Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

CNN: Microsoft to cut swastikas from software
CNN.com ^ | Dec 12, 2003 | CNN

Posted on 12/12/2003 8:21:24 AM PST by mikegi

Edited on 04/29/2004 2:03:33 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

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.


(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: microsoft; swastika
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 last
To: mikegi
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.


41 posted on 12/12/2003 10:22:12 AM PST by Polybius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Liberal Classic
What's silly about offering a way to remove it to those who want it? Nobody's forcing anybody to remove it.
42 posted on 12/12/2003 10:23:35 AM PST by kegler4
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: kegler4
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?
43 posted on 12/12/2003 10:25:47 AM PST by Liberal Classic (No better friend, no worse enemy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: TexasRepublic
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.
44 posted on 12/12/2003 10:27:45 AM PST by zeugma (If you eat a live toad first thing in the morning, nothing worse will happen all day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Dante3
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.
45 posted on 12/12/2003 11:34:55 AM PST by agneyen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: VU4G10
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.
46 posted on 12/12/2003 12:30:43 PM PST by Al Simmons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: lelio
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

47 posted on 12/12/2003 4:24:40 PM PST by ccmay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: lelio
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.

48 posted on 12/12/2003 4:38:44 PM PST by Free Trapper (One with courage is often a majority)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: firehunter
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

49 posted on 12/12/2003 5:38:20 PM PST by Criminal Number 18F
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: KarlInOhio
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

50 posted on 12/12/2003 5:43:45 PM PST by Criminal Number 18F
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson