No Swastikas: Difference between revisions
Replaced redirects
m (Mass update links) |
(Replaced redirects) |
||
(18 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope|wppage=Swastika}}
[[File:bizarroflag.gif|link=Company of Heroes|
{{quote|"''They're practically Nazis about the no-Nazis thing.''"|'''Scott Sharkey''', "[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId{{=}}3138296 Memoirs of an Urban Vigilante]"}}▼
▲{{quote|"''They're practically Nazis about the no-Nazis thing.''"|'''Scott Sharkey''', "[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3138296 Memoirs of an Urban Vigilante]"}}
Many a [[World War II]]-based game will not use a swastika to symbolise [[Nazi Germany|the Nazis]], instead using the Iron Cross (still a symbol of today's German Army, ''Bundeswehr'', albeit a modified version), the red-white-black tricolor of the 1871-1918 [[Imperial Germany|German Empire]], or alternatively the Balkenkreuz (pictured at right).
There's a simple reason for this
Use of the associated expressions, such as "Sieg Heil!" are also banned.
Line 15 ⟶ 14:
German Neo-Nazi groups choose to use symbols of [[Imperial Germany]] instead, which highly annoys German monarchist groups.
However, practically no one in English-speaking cultures knows this. Thus this trope, which often leads to censorship of swastikas in contexts that have ''nothing to do'' with the Nazis. Not only were the Nazis, well, Nazis, they were also [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|plagiarists]] (unless they were [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|time travelers]]). When people in English-speaking countries hear that there are
That said, the older tradition about Buddhist and Hinduist swastikas, used as a protective symbol, can sometimes be found in supernatural series like ''[[Kolchak the Night Stalker]]'' and ''[[The X-Files]]''.
Line 21 ⟶ 20:
There was even a real life instance during the Rape of Nanjing when the German businessman (He worked for Siemens, and was also a Nazi Party Member) John Rabe [[Pet the Dog|set up a protected area for refugees from the Japanese terror]] under the German flag, with its big swastika. Thus for thousands of Chinese, even the Nazi swastika returned to its Hindu meaning.
Lithuania
Recently, the export market has become increasingly important for Japanese creators of Anime and Manga. Despite the fact that swastikas are okay in Japan, many creators are nonetheless preemptively avoiding swastikas in order to make their works easier to export. Recent{{when}} examples include ''[[Naruto]]'' where the swastika on Neji's forehead was changed to an X and ''[[One Piece]]'' where Whitebeard's logo was changed from a swastika to a cross. While it may seem like these changes were [[Bowdlerise|Bowdlerization]] by foreign localizers, these changes were actually mandated by [[Executive Meddling|Japanese executives]], presumably so that foreign localizers wouldn't have to go through the trouble of doing the Bowdlerization themselves.
There is one particularly annoying case with the Manji, a Buddhist symbol of peace. It's shaped like a straightened Swastika but mirrored compared to the Nazi swastika, which leads to confusion in Western countries, as well as the [[Moral Guardians]] running around like headless chickens whenever one appears.
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* In the manga series ''[[Naruto]]'', Neji Hyuuga has a seal with a ''manji'' on his forehead. In the anime version, the mark was changed to [http://gallery.minitokyo.net/view/363307 resemble a simple "X"].
** While the monthly releases of the English manga have the manji symbols replaced with x's, the symbols are retained in the volume releases, as can be seen [http://naruto-mangaspoiler.blogspot.com/2012/02/masashi-kishimoto-interview-of-year.html here]{{Dead link}}.
* In ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'', one of the contenders in Genkai's tournament has a ''manji'' tattoo on his forehead. Naturally, it was edited from the Toonami airing on [[Cartoon Network]].
** The [[Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged|Abridged Series]] lampshades it during his fight; Yusuke calls him a Nazi then his opponent corrects him by saying it's a Buddhist mark (which the swastika was, until Hitler warped it into the symbol of hatred and evil most of the world know it as today).
