re: #368 marjoriemoon

Interesting article on the subject from 2005.

Hindus reclaim their symbol of life

The swastika is a 5,000-year-old symbol that has been used for centuries by Hindus, Buddhists and many other traditions to denote good luck, but because of the Nazis it has come to symbolise hate, anti-Semitism, violence, death and murder. The campaign, announced today, comes after members of the European Parliament called for a Europe-wide ban on the symbol after Prince Harry wore a swastika armband to a fancy dress party.

…

Hindus use the right-facing version of the swastika, meaning “sun”, as jewellery or on doorways and buildings to bring good fortune. This was the version adopted by the Nazi Party in 1920 at Salzburg.

It is thought that Allied wartime propaganda is responsible for the false belief that at Hitler’s insistence the swastika was later reversed to the left-facing version, meaning “death” in Hindu mythology.

That last bit is what I thought.

Heh. A key part of the culture wars is battling over who has the right to use a word to mean what. I see it’s not restricted to the USA.
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Btw, it’s my impression that theocratic Indian society was developed by Dravidians who are related to Australian aborigines. The “Aryans” were light-skinned conquerors who installed themselves in the top castes. (It always seemed weird that the Shah reminded me of Krishnamurti.)

It’s also my impression that the foregoing interpretation of history is being revisited.