CNN: Microsoft to cut swastikas from software

CNN.com ^ | Dec 12, 2003 | CNN

[mikegi]

Microsoft Corp. said on Friday that its latest version of Office software inadvertently contained a font featuring two swastikas, and said it would offer tools to remove and replace the offending characters from the program.

The swastika, which was made infamous by Nazi Germany, was included in Microsoft's "Bookshelf Symbol 7" font. That font was derived from a Japanese font set, said Microsoft Office product manager Simon Marks.

[Polybius]

Before the Nazi era, swastikas were merely an ancient good luck sign.

During World War One, aces that decorated their aircraft with large swastikas were Raoul Lufberry of the Laffayete Esquadrille and Jewish German ace Fritz Beckhardt (below). The book "Jüdische Flieger im Weltkrieg", a pre-World War II history of Jewish German aces in World War One actually has a swastika decorated aircraft as it's dust jacket cover photo.

[kegler4]

What's silly about offering a way to remove it to those who want it? Nobody's forcing anybody to remove it.

[Liberal Classic]

No, they can do it if they want, and maybe they ought to. How did it get in there in the first place. Has it always been in there? Did someone sneak it in? Is removing it PC?

[zeugma]

Yup. Time to clense all art from around the world. No more swastikas!!!! It doesn't matter that it is a historical symbol that has been used for thousands of years. You see, if it didn't happen in living memory, it just didn't happen. We can't afford to offend the inorant you know.

[agneyen]

I remember my mother use to draw swastika on the front door as a sign of good fortune. They still do that and Most families in india still do that.

swastika is sanskrit means Excellent. I guess one which Nazi used is in clockwise direction.

[Al Simmons]

Hitler REVERSED the design - what they are objecting to is NOT the Nazi Swastika, but its mirror-image - a symbol that has been around for millenia.

[ccmay]

American Indians also used the swastika symbol -- much to my surprise when walking through a museum. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if it was forwards or backwards.

My grandfather had a Navajo Indian rug with swastikas facing both directions.

Not only that, but the colors were black, white and red.

But it was made in about 1920, so he is safe from charges of being a closet Nazi.

See the History of an Ancient Human Symbol for more.

-ccm

[Free Trapper]

They were made differently at times.While WW-II was going on,some of the American Indian Tribes got together and decided to quit making swastikas on anything because of the Nazi associations.

Too many people "only" associate the symbol with Nazism,when it was a symbol of good things for "many" cultures for "many" years.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Revell's model of the Hindenburg.... THEY REMOVED THE SWASTIKAS!!

The swastika is banned in some countries, notably Germany and France. (the last time they saw them, they liked them too much, I guess). For many years, model kits of 3rd Reich aircraft (all of which had a swastika on the tail) have not had the Nazi symbol included, if the manufacturers had plans to sell them in Western Europe.

In fact, I think the Revell kit you mention is made in Germany.

Other nations, especially the US and Japan, don't enforce this over-the-top PC. Yet.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

So did the US Army

So did Finland between the World Wars and during the 2nd-- it was an ancient Lapp symbol. During the war in the East, they were more or less allied with Nazi Germany anyway.

After the war ended, changed their national symbol from a blue swastika on a white field to a blue and white roundel.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F