Line 39 ⟶ 37:
* ''[[Bleach]]'': Played with in the case of Ichigo. His sword's quillon is swastika-shaped. In keeping with the Buddhist symbolism for harmony of spirit, Ichigo's journey through the manga has been one of seeking balance and harmony with three different aspects of his soul. For much of the manga, this quillon only appears when he enters bankai. This is almost a pun as the kanji for "ban" in bankai is the manji symbol (which means "complete" or "final", although another interpretation of "Bankai" can indeed read as "Final Solution"). In the US version, this was all left in.
** In the Fullbringer arc, when Ichigo's power is developing and energy surrounds his hand in the shape of his sword's quillon, the anime [[Bowdlerise|changes the shape]] slightly so the outline resembles a square. This is curious, since the anime retains the true shape on Ichigo's bankai sword.
* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' the cries of "Sieg Zeon!" at the state funeral of {{spoiler|Garma Zabi}} and at all other points were changed to "Hail Zeon!" for the English language version. This may have been somewhat more effective if the Zabis weren't so blatantly [[A Nazi
** Except that the nazi motto 'Sieg Heil' literally means 'hail to victory'. 'Sieg Zeon' just means 'victory Zeon', which makes no sense. It was ''corrected'' for the English version.
** And of course, that's before we get into how later productions, primarily ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory]]'' and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in
* In ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', the Neo-Nazi group that the cast fights against for two whole episodes is using the old SA logo, possibly a reference to Neo-Nazi groups evading the Swastika ban by using other symbols in real life. Their employer wears an SS wing, and in flashbacks to the event that launched the
▲** And of course, that's before we get into how later productions, primarily ''[[Gundam 0083]]'' and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in The Pocket (Anime)|Gundam 0080]]'', push the "Zeon = Nazis" thing to great lengths with uniforms and flags that are explicitly modeled on Nazi regalia (the only change being the Zeon emblem replacing the swastika). And then you recall how as of late, more and more ''Gundam'' stories [[Rooting for The Empire|paint Zeon as brave rebel heroes]]...
* One chapter of ''[[
▲* In ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', the Neo-Nazi group that the cast fights against for two whole episodes is using the old SA logo, possibly a reference to Neo-Nazi groups evading the Swastika ban by using other symbols in real life. Their employer wears an SS wing, and in flashbacks to the event that launched the arc -- the last trip of a German Submarine after the war -- some Swastika flags are seen.
* Averted in ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]''. It confused many Westerners when in one episode where Onizuka brings back his old bike gang together, he is seen [https://web.archive.org/web/20140217044500/http://twitpic.com/1ij6pp/full covering his face with a swastika]. It's not a square manji. It is a full on German right-facing diamond-shaped swastika (but roughly drawn and lacking the white circle). It is currently unknown how this was handled in Germany, as it is uncensored in the English dub ([[Moral Guardians|hard to believe, I know]]).
▲* One chapter of ''[[Apollos Song]]'' has the main character incarnated as a young soldier in Nazi Germany, escorting a trainload of prisoners to a concentration camp. Naturally, there isn't a swastika to be found.
▲* Averted in ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]''. It confused many Westerners when in one episode where Onizuka brings back his old bike gang together, he is seen [http://twitpic.com/1ij6pp/full covering his face with a swastika]. It's not a square manji. It is a full on German right-facing diamond-shaped swastika (but roughly drawn and lacking the white circle). It is currently unknown how this was handled in Germany, as it is uncensored in the English dub ([[Moral Guardians|hard to believe, I know]]).
* The manga ''[[Blade of the Immortal]]'' has the ''Manji'' as the emblem of the main character, whose name is Manji also. Many of the collected manga have an explanation about it in the foreward.
== Card Games ==
* In the ''
** This is the reason why a few Jewish groups [[Did Not Do the Research|thought that Pokemon was anti-Semitic,]] according to [[The Other Wiki]]. On the other side of the coin, the Islamic authorities in Saudi Arabia noticed that one of the energy symbols (a six-pointed star) vaguely resembled the Star of David, declared the game to contain subliminal Zionist propaganda and [[Banned in China|banned it]].
** The
** The Japanese version of the "Koga's Ninja Trick" card showed a manji symbol in the background along with illustrations of a Golbat and Ditto, which was edited to a generic Asian-looking seal on the international versions of the card.
