I don't see myself ever wearing one, but I can respect the desire of these artists to turn the symbol of Germany's Nazi regime (and their ideological descendants) back into the Sanskrit / Buddhist religious symbol of peace and virtue it originated from (and is still usually used for in Asia — I remember seeing them all over the place when touring India, which was mildly jarring).
To think, it was only a decade ago that Microsoft got rid of the symbol in its Bookshelf Symbol font (https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2004/04/01/oooooh_critical.html).
Peace and Love, via Swastikas
Some graphic designers are trying to embrace the pre-Nazi meaning of the symbol.
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The author (Steven Heller) of the Atlantic article that you link to, wrote a book expressing doubt about the swastika ever overcoming its association with Nazism. That book was also as misleading as the Atlantic article. Heller is an example of why the swastika will have difficulty overcoming its link to Nazism, because Heller refuses to tell readers the actual name of the group: The German socialists. He will not tell anyone that they did not call themselves “Nazis.” He is covering up the fact that their symbol was used by them to represent crossed “S” letters for “socialism” (the name of their group and what they called themselves) and that is why it was turned 45 degrees from the horizontal and always pointed in the “S” letter direction. It was similar to what they did with other rune-style symbols (i.e. the SS symbol is two S’s for “Schutzstaffel”; the VW is a “V” and a “W” for “Volkswagen”; the SA symbol is an “S” and an “A” for “Sturmabteilung”; and the NSV symbol is an “N” and an “S” and a “V” for “Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt”). That is why they called it a “Hakenkreuz” (hook cross) and they did not call it a “swastika.” If Heller really wanted to “help” the swastika, then he would explain the above and distinquish the swastika from the alphabetical symbolism of German socialism. The writer Steven Heller is angry and jealous because he did not make the discoveries made by the symbologist and author Dr. Rex Curry, who explained all of the above. Now Steven Heller is spending his career writing dishonest cover-ups such as the above. The misnomer “swastika” for the German socialist symbol was popularized in an effort to rehabilitate the dogma of socialism and also to distance the Christian Cross, by slandering a foreign symbol (the swastika). People who actually want to rehabilitate the “swastika” will explain the above in order to distinguish the “swastika” from the “Hakenkreuz.” Most people who read this will continue to ignore all of the above, and will continue to refer to the German socialist symbol as a “swastika,” and will continue to slander the foreign symbol and word (swastika), as if they too desire to rehabilitate “socialism,” and to promote/protect the Christian cross.
@Tiffany – Thanks for the commentary. A few thoughts.
1. The National Socialist (not “German socialists”) party was not, in fact, a “socialist” party. Indeed, the Socialists (and the Communists) were both rival political parties (and street gangs) in Weimar Germany vs each other and the National Socialists (and others); the SA were early on the street-fighters of the National Socialists, better organized and thus more successful. National Socialism had little to do with Socialism in principle; the “S” word was adopted by them as a means of associating with a movement that was relatively popular (and to redefine “socialism” to refer to a uniting of German nationalist groups both poor and wealthy).
2. No, they did not call themselves “Nazis,” any more than Communists in Russia called themselves “Commies” — that was an English shortening of Nationalsozialismus, the German for “National Socialism.”
3. The use of the swastika / Hakenkreuz predated the National Socialist party in Germany. Also, though the official National Socialist flag had the symbol at a 45 degree angle, there were a number of instances of it being used at 90 degree angles.
4. You are correct that the term used in Nazi literature was Hakenkreuz (at least in Mein Kampf). The term “swastika” was used in English-speaking countries for the symbol, though, well before the post-war period, including later references to the National Socialist flag; it was not applied after the war to “rehabilitate socialism” or to distance the Christian churches from the National Socialist regime.
5. The use of the Hakenkruez by the National Socialists had a number of rationales, including the association of the cross for Christian Germans, and the use of a symbol that was associated with proto-Europeans / Aryans / proto-Germanic peoples (per the much earlier Émile-Louis Burnouf and Heinrich Schliemann). This tied into the racial theories of the National Socialists quite neatly. That the cross formed (in the right-facing form) two “S” symbols is true, but the association was used in a variety of ways, including as as “Sieg” symbols to represent victory.
6. I can’t speak for Heller’s book, having not read it. I don’t see any particular deception, anger, or jealousy in what he’s written in this article, though he’s clearly pessimistic about the symbol, regardless of its formal name, making a come-back any time soon.
7. The use of “alphabetical symbolism” (or “abbreviations” as we often call them) was not unique to National Socialism. We often abbreviate in English names of groups and so forth. One difference between English and German is that German often creates long compound words — thus “Nationalsozialismus” — rather than multi-word terms — “National Socialism.” The practical need to abbreviate such groups, either through letters (as with the SA, the SS, or the VW) or through shortening forms of words (such as the Geheime Staatspolizei becoming known as the Gestapo) is obvious and universal enough not to require comment.
Thank you very much for agreeing with my comments about the Hakenkreuz being used by German national socialists to represent crossed “S” letters for “socialism” (as shown in Dr. Curry’s work). Steven Heller was unaware of that fact when he wrote his book.
In fact, thank you for agreeing with and supporting all of my post’s points. The term “swastika” continues to be used to cover-up for all of the above (including covering up the use by German national socialist of the symbol as crossed “S” letters for “socialism”).
@Tiffany – I don’t think I ever agreed with you that the Hakenkreuz or its selected direction was selected to be an “S” for socialism. Even if it were, it was a common symbol in use prior to the National Socialists (who, again, weren’t really “socialists”), commonly known in English as a “swastika” after its Sanskrit name.
