My guilty obsession with swastikas - Imprint - Salon.com:
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[notice the nazi logo has been flipped (the tips point clockwise)
which is different than other versions of this ancient symbol. The
Romans did the same when they assimilated the Greek Alphabet]
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"As a designer I have long been fascinated by the unmitigated power of the swastika. Yet as a Jew I am embarrassed by my fascination. This paradox is one reason why I wrote the book 'The Swastika: A Symbol Beyond Redemption?' Though working on it did not resolve my conflict. Indeed I have become even more obsessed with the symbol -- more drawn to yet repulsed by it."
Since my book was published in March 2000 I have received various letters from well-intentioned people accusing me of bias. A Native American wrote that the swastika is his people's symbol and my assertion that it should never be revivified in Western culture is presumptuous and racist. He argues that the whites stole his land and now his icons. Another critic stated that no one remembers the logos of Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan, likewise in 1,000 years or less who will remember the symbol of Hitler's 12-year Reich. He feels that the ancient meaning of the swastika will ultimately triumph. Similarly, an Asian-American wrote that in his culture, the red swastika is his emblem of good fortune, and described how his local green grocer displays it in his shop. Why, he asks, if the meaning is diametrically opposed to the Nazis, should I care whether or not it is used in this cultural context?
(Amazon)