* In the German language version of ''Illuminati: New World Order'', the "Hitler's Brain" card is replaced with "Jack the Ripper's Diary".
== Comic Books ==
* Any appearances of the swastika are routinely edited out by German publishers of the medium. However, in an issue of the DC/Marvel crossover event "Amalgam Comics" (Namely, "Super Soldier", a mixture of [[Superman]] and [[Captain America (comics)]]), two thirds of a swastika on the edge of a panel were missed. This was apparently enough to warrant a thorough search of an unfortunate comic book store by the related authorities.
* American publishers generally prefer not to include swastikas on covers, though they're usually fine with having them in the interior artwork. One example: the third issue of ''Fury: Peacemaker'', a [[Marvel Comics]] series set in [[World War II]], features a Nazi officer on the cover. His outfit is drawn to be historically accurate, which means it includes a swastika on his hat. Rather than change the art, Marvel strategically placed the book's logo so it covered up the swastika. You can see the untouched artwork in the collected edition of the series.
== Computer software ==
* Around 2004 Microsoft pushed a CRITICAL [http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;833407 Update 833407] to ''MS Office 2003'' through Windows Update. The description read: ''This item updates the Bookshelf Symbol 7 font included in some Microsoft products. The [[Useful Notes/Fonts|font]] has been found to contain unacceptable symbols. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.'' Three symbols are removed from the font: two swastikas, and one
== Fan Fic ==▼
* The ''[[Hellboy (Comic Book)|Hellboy]]'' fan/photo comic ''Abe and Kroenen'' uses action figures of said characters. One of Kroenen's figurines is from the beginning of the movie and omits the white circle and black swastica from his red armband (he gets to keep his [[Nice Hat]] and [[Badass Longcoat]]).▼
▲* The ''[[Hellboy (
== Film ==
* When the second ''[[Godzilla]]'' movie was released in America, the American distributors added some scenes of stock footage. One of these scenes included swastikas (but not the Nazi kind; the good luck kind). These were nevertheless edited out very sloppily; either the distributors didn't know about the different kind of swastikas, or wanted to be extra careful.
* The not-very-good Richard Burton film ''Bluebeard'' (1972) seems to be set in the early part of Nazi rule of Germany (why, when it's ostensibly a retelling of the Bluebeard legend, nobody knows) and has a rather goofy-looking [https://web.archive.org/web/20120904223317/http://www.jabootu.com/images/bbswas.jpg workaround] for the swastika.
* There are swastikas aplenty in ''[[The Producers]]'', although it's to be expected given that their scheme hangs on a play called ''[[Springtime for Hitler]]''. But they don't just have them, they make jokes about them too, which probably not just averts this trope but stomps all over it.
{{quote|
** This is understandable, considering the play is ''supposed'' to be as horrifically offensive as possible.
** The German version of ''[[The Producers]]'' has swastikas too. The musical itself was not modified but in every piece of advertisement they replaced it with a pretzel.
** Mel Brooks has stated that his intention with shenanigans like [[The Producers]] is to make Hitler so ridiculous that no one can take him seriously anymore. Given what a [[Large Ham]] Der Fuhrer was, it's not exactly a gargantuan challenge.
{{quote|
'''Bialystock and Bloom:''' He didn't need our help! }}
* An early example of this appeared in 1936's ''[[Charlie Chan]] At The Olympics'', which were, of course, held in [[Nazi Germany|Berlin]] that year; all the numerous swastikas that appear (including on the ''[[Hindenburg]]'') are carefully [[Pixellation|blotted out]].
* The Judean People's Front Suicide Squad in [[Monty Python]]'s ''[[Life of Brian]]'' yet. They march around speaking in hacked up German accents wearing a swastika intertwined with a Star of David on their heads. A rare deleted scene (you can find it on some versions of the DVD) has Brian talking to the leader of the squad, Otto, who tells him that their mission is to create a 'pure Jewish society' without all the 'gypsies and gays and such like'. The whole gang is essentially reverse-Nazis... it's quite obvious why the scene was deleted.
** If you're accusing the Pythons of sensitivity, that's [[Dead Baby Comedy|not very likely]]. They've pretty much said that scene was cut because it was a waste of time and ruined the movie's pacing.
