Union City, Connecticut
Found while walking yesterday along the Naugatuck river, on the foundation of a highway overpass and the wall of a footbridge across the river between Union City and Naugatuck. Depressing.
You could wonder why the swastika has been reversed, a mirror image of the way it was used by the Nazis, but in all likelihood it's just an error.
Between Naugatuck and Union City, Connecticut
6 comments:
Carl, they have - very probably in complete ignorance - sprayed the original swastika in the form it is used in Hinduism. But that stupidity is no excuse, and it does in no way make these people less dangerous. But at least the verbal expression is - alas - probably protected under the first amendment.
Markus,
Yes, even expression of Nazi sentiments qualifies as protected speech, but defacing public property is a crime. The perp could be prosecuted, not for painting a swastika, but simply for making graffiti.
I just found out the Sanskrit word is स्वास्तिक. But I doubt that was the intent. Maybe our tagger is dyslexic...
In Danny Lyon's recent "Memories" collection of short photo essays, there is one he did at the demolition derbies in Orange County NY 10 or so years ago. Orange County is the home of Grossingers in the Catskills, and has a sizeable orthodox Jewish population, but that is probably not the culture of the drag strips and demo derby. Lyon reports that one day a car entered covered with swastikas, the names of all of Hitler's general staff, and various offensive slogans. He says with some pride that it took less than a minute for the other drivers to reduce it to a smoking ruin, from which its driver was barely able to flee. So liberals and Buddhist are not the only folks to take offense...
scott
Very sad… there are idiots all over the world.
Dyslexia, probably even some degree of illiteracy might have been the case here. What I do fear much more are those functionally highly intelligent fascist people. Germany has seen quite a rise of their numbers in the last decades again, interestingly enough more in the former socialist states that now form the Federal Republic.
Markus, the svastika in Hinduism is used in both versions representing two opposing concepts. Right vs. Left = Good vs. Bad. Acting vs. Not-Acting. Masculinum vs. Femininum etc.. Who knows where the first svastika faced to? The first Indian one (I am not sure but I think it was found on Mohenjo Daru seals) was right-facing I think ...
And yes, Martin is totally right: stupid people are found everywhere.
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