Swastika

There’s a controversy out there that’s really been bugging me. I’ve no idea if it is well-known or obscure because I don’t watch TV news. The short version:

Some white trash couple in New Jersey named their kids Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell (presumably “Hinler” was meant to be “Himmler”). The news got out when they demanded an “Adolph Hitler” birthday cake. The state came and took the kids away. The parents turn out to be a real pair of douche bags. This part is not a surprise.

This really bugs me because from all the public evidence, there is absolutely no reason for the state to intervene. They've torn that family apart. Done untold damage to the children. Sure, the parents are dopes. But that’s hardly uncommon. Is the state now going to dictate what you can and cannot name your children? Is “Osama” still okay? Would a dictator who literally killed people with his own hands (which Hitler did not) also have a disallowed name – in other words, would it be similarly wrong to give a kid the middle name of “Hussein”?

If you still think there’s justification, my next question is: What if the kid was given the name “Swastika”? I’ve often wondered if there are people out there who would react badly to a person named Swastika. To too many people, the swastika represents fascism, racism, war, and death. It is used by ignorant people to represent some of those things frequently. Go to some eurocentric culture festival out in small towns (e.g. a Highland Games or an Oktoberfest) and you might see a few peckerheads skulking off on the sidelines showing off their swastika tattoos. I’ve been tempted to go up and take their picture (some of the artwork is quite good) and see how they react. But theirs is not the true meaning of the swastika. The true meaning needs to be encouraged so that ignorance and fear can diminish. Anyone who reacted badly to someone named Swastika would be guilty of continuing the ignorance. They’d also be very rude.

I’m drinking a mocha made by a very nice girl whose name tag says “Swastika”. I mean, that’s her name. It’s kind of cool. Her parents bestowed it upon her in India as we would name a child Hope or Faith or Grace. It’s cool because to a Westerner it’s challenging. I like to imagine she has encountered countless people who have gone away wondering about it and as a result became more enlightened. It’s one of my little wishes that the swastika be rescued from its long nightmare of being a symbol for nationalist socialism. Indeed, I’ve considered getting a tattoo of one myself – inverted, with dots, so there’s no misunderstanding. Then maybe I really can go take pictures of peckerheads, show them mine, and who knows, plant a little seed of enlightenment where the light is least.