* When ''[[Sin City]]'' was released in France and other parts of Europe, scenes were edited to remove any trace of Miho's specialized shuriken because it resembled a swastika. The shuriken in question is technically shaped like a ''manji'' and has an Eastern origin, fitting the character. Apparently, European censors were unaware of this.
* ''[[Captain America:
== Literature ==
* In-universe example: in ''[[Harry Potter and
== Live
* The episode of ''[[
* ''[[Kolchak the Night Stalker]]'' discussed this at length in the episode "Horror in the Heights", where swastikas were being painted on walls in a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. It turns out the culprit is an elderly Hindu demon hunter using the symbol to protect the locals from the [[Monster of the Week]].
* Celebrity gossip show ''TMZ'' harped on a guy (AJ English, for those who care) who was wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it when posing for a photo with [[Taylor Swift]]. In his defense, he claimed he wears the shirt solely for the propose of deconstructing the symbol's negative connotations. [[Captain Obvious|Obviously]], it didn't work.
Line 101 ⟶ 92:
* The now-famous crossed-hammers insignia of [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[The Wall]]''.
* The Hanzel and Gretyl album ''Über Alles'', of which many of its songs related to Nazism, was careful not to show any swastikas.
* The Nazi Germany segments in [[
* Latvian band Skyforger had [https://web.archive.org/web/20121008122952/http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/S/Skyforger/pics/121765_logo.jpg a logo with an archaic pre-Nazi swastika making up the 'O'] Due to them attracting a lot of neo-nazis/NSBM fans, they [https://web.archive.org/web/20071027173226/http://www.party-san.net/bandlogos08/skyforger_logo.gif changed the logo] and added a disclaimer to their albums which reads "No Nazi stuff here!" and they released an official statement on their website explaining that they find Nazism to be abhorrent. [[Misaimed Fandom|Still, some fans are confused.]]
* [[Kiss]] has had problems with these laws in Germany, as another verboten symbol is the stylized 'lightning bolt' S used by the SS
== Theater ==
* As part of the promotion of the German stage version of ''[[The Producers]]'', the theatres it played in were decked out with Nazi regalia, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|albeit with pretzels in place of swastikas.]] [http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/springtime-for-hitler-the-producers-lands-in-germany/ See here.]
== Toys ==
* Model kit manufacturer Revell's German division omits swastikas from all its WWII Germany related models, while the U.S. arm tends to avoid them entirely (leaving only Allied, modern military, civil aircraft, space/sci-fi-, cars, light commercial....)
** In fact, any model kit manufacturer who wants to sell their products in Germany will omit swastikas from the decal sheets of WWII era German military hardware (at least one going so far as to black out Hitler's face from a crowd scene on the ''box art''.) Some, however, have included decals of a "plus sign" and four separate "dash" decals, unmentioned on the instructions, leaving it to the modeler to assemble the offending symbol themselves, if they wish.
** Even non-Nazi swastikas are victims of this
* In the 1960s, a popular British TV series was ''[[The Colditz Story]]'' about World War
** But don't try selling them on [[
* Hasbro removed all swastikas from the German soldiers in the 2008 [[Indiana Jones]] series of figures. For instance, the figure of the German general from ''Last Crusade'' sports a completely black armband on his uniform.
* Likewise, all references to Nazism were removed from the Lego Indiana Jones line, because putting Nazi swastikas on freaking ''Lego'' would be [[This Is Wrong
** And yet, they did produce a [https://web.archive.org/web/20100501131830/http://www.othervoices.org/2.1/feinstein/auschwitz.html Concentration Camp Playset]. No, really. {{spoiler|Well, technically, it was an art piece made by a Polish artist out of existing Lego pieces. The only contribution by the Lego company was sponsorship and the design of the boxes. And after the inevitable outcry they distanced themselves from it. But still.}}
** Heck, they're even called "enemy" soldiers instead of "German" soldiers.
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Battlefield (
** It is also played straight in ''[[Battlefield Heroes]]''
* A [
** In ''[[Doom (
* The [[Bowdlerise
** There were [[Bowdlerise
** Its modern-day sequel, ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'', [
** Wolfenstein RPG plays this trope straight, to accommodate it's [[Lighter and Softer]] atmosphere. Eagle insignias are used in place of swastikas, and the Nazis are referred to as "Germans" or "Axis". There are even portraits of Hitler, with his moustache turned into a goatee.
