The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by oakdale160 »

Do street corner surveys in London, Los Angeles or Sydney--ask 18-20 yr olds what they know about Adilf Hitler--Adolf Who?
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

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Saw this on a bus yesterday and it got me wondering that they still dont know what it symbolises ...
10805594_1591475281088290_7611159310470808467_n.jpg
And here is the Buddhist one again ...
buddhist.jpg
buddhist.jpg (18.82 KiB) Viewed 966 times
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by Bristolian »

http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/s ... astika.htm

In Buddhism, the swastika signifies auspiciousness and good fortune as well as the Buddha's footprints and the Buddha's heart. The swastika is said to contain the whole mind of the Buddha and can often be found imprinted on the chest, feet or palms of Buddha images. It is also the first of the 65 auspicious symbols on the footprint of the Buddha.

Quite commonly seen all over Asia and for the most part has nothing to do with the symbolism of the Natzi Party.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by sateeb »

/\..The image shown in the photo of Buddha is the correct way. The swastika on the bus is rotated and symbolizes how the Nazi Party displayed it.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by dtaai-maai »

Here's an interesting little snippet:
In Thailand, the word "Sawadi" is normally used as a greeting; Sawadica (feminine) and Sawadicup (masculine). "Sawadi" derives from the Sanskrit word "swasti" and its meaning is a combination of the words: prosperity, luck, security, glory, and good.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by dtaai-maai »

sateeb wrote:/\..The image shown in the photo of Buddha is the correct way. The swastika on the bus is rotated and symbolizes how the Nazi Party displayed it.
That's what I thought, but apparently the Buddhist swastika is used both ways.

[EDIT: Of course, it's quite easy to confuse the word "rotated" for "reversed"... :oops: ]
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by sateeb »

You may well be right, I thought the Asian use of the swastika was upright, right or left facing, never angled like the Nazis symbol.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by dtaai-maai »

^^Agreed, that's what I meant by my edit. :D
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by HHTel »

I've just looked at pics of budhist and hindu artifacts dating back sometimes thousands of years. They appear both right facing and left facing and even at the 45 degree turn (like the Nazi symbol). It's banned in some European countries but a ban Europe wide failed after a strong campaign from Hindus pointing out that it's been around for 5,000 years. It's unfortunate that the Nazis used it for their 'campaign'.

It was the Finnish Air Force roundel until 1945 and was a symbol of several non-political groups/organisations before that.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by kendo »

A figure used as a symbol or an ornament in the Old World and in America since ... of a cross with arms of equal length, each arm having a continuation at right angles. 2. this figure as the official emblem of the Nazi party and the Third Reich.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by pharvey »

Swastika. The word is a potent one. For more than one billion Hindus it means "wellbeing" and good fortune. For others, the cross with arms bent at right angles will forever symbolise Nazism. Yet England is seemingly awash with swastikas. Why?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26369329
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by Spitfire »

The one on the Buddhist statue picture is fair play (I reckon) but the one on the bus pushes it too far with the swastika angled in the surrounding white circle and red square, as that was only used for the nazi flag and is a direct reproduction.....which isn't fair play and it's disrespectful.

Imagery can be a powerful thing that can mean much to many. Lack of education and history isn't taught in many of these countries apart from nice warm fluffy "approved" stuff.
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Re: The Bangkok 'Hitler chic' fashion

Post by jumusman »

Spitfire wrote:The one on the Buddhist statue picture is fair play (I reckon) but the one on the bus pushes it too far with the swastika angled in the surrounding white circle and red square, as that was only used for the nazi flag and is a direct reproduction.....which isn't fair play and it's disrespectful.

Imagery can be a powerful thing that can mean much to many. Lack of education and history isn't taught in many of these countries apart from nice warm fluffy "approved" stuff.

This video shows how Thailand as a country takes it too far...




If you cannot watch the video above just go to You Tube and search for "John Oliver Hitler" it will come up...


John Oliver is great, he is probably the funniest guy on U.S TV at the moment, his delivery is excellent. I especially like 1:32 where the Thai kid applauds the other Thai kids painting of Hitler. I mean seriously... where do they get this stuff from ? I asked my girlfriend who just graduated university if they study Hitler at all and what happened during WW1 and WW2, she said they did but obviously they are not grasping the severity of what actually happened and how he affected the world as we know it. I mean Hitler Chicken in Bangkok, come on!

I remember living in Pattaya and the side street vendors had many swastika products for sale, including a giant wall sized flag. I think if Hitler was something that affected Thailand like it did most of Europe and some Thais actually died in the conflict then things would be different and this relaxed attitude to someone who killed over 6 million people would be different. I just guess it was something that happened to the rest of the world 1000's of miles away while they were chowing down on sticky rice and som tam... how nice for them.
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