Burmese Nazi?

Hi! They are not Nazi's. Here is a little info:

The swastika's Indian name comes the Sanskrit word svasti, meaning good fortune, luck and well being.

In Hinduism, the right-hand (clockwise) swastika is a symbol of the sun and the god Vishnu, while the left-hand (counterclockwise) swastika represents Kali and magic. The Buddhist swastika is almost always clockwise, while the swastika adopted by the Nazis (many of whom had occult interests) is counterclockwise.

In Buddhism, the swastika signifies auspiciousness and good fortune as well as the Buddha's footprints and the Buddha's heart. The swastika is said to contain the whole mind of the Buddha and can often be found imprinted on the chest, feet or palms of Buddha images. It is also the first of the 65 auspicious symbols on the footprint of the Buddha.

by Cari

Thank you for pointing this out. Joanie and I have seen swastikas used throughout many of the Asian countries we've visited, but the Buddhist/Hindu swastika is a bit different from the one on the shirt.

The shirt has the 3 colors the Nazi German flag (black, white, and red) and is encircled. The swastika's angle also matches the angle on the Nazi flag which was usurped by the Nazis from it's true meaning of harmony and peace.

In Myanmar, I also saw WWII storm trooper styled helmets with Nazi insignia as well as SS logos (in addition to Nazi-themed t-shirts).

In Thailand I saw girls wearing shirts with caricatures of Adolf Hilter and Nazi flags for sale in markets.

A school in Chiang Mai was recently in the media for having a Nazi-themed parade (http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-28/asia/world_asia_thailand-nazi-parade_1_nazi-uniforms-nazi-symbols-nazi-themed?_s=PM:ASIA)

While I don't think the wearers are actually Nazi's, their ignorance of the swatika's symbolism (when used in this context) is the real problem and perhaps the history of WWII needs to be better taught to Asian students.

by Micah