** The German version of the 2009 ''[[Wolfenstein (
* In ''[[
* Commercials for the recent game "Turning Point: Fall of Liberty"- in which America never entered [[World War II]], Germany beat Russia, and Britain was no match for the Axis, and Nazis are now taking over 1950s America- originally showed the Iron Cross on the flags. Thankfully this seems to have been changed to be more realistic. Preview pictures seemed to do a similar flip-flop.
* The Paradox Entertainment strategy game ''Hearts of Iron 2'', set before, during and after WWII, replaces the swastika-centric Nazi flag with a Black-White-Red tricolor, symbol of the old monarchist German Empire which the Nazis briefly revived, then banned. On the other hand, it refuses to remove the flag of Tibet used in game, which is [[Banned in China|banned in the People's Republic of China]].
** In the German release it goes even further, removing the entire high tier of the Nazi Party and thus ridding the game of its [[World War II|entire cause]]. Pathetic because this is not required by German law.
** However this is not done in the German Versions of any of the standalone add-ons/follow on games in the Series. Swastikas are still missing, but Der Führer and all his henchmen are back.
* ''[[
* The villains of ''[[
* In the game ''[[City of Heroes]]'', Hitler's name is automatically censored by the profanity filter (mind you, it's easy to turn off said filter altogether). Said profanity filter is lifted wholesale from other games by the same publisher, so this may not be that special.
** The overthrow of the Fifth Column by the Council has been accused of being a [[Retcon]] (for history's sake, read more [http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/5th_Column_Controversy here]). The dev position was that it was part of the [[Myth Arc]] and now the Column's coming back, for real, good, and sure, with a character [[Darker and Edgier|named Reichsman]] taking a leading role. Really Seriously. We can stop the debate now.
Line 143 ⟶ 132:
* In the ''[[Il-2 Sturmovik]]'' combat flight sim series, the German planes never carry the black swastika and the Finnish planes do not carry the historical Von Rosen cross, a light blue swastika on a white circle. This, despite the fact that the adoption of the Von Rosen cross predates the adoption of the swastika by the NSDAP by several years, and in any case was done to honor the ''Swedish'' count Erik Von Rosen, who had donated planes to Finland during their civil war. Soviet planes in the same game still carry the red star, which of course has unsavory connotations for many. In the real world, the Russian military still use the red star, despite the Soviet Union having been gone for 20 years, although the version now carried by the Russian Air Force, at least, is a red star outlined in white and blue, thus including the three colors of the Russian Federations's flag.
** The original Russian version of the game has both German and Finnish swastikas. Russians don't seem to mind.
* Video Game Parody: Morden's Army in ''[[Metal Slug]]'', despite having no connection with the Nazis, has emblems that are strangely reminiscent of Nazi ones, but "poorly censored"
* Also ignored in the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda (
* ''[[Maken X]]'' and ''[[Maken Shao]]'' confused themselves over this one. German fighter Margarete and her troops wear red Nazi armbands and her fortress is full of Swastikas in the original Japanese version of ''Maken X''. In America and Europe, all swastikas were replaced with the equally geometrically pleasing but less-offensive Chinese character 'mu'. Apparently somebody liked this choice, or just didn't want to repeat the censorship, so all versions of the remake ''Maken Shao'' use the same symbol. American and European ''Maken X'' also found the roman numerals on [[The Pope]]'s wings changed (and the fact that he was The Pope was phased out), and a Muslim enemy's crescent-and-star design was erased.
* ''[[Freedom Force]] vs. The Third Reich'' also featured no swastikas. Appropriately, one of the first mods made for this game allowed the player to include them.
* In the adventure game adaptation of ''[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]'', we learn that Nimdok was a scientist working for the Nazis during World War II. His scenario takes place in a concentration camp, but all the swastikas are changed to a stylized "AM" logo (AM being the name of the psychotic [[Deus Est Machina]] [[Master Computer]] who's created the cruel scenario). Somewhat [[Justified Trope|justified]] in that all of it seems purposely censored by Nimdok's guilt-ridden
** This didn't stop them from entirely removing Nimdok's chapter from the German release, though, which made the game [[Unwinnable]].
