Swastikas Cut From Japanese Black Ops

[Commissar Sae]

Seriously? There are Nazi cosplayers all over the place in Japan. And honestly the reason boils down to they have little or no clue as to what the Nazis really were as anything but a kind of nifty fashion statement. As Eurocentric as most of the posters here are, the Nazis really weren't that big a deal in Asia. From a cultural standpoint, both the Chinese and Japanese armies are responsible for more dead civilians in Asia than any number of Germans. They had their own war to fight and European WWII history is largely lost on them. It's really out of character for Japan to ban the swastika in a game.

To the people trying to villify Japan because of its war record: Everyone committed atrocities during that war. Americans tortured and killed prisoners, murdered civilians and mutilated bodies. Soviets raped countless civilians on the road to Berlin and murder was pretty common too. Commonwealth forces were notorious for executing prisoners rather than escorting them back to base. The Chinese fought amongst themselves, forced civilians into labour and killed prisoners as well. So yes while Japan did commit some of the most horrific war crimes of WWII its really narrow minded to think that only the axis was somehow 'evil' while everyone else was just and upstanding.

 

[gphjr14]

The symbol itself can be found on all continents centuries before Hitler ever picked it as his symbol. The symbol itself can be found in Buddhist temples all over the place including Japan. Neji a character in the anime Naruto has it tattooed on his forehead and it was censored in the anime I believe but not the original Manga. It's censored of course in the US but really it isn't that big of a deal. The Japanese Imperial Army/Navy didn't even really fly it, they just had Japan's flag on all their stuff.

 

[ilion]

Japan uses swastikas to mark Buddhist Temples in maps. Its a shame really, I always liked the Swastika as a symbol, those damn Nazis just ruined it for a long long time.

 

[shadow741]

Why are there Swastikas is a game during the cold war?

Flashback maybe?
OT: Japan, you got nuked, get over it. On a more serious and relevant note, since when did swastikas only represent nazis always? It used to be for eastern religions like hinduism and buddhism. People are ignorant and unknowing yet again.

 

[Caradinist]

The Nazis will also be renamed "OPPOSING FORCE" but in multiplayer only.

 

[tkioz]

By switching to the iron cross (a much more famous nazi symbol here in Japan)

The Iron Cross is not a Nazi symbol, it's a German symbol, one used long before, and after, the Second World War.

The Swastika is not a Buddhist symbol, it's a Nazi symbol. It's the same shape angled differently, very similar to the pentangle, it's about which way it's facing that makes the meaning. And frankly if anyone on this worthless mud ball that we call a planet doesn't know about the Nazis, their symbol, and their crimes, they should be strapped down and have the information forcibly implanted into them.

The horrors they committed should never be forgotten, they should be taught to every school child the world over as a warning, so that when the generation that saw those horrors first hand pass from this world we don't forget and aren't tempted to repeat the mistakes of the past.

 

[tkioz]

I facepalm every time a country can't deal with the past. I facepalmed twice here because it wasn't even Germany, and, correct me if I'm wrong, the Japanese weren't actually invaded by Germans or anything.

Invaded no? Allied with, yes. Did some truly horrible shit during the war? Hell Yes. Everyone here knows the names Dachau, Auschwitz, etc. and they rightly chill us to the very bone, but how many people here know about Nanking other then a vague mention? The Bataan Death March? The actions of Unit 731?

Germany admits it's history, it does everything in it's power to prevent those monsters from ever raising again; Japan on the other hand mounts statues to the monsters that took Nanking and refuse to apologise to the survivors of their "POW" camps.

This is just another example of that nation attempting to whitewash it's history.

 

[pffh]

Well... Swastikas came from a Buddhist symbol, and I know that a lot of American tourists (who are idiots) get offended when they think they see swastikas all over their guide maps.
Buddhist temples on maps in Japan are marked with what is essentially a backwards swastika.
It could be like the backwards version of that, or something.
I mean, I wouldn't much like to play a game where I had to shoot down people with a tilted jewish star on their hats.

Huh didn't know that the backwards swastika was a buddhist symbol (always thought it was just a normal swastika) because Thors hammer is also symbolised with a bacwards swastika.

 

[boholikeu]

I facepalm every time a country can't deal with the past. I facepalmed twice here because it wasn't even Germany, and, correct me if I'm wrong, the Japanese weren't actually invaded by Germans or anything.

OT: Japan, you got nuked, get over it. On a more serious and relevant note, since when did swastikas only represent nazis always? It used to be for eastern religions like hinduism and buddhism. People are ignorant and unknowing yet again.

The Nazis will also be renamed "OPPOSING FORCE" but in multiplayer only.

Again, for those that think this is Japan whitewashing history, check out my earlier post:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.242830-Swastikas-Cut-From-Japanese-Black-Ops?page=2#8813773

Given the information above I really doubt that Japan is trying to "hide" the nazis in the game here. If anything they are trying to emphasize that they are nazis and not Buddhist.

By switching to the iron cross (a much more famous nazi symbol here in Japan)

The Iron Cross is not a Nazi symbol, it's a German symbol, one used long before, and after, the Second World War.

The Swastika is not a Buddhist symbol, it's a Nazi symbol. It's the same shape angled differently, very similar to the pentangle, it's about which way it's facing that makes the meaning. And frankly if anyone on this worthless mud ball that we call a planet doesn't know about the Nazis, their symbol, and their crimes, they should be strapped down and have the information forcibly implanted into them.

The horrors they committed should never be forgotten, they should be taught to every school child the world over as a warning, so that when the generation that saw those horrors first hand pass from this world we don't forget and aren't tempted to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Actually the above is all true, but what we're talking about here is people's perception of the symbols.

Show the average Westerner a Buddhist temple and they're likely to be very confused why there are so many "swastikas" everywhere.

Similarly, I wouldn't be surprised if a Japanese person saw a game with zombies in an Asian country surrounded by swastikas, they'd probably think it's supposed to be the Buddhist symbol rather than nazi one. The iron cross clears that up pretty nicely.

 

[Woodsey]

I think 70 years is enough time to start using a symbol again; it's not like it's being used to promote neo-Nazism in this context.

Didn't it have a religious meaning in multiple cultures at one point? Historically it is a very old symbol. The Nazi's just ruined its reputation. I bet had Hitler used a picture of a goat as the symbol of Nazism, we'd all hate goats. Oh well, no swastika themed party gear will ever grace my household now.

I know it's from Hinduism, don't know about any others; I believe the points on the Swastika are reversed though but I could be wrong.

 

[boholikeu]

snip

To not know what a Swastika represents (or used to), other than the Buddhist belief, even if you live in the fucking Island of Nowhere, is unacceptable. Concerning semi-educated people, of course.

I don't see why it's that unacceptable considering it has a much longer history of being a good symbol in Japan than an evil one. What's more, just because people don't immediately think "nazi" when seeing the symbol doesn't mean they aren't aware of what nazi Germany did.

 

[boholikeu]

snip

What you were saying, essentially, was that people would confuse a zombie that's outfitted in a complete nazi uniform for a buddhist because of the swastika. To make that mistake as a semi-educated person is beyond moronic, simple as that.

Let me put it this way: people are probably about as aware of the swastika being a nazi symbol as people in the West are aware that it is a Buddhist symbol when turned around.

Otherwise how would you explain the fact that they replaced the swastikas with another well known nazi symbol? And why haven't swastikas been banned from other works, particularly those about WWII?

Plus, people are idiots. I can't tell you how many idiotic Americans come to Asia and assume all the "swastikas" on Buddhist temples are "left over relics from the nazi influence during WWII". I can easily imagine a similar misunderstanding about this game, especially when you consider that there's probably very little context given to the level aside from their uniforms: "what the heck, why are these random zombie soldiers Buddhist?".

 

[boholikeu]

snip

It's not a well known nazi symbol, it's a well known German symbol, so there's a difference there. Also, have Buddhists killed millions of people, invaded half the countries around them and exercised a fairly effective genocide over the course of a couple of years? No? I don't see why as much people would be oblivious to the swastika being the symbol of a nazi as opposed to a buddhist, then.

P.S. the part where I'm referring to nazi Germany is the part I'm referring to the world war that it started. You know, a war that affected the whole world, pretty much.

True it's a well known German symbol, but from what I understand here in Japan it's also pretty much associated with nazis. Perception is what matters here.

Plus, from what I understand of the Black Ops level, the nazi zombies are pretty much just randomly there. If the entire game took place in WWII or Germany I'm sure it would make a lot more sense to Asian audiences, but as it is, random zombies in a (probably torn up) uniform sporting what looks like a Buddhist symbol probably just wouldn't click.

People on this side of the world have their own tragedies to mourn. They are probably aware of the holocaust, but do you honestly think it isn't overshadowed in their minds by stuff like nankin and the other atrocities that happened here? The campaign in Europe is nothing more than a distant history lesson when compared to battles on this side of the globe that their relatives probably actually experienced first hand.

 

[Veylon]

Remember back when it was the other way around?

Experts here, please explain why this is so. Has Japanese culture taken some radical shift since the NES days?