New Politics Party Ponders Use Of Ancient Symbol

[anothertorres]

quite different when put back to back:

i for one welcome the phasing out of Hitler's bastardization.

[G54]

That new logo looks like a Thai version of a roundabout on a major road.

[sanmiguellight]

Whilst the Nazi's obviously rebranded this logo, surely policy is more important and im too lazy to see what theres is .... Usually its just get in power at all costs to take control of the tea money.

[EvilDrSomkid]

I guess Time readership must be down. What a bunch of <deleted>.

If someone had not mentioned it, I do not think I would have make the association.

Call it cognitive dissonance.

Besides, there is no political party in Thailand that gives a flying f*** what the world outside (or inside) Thailand thinks about them.

NEXT!

[Jingthing]

Doesn't a strong PAD party just take away votes from the democrats, pretty much insuring a government led by Thaksinistas?

[dave111223]

Doesn't a strong PAD party just take away votes from the democrats, pretty much insuring a government led by Thaksinistas?

You're assuming there will be "votes" in the future.

[meelousee]

If the new PAD wants to use the swastika's power in its original eastern religious meaning that is their right and not necessarily offensive. However, that combined with the airport shutdown shows this is a group that doesn't care at all what the rest of the world thinks about their movement.

Supposing their new party gains power. Imagine the photos of big victory rallies with thousands of Nazi style flags. That will do wonders to revive tourism!

Wow I didnt think of that one.

[thaicbr]

Given that the PAD are little more than fascists themselves the 'soft swastika' logo is entirely appropriate.

With a name like yours are you taking the piss or what.

As another poster said they have been using the Hindi image in Buddhism for thousands of years. All of you lot that belittle it should get off ya high horses. Don't forget Hitler didn't come to Asia and most Thais no nothing about him.

[Cobalt60]

Looks like the side view of four hands with fingers and thumbs touching around a clover type leaf to me, bit of a stretch to get to a nazi swastika really.

[geriatrickid]

I'm surprised no one linked the logo Islamic extremists. Green after all is favoured by groups such Hizbollah and Hamas.

Green is also now being worn by Iranians protesting allegations of election fraud, although these poor disenfranchised people can hardly be described as Islamic extremists. All in how one wishes to invent associations.

The logo has nothing to do with Nazis and as much as I loathe PAD, PAD is not in any shape or form an adherent of Nazi positions.

Calling people that are not Nazis, Nazis, diminishes the horrors of that gang of murderous psychos.

That being said, PAD really could use some marketing savvy.

[fred2007]

Here it is

This is not a swastika on a swastika the arms are bent to the right

[Carib]

[ozzydom]

Here it is

This is not a swastika on a swastika the arms are bent to the right

But the anti PAD brigade can never be accused of letting truth and fact get in the way of their favorite pastime .

[HagenvonTronje]

Here it is

This is not a swastika on a swastika the arms are bent to the right

But the anti PAD brigade can never be accused of letting truth and fact get in the way of their favorite pastime .

It is a 卍swastika卐, period. Ignoring facts and being unable to seeing the truth is a typical PAD cult apologist characteristic.

Some stories of left spinning卍 or right spinning 卐 swastikas and one is the good symbol and the other represents evil is complete BS. As it is BS to deny or to ignore that this symbol is a swastika. Okay, it is the other way around 卍 than the Nazi Hakenkreuz 卐 but it is still a swastika.

Making a scandal of the use of the swastika and bring this new party close to the Nazis just because of this symbol alone is BS as well.

That logo is around for a while, resembles a swastika and that it has the shape of a swastika, it is a swastika. That was intended by the graphic designer of that logo and got admitted by the PAD. They are using the swastika, are aware of the history and also the younger history of that symbol, and decided to use it, despite that someone could think this would be inappropriate.

check out this funny url: http://卐.com/ Not an html trick, copy&paste the link http://卐.com/

Check the symbol of Falun Gong, do an image search on swastika on google and you will find many pictures of ancient, Asian and also pre WWII western use.

or just search on google for 卍 or 卐. You will find millions of Chinese language pages that are not Nazi pages.

If you walk with open eyes through Bangkok, through Thailand you can spot the swastika quite often. Like on Chinese temples for example. Or where it is easy to overlook, because you look through, as ornamental element in wrought or cast iron gates and fences. That also on private or public buildings and not only religious sites. I think, if I remember it right, I saw it on the fence around the EGAT building.

Therefore, in my opinion, nothing to worry or wrong about that the new PAD party is using the swastika, albeit I read somewhere that not all pro Pads are so consent about and there are also some concerns on their side. I am in no favour for the PAD and their New Politics, but if they want to use the swastika- why not. As a Hindu or Buddhist, I could maybe argue against its use in this political context, but as a European with the argument Hitler - not.

There are other reason why one could argue that the new PAD party is a Nazi party.

Anyway, I can also understand why some others see the use of the swastika in a political context odd but the TIME article was far from being sensationalists. They didn't open with some Nazi flag, but some indian kids lighting some candles in swastika shape. How you could better start to explain the innocence of a symbol?