* The game ''[[Lego Adaptation Game|Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures]]'' uses generic German soldiers. However, the coloring of the Colonel Vogel minifigure seems to suggest a Nazi eagle and all soldiers have blonde eyebrows and blue eyes instead of the standard black/brown eyebrows and black eyes every other character has.
** As do the officially licensed Indiana Jones Lego sets. This probably has something to do with the fact that the LEGO Group is sort of a [[Technical Pacifist]] of toy companies, refusing to manufacture "war toys"; that is to say, very realistic guns or contemporary military hardware. It doesn't stop them from selling accessories like flintlock pistols, revolvers, rifles, chainsaws and all manner of laser guns, though.
** In the level "Opening the Ark" there are several red flags hanging around that are obviously Third Reich flags, sans swastika; without said symbol, they do look rather odd, almost like a large red rug with black stripes hanging up to dry.
* In the video game ''[[Bully (
** Is it [[Fetish Fuel|wrong]] that he looked kinda hot in it?
** Later in the game, the nerds' leader Earnest has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITpX5wrVFKM&feature=player_detailpage#t=112s a flag design] for his presidential campaign: a green flag with a white circle in the middle and a tilted black "E".
Line 168 ⟶ 157:
* ''1941: Counter Attack'' pits you against [[World War II]] Germany. However, you never see a single swastika or a reference to Hitler.
* ''[[Hidden And Dangerous]]'' simply avoided hanging swastika banners in the levels, and the enemy models aren't detailed enough to tell if they're present on uniforms or not. Portraits of the Fuhrer turn up a few times, however.
* ''[[The Saboteur]]'' completely averts this trope, featuring swastikas on flags, Zeppelins and on armbands of Nazi soldiers. However, no direct reference to Hitler is made (only ever "The Fuhrer") and from early release trailers, all swastikas were replaced with the Iron Cross. Also, when Sean disguises himself as a Nazi, the armband disappears.
** German version still plays this straight, even with removing the few lines of Hitler taken from an old speech. Also, the game has a list of all people you killed, with "neutralised Germans" instead of "killed Nazis". Strangely the list says "killed civilians" instead of neutralise.
* ''[[Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin]]'' ''supposedly'' takes place during ''[[World War II]]'', but the game goes out of its way to avoid mentioning this. About the only time you'll be aware of the period is when one of the bosses kill off some [[Red Shirt]] soldiers.
* The "Fascist flag" in ''[[Naval Ops|Warship Gunner 2]]'' uses a plain black cross instead of a swastika or iron cross. German warship hulls are also missing the bow swastika.
* The point-and-click ''Secrets of Atlantis'' omits swastikas from the tail and interior decor of the ''Hindenberg'', and likewise skirts any direct mention of Nazis by using the Thule Society (obvious middlemen for the former) as antagonists.
* In the first ''[[Golgo 13]]'' game for the Famicom, Duke Togo fights against a group of Neo-Nazis led by a cyborg version of Adolf Hitler. In the NES version, they were turned into a generic terrorist group named Drek and Hitler was renamed Smirk. Like in ''Bionic Commando'', the developers made no attempt to alter Hitler's likeness for the overseas release.
* An odd example appears in [[Sonic Unleashed]]. In Holoska, there were snowmen wearing clothes. If Sonic were to stop running (fight the urge) and look at these clothes, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140816031819/http://www.tssznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/before-266x200.jpg swastikas could be spotted.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20140816032039/http://www.tssznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/after.jpg This has since been patched.]
== Western Animation ==
* The ''[[Justice League (
* In the episode of ''[[Hey Arnold
* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (
* One of the episodes of ''[[Super Mario Brothers|The Super Mario Bros. Super Show]]'' was an ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' parody, in which Koopa and his minions all wore Nazi uniforms with the swastikas replaced with a capital K.
