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Originally Posted by axlrosen

I believe it is true, I've actually heard this before.

So, suppose the Nazis had used a cross, or a star of David, or a flag with stars and stripes as their symbol? Would it be wrong for Christians, Jews, or Americans to keep using that symbol that means so much to them?

No, it wouldn't be wrong for them to keep using it. I have no problem with Hindus using the swastika for their own culturally relevant reasons. And if all this is is a campaign to clear up misunderstandings, I have no problem with that either, but that's not the way I read it.

In introducing this, Undertoad said:

I'm not sure I could be convinced that this is a symbol of luck and/or prosperity. I don't mind if the Hindus use it differently, but I don't expect them to change our culture's notion of what it is.

I agree. My objection is with the Hindus trying to change my notion of what the symbol means, if indeed that's what they're trying to do.

I think people can understand context more than you give them credit for. When they see a swastika spray-painted on a tombstone in Georgia, they know it means something a lot different than when it's formed from thousands of candles in India. Just like people know the difference when they hear the "N word" in a rap song vs. me walking down the street yelling it at black people.

Maybe I haven't made myself clear enough, but my issue here really isn't with how people will react to the Hindus, whether they are offended or whatever. It has to do with the symbol that the swastika has become, and the importance of the history it represents - a history that really transcends any one culture. The story of the Nazi swastika applies as much to Rwanda in the nineties or Manifest Destiny (as we cleared out those pesky Indians). If what the Hindus are trying to do is transform the swastika into a symbol of peace, I object to that because it renders impotent a powerful symbol of the kind of evil that propels common men and women to participate in the mass killing of a stigmatized group of people.

Do you think that without swastikas, people will forget about the Holocaust?

People will forget about the holocaust anyway, as the generations pass. It's human nature. That's why we need reminders. That's why we build museums and memorials, and teach this stuff to our kids, despite the difficulty of the questions they ask. My question to you (and I'm assuming you're not a Hindu) is, if you had to choose, would you want your kids to grow up thinking the swastika is a symbol of peace, or a symbol of genocide?

By the way, thank you for your thoughtful post.