

It would be okay if not for the symbol.

I admit that I was a bit uneasy about it when I first saw it. So I guess I'm going on the way I felt as to how others might feel too, teachers and students alike. Right now I am thinking, "let sleeping dogs lie" and not show this picture.

[Randy W]

Microsoft Loses the Swastika

 

It IS open to misinterpretation.

Edited November 24, 2006 by Randy W (see edit history)

[tonado]

Let her uses the picture and teach the class that Hitler stole the symbol. I showed my buddha jade necklace to my friends. It has a swastika in the back. Once I explained to them, they have no problem with me wearing it.

[Rakkasan]

I would go ahead and let your daughter use the photo for several reasons,

 

1) You noticed it and thought others might be offended. Your daughter didn't notice it and chances are her classmates will be more enthraulled by the shear size of the statue that they will not notice it either.

 

2) To prohibit the photos use by your daughter is to allow political correctness and iggnorance to prevail over intelligent thought and education. Remember the D.C. councilman who was forced to resign for his proper use of the word "niggardly", because the media was iggnorant of its meaning and thought it was a racist term.

 

3) School is supposed to be a place of learning and this will provide an excellent learning opportunity for all of the students. The decision about use of the photo should be left entirely up to your daughter. Inform her about possible responses she may receive and let her decide. Then support her decision 100%, to me that is part of being a parent. She will respect you for allowing her to make the decision.

 

4) Never let others decide how you should conduct your life. This should also be passed on to your daughter. To often now in the U.S. were are being forced to curtial our activities or told what to say or not say because there is a chance we might offend some minority or group. Look at how the NCAA was not going to let teams with names like "Indians" or "Braves" into their tournaments because someone thought use of those name might offend "Native Americans".

 

5) The swastika was around long before the Nazi party and should not be banned from the planet because of its use by a group of misguided racists. Look at this as an opportunity for your daughter to help reclaim the swastikas true meaning. To make her point that the symbol was around before the Nazi party, she can point to the floor tiles at St. James Episcopal Church as shown below.

 

St. James Episcopal Church (1927), http://altairdigital.com/stjohns.jpg

 

Let this be her decision with your full support. This is a chance to bond with her by being in her corner.

[david_dawei]

4) Never let others decide how you should conduct your life. This should also be passed on to your daughter. To often now in the U.S. were are being forced to curtial our activities or told what to say or not say because there is a chance we might offend some minority or group. Look at how the NCAA was not going to let teams with names like "Indians" or "Braves" into their tournaments because someone thought use of those name might offend "Native Americans".

IMO, this is a very important point to chinese thinking... I think it's a big mistake to stop her..

[SirLancelot]

I saw a photograph of a rather large statue somewhere in China depicting a goddess of some kind. The first thing that caught my eye was a carving of an aryan swastika on the breast of this statue.

My stepdaughter wants to use this picture in a powerpoint presentation for a school project. I don't know if it would be a good idea. Someone might take it the wrong way. Some people might be offended by it. I just don't know.

I knew the swastika was a symbol used by cultures long before the Nazis stole it. I never really thought about it being in Chinese culture.

I'm just afraid how it might be taken by people coming from a Chinese girl and the terrible stigma attached to the symbol because of the Nazis. She is the only Asian in a rural conservative highscool. I just don't want it to cause any trouble for her.

Maybe I'm over-reacting. My god; I have become my father!...

 

Any opinions are welcome. Thanks.

 

TY99, your reaction and recoil is appropriate given your knowledge of this perceived symbol. However, as Don points out, the Nazi swastika symbol and the Buddha symbol you see in that photo are different. As Don pointed out, the Nazi swastika is inverted (backwards) from that of the Buddha symbol. The Buddha symbol was in existence LONG before the Nazi stole it and inverted it.

 

This needs to be taught to the American students. I think your stepdaughter should show this photo but make sure she educates the students and teacher that this is a different symbol, pre-dating the Nazi swastika. It is different and is a peaceful symbol of Buddhism.

[Tony_onrock]

One of the things your daughter can tell is that during WWII, China was also part of the allies fighting against the nazi Japanese. In fact 14 million Chinese died in the war, as compared to 6 million Jewish people and she can tell her classmates that most Germans realized that they did something terrible, whether at that time it was justified or not. Yet most Japanese still believes that they were right in starting the war and killing the 14 million Chinese. The Swastika, like any symbol or religion (Japan being mostly Budists!) can be used for good or for evil.

[skibum]

Tony, At the time of WW2, Shinto was the main religion in Japan. That and Budhism now survive side by side. About the only way to tell the difference in which temple is which is the color. Shinto was more a state religion with the Emperor at its head and thus had the most members at that time. It is still an important religion eventhought McArthur removed the Emperor from his religious duties as a condition of him remaining Emperor.

[Dennis143]

Wow, I didn't know there were Chinese Nazi's, especially such ancient ones too.

[tonado]

Wow, I didn't know there were Chinese Nazi's, especially such ancient ones too.

 

You got it all wrong. No Chinese Nazi. You don't want a mop slap from the Chinese. Buddhalism.