10/03/02: The History of a Symbol

[jaguar]

Gah i dissipear for one day, come back and have de ja vou all the way down this thread.

It sounds to me like they're visiting the damn site. That sounds like an interest to me. Excuse the hell out of them for not being experts in the matter.

No. They don't. That is the issue. They're there because it a bus stopover between one gift shop and the next. If they did they'd god forbit listen to the rather bored and ignored tour guides or various leaflets and pamphlets around most places the majority of toursts go. Noone knows things before they go tehre, but if they leave thinking buddhist graves are decorated with swastikas then its thier own goddamn ignorence.

God forbid somebody might want to relaxe air conditioned comfort on their well earned vacation. Maybe the all tourists should head out to the country and live off the land while living in a cardboard box. Then they could take some interest in the regional culture.

Then go to fiji, or bali, or Hawaii, or Europe. Don't go to a third world country then bitch because the resort expect you to swim in the big bad ocean.

I've spent hours explaing, talking to and learning from tourists, its great. Some people are facinated, eager to learn and attempt to respect adn understand local traditions and cultures - its kinda the point of being there. On the other hand some people i've been tempted to tempted to run though with a ceremonial spear. Nothign against toursts - or Americans, or American tourists, jsut pigheaded ignorant closed minded morons. Who happen to be tourists.


Urbane - where did you get Western Australia? I was reading a book about runes today, one of which evolved from the 45degree swastika, its amazing how it pops up in some many different cultures with similar meanings. Its interesting in particualr because it evolved into a germanic symbol at one stage which looks like the vertical bar/endings of the swastika without the horizontal one.