America's War on Language

[Joel S. Berson]

At 9/4/2014 11:29 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>On Sep 4, 2014, at 8:03 PM, W Brewer <brewerwa at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the 
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       W Brewer <brewerwa at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: America's War on Language
> > 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > WG:  <<My friend, Hideo, . . . chose to go with a nice swastika.>>
> > WB:  Swastikas can be seen anywhere in Taiwan; they are identified with
> > Buddhism. When first arriving in Taiwan, I saw packages of instant noodles
> > with swastika logos. I call the TKU student union <<Nazi Headquarters>>,
> > because at the entrance is an elaborate fac,ade of hundreds of Hakenkreuze.
> > And of course as decorations on the ubiquitous shrines, temples, and
> > statuary therein.
> >     Hideo's classmates might have been drawing pictures of Jesus, back
> > when it was okay to do so in school. But, ya never know. He mighta had a
> > midget sub in his basement. Better safe than sorry. Assume he didn't have
> > any bansai plants, that woulda clinched it.
>
>Although there seems to be some cross-over, 
>orientation is important. The right-handed 
>swastika is the Nazi symbol. The left-handed swastika is Buddhist. BB


Are you sure?  I wondered, and looked at the 
Wikipedia article, which discusses "Geometry" and 
says "Nazi 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensign>ensigns had 
a 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_and_through>through 
and through image, so both versions were present, 
one on each side, but the 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_flag#Nazi_Germany>Nazi 
flag on land was right-facing on both sides and 
at a 45° rotation."  The swastika illustration it 
calls "a 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol>symbol of 
auspiciousness in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism" 
also is right-facing.  (The swastika on the Nazi 
flag, however, is rotated 45 degrees; see "Flags of Germany".)

Joel 

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