* In the ''Spider-Man'' and ''X Men'' animations from the 1990s, Captain America was shown in [[World War
** ''[[X
* In the ''[[
** Although considering the obviousness of Cartman's outfit, marches, and chanting in <s>German</s> "Aramaic", [[Adults Are Useless|one wonders if they'd have noticed]].
* The writers of ''[[
* Used a couple of times in ''[[Ren and Stimpy]]'' first in "Maddog Hoek" when their wrestling opponents dress them in Nazi uniforms telling them they are the enemy the symbols on their arms and hats are x's (notably this scene was cut in the German dub), and in "Ren's Bitter Half" near the end Ren's evil side is dressed in a uniform reminiscent of a Nazi uniform and the symbol on his armband is an "R".
* ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'' follows this trope during Granny's [[World War
== Real Life ==
[[Image:Wigwam motel patent.jpg|thumb|The [[wikipedia:Wigwam Motel|Wigwam Motel]] patent (USA, 1936).]]
* The National Guard's 45th Infantry Division is from Oklahoma, and so during WWI its unit patch was a swastika. It has since been changed to a Thunderbird.
* Since the swastika originated in India as a symbol of good luck, it's used as frequently as a yin yang or smiley face would be used in America.
** One of the few exceptions Germany makes for the
* [http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/google-earth/google-earth-helps-spot-swastika+shaped-building-304670.php A 40-year old swastika-shaped Navy building] in San Diego was discovered to have the peculiar shape via Google Earth, and the Navy has pledged to fix it as soon as possible.
** Hopefully they won't, because right across the street there are [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.676108,-117.157688&spn=0,0&t=k&hl=en two bomber-shaped buildings flying towards it].
*** That... '''[[Fridge Brilliance|is brilliant]]'''.
*** '''[[Completely Missing the Point|but the bombers look like they're in someone's crosshairs!]]'''
* There's also the [
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20131113092548/http://naziforest.ytmnd.com/ OMG, Secret Nazi Forest!]
* One online patent archive includes patents filed in Nazi Germany, but the swastika is strategically blanked out on the Reich emblem in the header. Of course, anyone with a rudimentary grasp of history knows which symbol is supposed to go where the black blob now sits.
** U.S. Design Patent 98,617 (for the [[wikipedia:Wigwam Motel|Wigwam Motels]], 17 December 1935) is a blueprint for [[Novelty Architecture]] in which each individual room in a roadside motel is a concrete teepee, on which a swastika-like symbol was displayed. Very close to the Nazi version (which was adopted in 1933), but rotated 45 degrees. By 1939 [[World War II|the world was at war]] and by 1941 [[Pearl Harbor|even the US knew]] something was wrong. The symbol is now conspicuously absent both from the real buildings and the fictional [[Shout Out]] portrayals "Tee Pee Motel" (''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', 2004) and "Cosy Cone Motel" ([[Pixar]] ''[[Cars]]'', 2006).
** Visit some pre-WWII hotels in areas like South Dakota. The
* In countries where the Swastika is banned, it is not unheard of for Neo-Nazi groups to just not use it at all. Instead, they use lesser known Nazi symbols, like the SA logo, the Life Rune, the SS runes, or the three point swastika (called a triskelion). Other groups, especially in English-speaking countries, are also known to use the Celtic cross.
** Which are mostly also forbidden in Germany. You can't even have the letters SS on your license plate.
Line 208 ⟶ 198:
*** So does that mean that they never got to see [[Back to The Future]]?
** No triskelions? The Manx people are waiting with their army of angry cats, Germany...
* Shortly
** Up till a few years ago,{{when}} the Bundeswehr's ceremonial guard units were still using KAR-98k rifles of WWII vintage with the Nazi Waffenamt eagles still stamped on each and every part. After discovering that the Federal Army was bearing on a regular basis gear marked with unconstitutional symbols, they went through the trouble to disassemble the guns and etch out every mark they could find. The early Israeli Army had the same problem, as they used a lot of surplus KAR-98ks. Not wanting to discard otherwise perfectly useful weaponry, they deleted the most egregious examples, replacing them with an engraved Star of David for additional irony. This was done inconsistently, probably on the basis of whether a unit's quartermaster cared enough to bother. Some Israeli K98k rifles retained their full Nazi markings.
