LogFAQs > #941467765

NFUN posted...

if somebody calls Dragon Ball a cartoon and you correct them by saying "It's an anime and not a cartoon", you're wrong at least technically and likely in spirit of the point they're trying to make*. If a parent tells their kid to stop watching cartoons all day, correcting them that it's akshually anime is pedantic and misses the point. I'm relatively sure pepper2012 wasn't calling Nintendo Nazis, so correcting him that it's akshually a manji is pedantic and misses the point. And in general, saying a swastika isn't a swastika, it's a manji, is saying that instead of it being a holy symbol of peace and enlightenment, it's akshually a holy symbol of peace and enlightenment. Context mattered to Nintendo in using the icon as something other than Nazi symbology, and the same context, that it isn't Nazism, matters when somebody calls the symbol by the name that's widely-used in English

oh i see. guess the hindus are shit out of luck then, because it's their word that the West grabbed for their general name of the symbol

*

this doesn't even apply to this scenario, since there is no non-context-derived difference between a manji and a swastika, whichever direction they're facing. the symbol is the same either way. my dog example is more pertinent--same animal, different names based on locality--and more generous, by specifying the breed and thus identifying a physical difference, to your case than it needs to be

Well yeah but the word cartoon isn't associated with mass genocide so it's fine to use them interchangeably. The word swastika in English is so closely linked with Nazis that using it to refer to something not related to Nazis is best avoided. It's kind of like how "negro" just means black but obviously using it to refer to a person is much worse than using black because of the historical context. So while saying "it's not a swastika" is technically incorrect, calling it a swastika is intentionally inviting misunderstanding that could be avoided by using another word.

Yeah, it does suck for the Hindus. What's your point? If they came up with a new word I would be happy to use it for their version of the symbol. As in there's nothing you can really do to avoid calling it that

My point was about avoiding misunderstanding. If you like anime and when you meet someone say "I like cartoons", no one is going to think you're talking about anime, even if it's not wrong. If the person then asked "oh what cartoons do you like" and you replied with "DBZ, Bleach, Naruto" the person would be like "oh you like anime". Sure, it's not a big deal in that case but when you mix in Nazis being more clear is kind of more important.

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