I had a good laugh at this line: "the yellow-and-green symbol of the NPP has generated controversy not just for its questionable 1970s color scheme but ..." This is a humorous sidenote.

And imagine what would had happen if they had sticked to their older colour and shape scheme, the one white disc square on a red background.

Edited June 19, 2009 by HagenvonTronje

[JR Texas]

If the new PAD wants to use the swastika's power in its original eastern religious meaning that is their right and not necessarily offensive. However, that combined with the airport shutdown shows this is a group that doesn't care at all what the rest of the world thinks about their movement.

Supposing their new party gains power. Imagine the photos of big victory rallies with thousands of Nazi style flags. That will do wonders to revive tourism!

Agreed.........yes, it actually has a good meaning (going way, way back)........but, as we all know, it was "perverted" by Mr. H. Now it would seem extremely foolish to adopt it as a political symbol.

Maybe they think only Hindus will be traveling and doing business in Thailand in the near and distant future.

My neighbor has one on her tin shack wall..........but, it is not a smart move at all, inverted or not.......in the minds of many (not all of course) foreigners, it is associated with a culture of intolerance/hate.

[Jungian]

If you look to deep into anything it will consume you

[BigSnake]

Maybe if they stay off the streets and don't close the Airport again, that is one sure way to lose Western friends, and while they are at it they should take a look at what they name their Party, a bit or a turn off to most in the west. "NAZI

[toptuan]

PAD's new theme song, as reported in a later issue of Time...

[Carib]

Swastika's`s are a difficult subject. The US Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in California will spend $600.000 on a perfectly good building just to get she shape altered. It was built in 1967. And they didn't realise it was ever to be seen from space ( Google Earth ), and cause a commotion. And of course the good US tradition of conspiracy made this a nazi one, with aliens and.. well you know.

[Carib]

The pad`s " swastika" reminds me a bit about the Sicilian Trinacria which is both is both an alternative name for Sicily, and its national symbol .

I don`t see any harm in it.

Edited June 20, 2009 by Carib

[sriracha john]

Intentional misleading thread title.

Erroneous projection of a swastika onto a flower.

Edited June 20, 2009 by sriracha john

[jumnien]

I would suggest they change it, but I am afraid the 2nd choice might be a middle finger.

Choosing the swastika symbol is probably the most honest thing that PAD has done since its founding. I commend them for acknowledging their roots and intent. Now if they would just quickly implode and go away, we could all rest...

[Plus]

You mean swastika roots?

I think the new logo is horrible, especially the colors, but their party is in the process of creating an image of itself and finding their place on Thai political scene, nothing is cast in iron yet.

[jumnien]

Their far-right, ultra-nationalistic, royalist leanings.

[Plus]

The other day Nattakon Devakula, the potential PTP MP in the next elecitons, described them as communists. Or are they far-right? Or is any label will do, as long as it's derogatory enough?

[jumnien]

The other day Nattakon Devakula, the potential PTP MP in the next elecitons, described them as communists. Or are they far-right? Or is any label will do, as long as it's derogatory enough?

That's pretty much the feeling amongst most Thai people. As long as it's derogatory any description of this mob that has caused so much destruction and elicited so much hatred will do.

[grantbkk]

That is not a swastika. It looks to me like Gumbi on ecstasy and we must remember Gumbi was also gay. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'll come back to this thread after my appointment with my health care professional.

[SpoliaOpima]

The other day Nattakon Devakula, the potential PTP MP in the next elecitons, described them as communists. Or are they far-right? Or is any label will do, as long as it's derogatory enough?

That's pretty much the feeling amongst most Thai people. As long as it's derogatory any description of this mob that has caused so much destruction and elicited so much hatred will do.

The PAD are mixed bag, but more left-wing than right-wing in terms of leadership and organizational support (communist party, labour unions, student federations, etc).

I'm sympathetic to some of their views if not always their tactics. But the use of the swastika and 4-leaf clover, more than anything else, to me shows attachment to superstition. Both symbols should be dumped in favor of a logo that doesn't contain any 'lucky' or 'auspicious' iconography, or else they won't be taken seriously by third-party observers.

[oldsparrow]

Given that the PAD are little more than fascists themselves the 'soft swastika' logo is entirely appropriate.

With a name like yours are you taking the piss or what. As another poster said they have been using the Hindi image in Buddhism for thousands of years. All of you lot that belittle it should get off ya high horses. Don't forget Hitler didn't come to Asia and most Thais no nothing about him.

This is right, most Thais know nothing about the NAZI. I bet 98% of the university graduates from faculties apart from Pol.Sci. know no dofferent between Hitler and Himmler and many of the Poli.Sci. graduates also don't know that NSDAP = NAZI party. You can think of other folks ith less schooling experience..

PS: I did BA in Pol.Sci at Chula.

[Huey]

It's a NON issue. KKK members and other deviant Christians have done horrible things while waving around the cross but that dosent stop good people and causes from using it. And nor should it. To back away from the symbol's ancient and venerablly good meaning only gives power to the few who would hold it up for ill.