You agreed with me, and you certainly did not disagree, and that remains the case in your latest post, so thank you again. You said that the Germans under Hitler called themselves socialists; that “the official National Socialist flag had the symbol at a 45 degree angle, there were a number of instances of it being used at 90 degree angles,” showing your agreement that their symbol was altered; you conceded “That the cross formed (in the right-facing form) two “S” symbols is true”; and you conceded that “the association was used in a variety of ways”; and you conceded that “The use of “alphabetical symbolism” (or “abbreviations” as we often call them) was not unique to National Socialism”; and you referenced the use as “Sieg” symbols to represent “victory” (and specifically the victory of their goal, their self-identified dogma of “socialism”); and another reference by you to the “S” symbolism of the “Sieg” rune, the alphabetical symbolism of the schutzstaffel (and it is a good bet that you are going to concede that the “SS” symbol was intended as alphabetical symbolism of two “S” letters for “schutzstaffel”; just as you conceded the use of similar stylized alphabetical symbolism for the SA, the NSV, and the VW (it is a good bet that you are going to concede the letters “V” and “W” for Volkswagen”; the SA symbol is an “S” and an “A” for “Sturmabteilung”; and the NSV symbol is an “N” and an “S” and a “V” for “Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt”); you conceded “The practical need to abbreviate such groups, either through letters (as with the SA, the SS, or the VW) etc.” None of your comments disputes my post. You tried to finesse the situation by trying to limit it to whether the symbol was originally “selected” by Germans for that purpose (that is not the point); and you tried to finesse the situation by saying that the symbol had been used before the German socialists for other purposes (again that is not the point); and you again said that you don’t think they were really socialists (again that is not the point). So Thanks again for your support!
@Tiffany –
The National Socialists (here, let’s call it the NSDAP for its full name, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) did in fact use the “S” word in their name, but were not, in fact, Socialists (in fact Socialists and Communists were both attacked and persecuted under the NSDAP regime) — thus removing any need for anyone to conspire “to rehabilitate ‘socialism'” by using the non-German word for the symbol adopted by the Germans.
I agreed that the official use in the flag of the Hakenkreutz by the NSDAP was at 45 degrees; while most ancient uses of the same symbol were at 90 degrees, that was neither universally true nor did the Third Reich only use it at 45 degrees. In either case, it doesn’t make it any easier to read the cross elements as an “S”; suggesting that was the reason for the “alteration” doesn’t make any sense.
I’ve not found any basis for thinking that the Hakenkreutz was specifically selected by Hitler or other groups specifically as an “S” formation (let alone to stand for “Socialism”), or any reference for that being what it stood for from any German period source.
The National Socialists (here, let’s call it the NSDAP for its full name, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) did in fact use the “S” word in their name, and were, in fact, Socialists (in fact Socialists and Communists were both attacked and persecuted under Hitler’s German socialists and that is classic behavior of socialists, as it was under the socialists Stalin and Mao, who slaughtered even more socialists (by at least double each) than did the German socialist leader) — thus providing the need for many people (and you are an example) to “rehabilitate ‘socialism’” by using the non-German word for the symbol adopted by the Germans and for denying that the German symbol was used to represent “S” letters for their “socialism” (as discovered by the historian Dr. Rex Curry).
The symbol was commonly known in English as a “hooked cross” as well as a “swastika,” however, the swastika term became predominant, and the reasons for that change included all that has been discussed here, and all that you yourself continue to demonstrate in your use of the term.
You agreed with all of the that the official use in the flag of the Hakenkreutz by the NSDAP was at 45 degrees; You again concede that the German socialist symbol was altered when you state “while most ancient uses of the same symbol were at 90 degrees, that was neither universally true nor did the Third Reich only use it at 45 degrees.” And you also concede that you have no explanation for why the alteration occurred. It does make it easier to read the cross elements as an “S”; suggesting that was not the reason for the “alteration” doesn’t make any sense. When the alteration was made it was done clearly for a reason and that was the reason. You have no other explanation for the alteration, thank you.
You have found a basis (many of them) for thinking that the Hakenkreutz was used (again you try to side-step the issue here by saying “specifically selected”) by Hitler specifically as an “S” formation (to stand for “Socialism”), and you have conceded those reasons: you conceded that “the association was used in a variety of ways”; and you conceded that “The use of “alphabetical symbolism” (or “abbreviations” as we often call them) was not unique to National Socialism”; and you referenced the use as “Sieg” symbols to represent “victory” (and specifically the victory of their goal, their self-identified dogma of “socialism”);
Here is another basis that you have conceded: another reference by you to the “S” symbolism of the “Sieg” rune, the alphabetical symbolism of the schutzstaffel (and it is a good bet that you are going to concede that the “SS” symbol was intended as alphabetical symbolism of two “S” letters for “schutzstaffel”;
Here is another basis that you have conceded: just as you conceded the use of similar stylized alphabetical symbolism for the SA, the NSV, and the VW (it is a good bet that you are going to concede the letters “V” and “W” for Volkswagen”; the SA symbol is an “S” and an “A” for “Sturmabteilung”; and the NSV symbol is an “N” and an “S” and a “V” for “Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt”); you conceded “The practical need to abbreviate such groups, either through letters (as with the SA, the SS, or the VW) etc.”
What are you going to say next: that during that alteration and the years of use of the symbol, no one, including Hitler, ever noticed the “S” shape of the Hakenkreuz? YOU are the one who didn’t notice. You could have made this remarkable discovery about the symbol but you were so blinded by your own need to deny what they called themselves, that you could not think clearly about what they were doing with the symbol. Now you know.