** As the MG-42 machine gun used by the Wehrmacht is almost completely identical to the MG-3 the German Bundeswehr uses today (save for a slightly larger barrel in the 42 - that can be exchanged in four moves in less than 10 seconds anyway - and one or two other, lesser modifications) there are still some MG-3s around that have swastikas imprinted on them. Some cases even have the 42 obviously scratched and a 3 imprinted instead.
* There's a small town called 'Swastika' in Northern Ontario which refused to change the name of the town during WWII because A) They had the name first
** The government actually [
* [
* According to Unicode.org's [http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=842c Unihan search engine], one of the three possible ideograms for ''wàn'' (ten thousand or countless) is an anticlockwise swastika, hence this is the only one of the three which you won't see on [[Mahjong]] Characters tiles (at least in the Western Hemisphere). However, this may be why some Mahjong authorities claim that the ''wàn'' character means "good luck" (although in this context, "ten thousand" is a more accurate interpretation).
* On a very popular writers' forum called Absolute Write, one of the members had an ancient Buddhist symbol in their signature to signify their coping with the loss of their father. It was mistaken for a swastika (which it looks like, turned 45 degrees) by a blogger and caused quite an uproar. In the end, the board let it stay due to its nature as a healing symbol.
* Averted by Finland. The two highest military decorations of Finland, the [
** Which is somewhat ironic when you consider the fact that Finland was an ally of the Nazis during World War II.
*** Not really, since it would actually be ironic if they had been fighting ''against'' the Germans (which, incidentally, they did following their making peace with the Soviets). Besides, the swastikas were arranged differently or otherwise were designed to not resemble the Nazi swastika (that's actually true for a lot of swastikas, such as the reverse one, which often get confused with the Nazi symbol since in the public imagination
* On Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese maps, swastikas are often used to indicate the location of Buddhist temples. Yes, this also applies to Google Maps, which startles quite a few western people when they first see it.
* [[Rudyard Kipling]] adopted the swastika as part of his personal bookplate, inspired by his time in India. However, after the Nazis came to power, he had it removed from his published works.
* Also known as the 'fylfot', swastikas dating from 1920 appear on the floor of the entrance hall to the Customs House in Sydney, Australia, now home of the City of Sydney Library. There's an explanatory plaque nearby.
▲* Visit some pre-WWII hotels in areas like South Dakota. The swatstika was a common symbol among the Native Americans. Buildings that include the shape will either have obliterated or modified the symbol, or will spend a lot of time explaining it to tourists.
** This was a quite common practice in many regions prior to WWII. It's a simple to create and fairly attractive symbol in tile flooring (if you can get past the Nazi appropriation of it, that is).
▲* Also known as the 'fylfot', swastikas dating from 1920 appear on the floor of the entrance hall to the Customs House in Sydney, Australia, now home of the City of Sydney Library. There's an explanatory plaque nearby.
▲** This was a quite common practice in many regions prior to WWII. It's a simple to create and fairly attractive symbol in tile flooring (if you can get past the Nazi appropriation of it, that is).
* The Serbo-Croatian word for "sister-in-law" is "Svastika." YMMV as to whether it applies in your personal case or not....
* The CU (Credit Union) Service Center has [[media:
* At least some American public schools have low tolerance for swastikas to the point where students are forbidden to include them in pictures containing Nazi soldiers or flags and will get in trouble if they do.
* Subverted by skateboard truck manufacturer Independent Truck Company, who used a variation of the Iron Cross, i.e. the French Cross pattée, as their logo. Co-founders Richard Novak and Jay Shiurman expressed concerns that the logo looked "too Nazi", but Jim Phillips, the logo's designer, was able to justify the logo by showing a Time Magazine cover of Pope John Paul II wearing vestments with the symbol in question—'Well, if the Pope has it, it must be okay!' They did however put up a disclaimer explaining their use of the logo and disassociating themselves from any supremacist hate group, especially in this day and age where neo-fascist and alt-right groups have sprung up.<ref>[https://independenttrucks.com/our-logo Independent Trucks]</ref>
{{reflist}}
Line 233 ⟶ 223:
[[Category:Politics Tropes]]
[[Category:Reichstropen]]
[[Category:
|