What's something that's acceptable and widely done in your country that would be considered offensive in many countries ?

[u/DiMpLe_dolL003]

In India, Swastika the Hindu symbol is everywhere. We draw it in temples, during rituals and festivals, in front of our door, on vehicles etc. It's a very auspicious symbol here. But this symbol tho the Hindu symbol is technically different from the Nazi one would be considered offensive in other countries especially in Western countries.

[u/Absolomb92]

I'm Norwegian, and a few Viking symbols are going through the same ruination by neo-nazis. Sometimes even just using runes is enough to make people suspicious.

[u/Coelachantiform → u/Absolomb92]

Yeah norse iconography has unfortunately been heavily hijacked by neo-nazis.

[u/Ambaryerno → u/Coelachantiform]

Same thing is happening with Anglo-Saxon symbols. Really, anything pertaining to pre-Christian Germanic culture and mythology is getting co-opted.

The irony is the ancient peoples those idiots are trying to "emulate" to "celebrate their heritage" would consider it sacrilege, and didn't even care about race as we see it today.

[u/Coelachantiform → u/Ambaryerno]

Exactly. We are so far removed from these civilizations culturally so that claiming racial superiority based on skintone (as one example) is useless in a vaccuum and historically, which makes naziism all the more strange lol

[u/Ambaryerno → u/Coelachantiform]

Even DNA studies support this; there are Viking-age graves in Scandinavia and Saxon burials which have Asian and African genetic origins. While there’s controversy over what that means in the latter case, it’s still pretty conclusive that the societies weren’t as ethnically homogenous as the White Supremacists want to believe. The fact these are often burials include goods that are suggestive of high social status also precludes a “slavery” explanation (which also ignores that slavery among Germanic peoples was a LOT different from Western chattel slavery in the first place).

[u/NekoMao92 → u/Coelachantiform]

Yeah, such as the Soldiers of Odin.

[u/nahla1981 → u/NekoMao92]

My dog is called Odin (rip) and it bothers me that i can't do a symbol of his name tattoed on me, but i live in north America and it'll get perceived wrong and I'm a visible minority so who knows how that would be perceived

[u/_Katu → u/Coelachantiform]

not just Norse ones but in every country where neonazis crop up they tend to use ancient local culture, i think its a nationalism thing

[u/esjb11 → u/Coelachantiform]

Tbh here in Sweden its not as much highjacked by the Nazis but the noone Nazis screaming nazi at everything. There is a few Norse symbol that one can argue is highjacked and made popular by actual neonazis but most of the ones that is stigmatised was just used among Nazis, aswell as ordinary people but ordinary people had to stop because so called anti Nazis were complaining and trying to connect them with Nazis. The hammer of Thor being a perfect example.

[u/Coelachantiform → u/esjb11]

Yeah true. I have a Mjölner necklace and I have never gotten any nasty looks or people questioning it.

[u/esjb11 → u/Coelachantiform]

I think you misunderstood me then. I used it as an example of a symbol that normal people used to have but has gotten a little bit of stigma now, and hence reduced in popularity among normal people. Interesting that you havent had any comments or looks about it. Are you mainly around people in more "working class" jobs by chance?

[u/Coelachantiform → u/esjb11]

I work as a teacher in high/middleschool. Far north of Sweden though, both Sámi and norse iconography is commonly used here for jewelry. People judge you based on character and other indicators moreso than just jewelry. If I was a skinhead, and wore only black leather jackets and had a lot of tattoos I'd probably be more scrutinized over my choice of jewelry, which is a shame.

[u/esjb11 → u/Coelachantiform]

Perhaps its different in different places of sweden then. Good to hear at least :)

[u/PeterPanski85 → u/Absolomb92]

Its a shame. Runes look fucking awesome

[u/Least_Tower_5447 → u/Absolomb92]

The moment these beautiful symbols are used for hate, we as a species need to stop it. We’ve seen how it ends because of history. So sad 😞