(February 20, 2015 at 3:32 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: I'm pretty sure racism is a world-wide phenomenon.
Is this a response to my post? My comment about the west was about the meaning of a particular symbol there, and how it differs from the meaning of that same symbol in the east. The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used in China and India and other eastern countries, and, generally, signifies some form of good luck. Hitler and the Nazis borrowed the symbol from that earlier source, most likely due to Hitler's personal superstitious beliefs, thinking that a good luck charm would bring him good luck.
Presently, most people in the west seem completely unaware of the origin of the symbol, or its original meaning, and simply associate it with Nazis.
None of this has anything to do with whether racism is a world-wide problem or not. It has to do with how people in different cultures react to a particular symbol, the swastika, and why they react differently. People in China and India and other countries near them typically have a better understanding of the original significance of the swastika, and typically associate it with that, and not with Nazis.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
