A Swas-Stickler for Detail
Posted by reportagethailand on November 5, 2007
Swastika detailing has been used during the construction of a multi-storey building on Petgasen Road, which links Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, with provincial capital Nakhorn Pathom.
The prominent glass blocks are noticeable during daylight hours, but really shine at night, as demonstrated by the photograph above.
Reportage Thailand can only speculate at this time how the potentially offensive (at least from a western perspective) building will be used.
Your comments would be appreciated.
November 6, 2007 at 1:08 am
The swastika is actually an Indian/Buddhist symbol. Its not something culturally offensive in the East.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
November 6, 2007 at 1:15 am
Surely you must know that.
And its Petchkasem, not Petgasen, close, but not close enough for a stickler.
November 6, 2007 at 1:43 am
Although the swastika is almost always associated with Nazism, it has, for centuries, symbolised Mahayana Buddhism. You can even the symbol on Buddha images in Mahayana temples. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika for more details.
November 6, 2007 at 6:27 pm
I agree fully with Teth.
it is very foolish and ignorant for people to think that the swastika is the symbol of one crazy man and his “party”.
The swastika has been a symbol of Hindu religion for centuries……. why, even today - in decorations (either with flowers or with flour) in front of most houses in India (specifically called KOLAM in Tamil Nadu), people still paint the swastika !!!
November 7, 2007 at 12:49 am
Also, the word “swastika” itself derived from Sankrit. Leave Asian languages as they are and NOT associate it with European cultures.
November 7, 2007 at 5:03 am
Thank you all for taking the time to comment on A Swas-Stickler for Detail. The Wikipedia links have been Reportage Thailand’s most active links to date. As Teth commented, I am fully aware of the religious significance of the swastika and (Pat) its Sanskrit derivation. As a long-term Thailand expatriate, I have often noticed swastika decorations in temple confines, emblazoned across teenagers’ tattooed bodies and printed on both bog-standard and designer t-shirts for sale across the country. However, I have never before seen a row of 10-ft square (approx.) glass cube block swastikas decorating a new or old building in Thailand or anywhere else in the world. As a result, Reportage Thailand deemed it worthy of a post.
November 7, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Its not offensive to me, my family history was not affected by the swastika of the nazi-germany sense.
Yes, its also a buddhist symbol so if the architect designed the windows in that context, whats the big deal?
It will be offensive to some westerners for sure, but only the ill-informed about the true origin of the symbol will be offended and make a huge fuss.
Globalization has brought a lot of international business relationships into the country. I think it boils down to the dilema that the building owners may or may not have about weighing the risk of pissing off a handful of ignorant and subjective foriegn business partners with their very right to have swastika windows which is within the range of decency in Asia. Symbols and artwork rest in many different contexts of different cultures. Well-educated people (of all nationalities) should be able to set aside subjective tendencies for whatever greater beneficial purposes (that the building is meant for).
Westerners with buddha statues sitting in their homes solely for decorative purposes (placed on the floor, in other “inappropriate” locations) piss me off. However, many westerners don’t realize the significance it has to those of other cultures so I can’t really blame or hate them for that.
November 7, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Your opinion and insight is extremely welcome, The Siamese, and I hope you will become a regular visitor and contributor to Reportage Thailand. Thank you for commenting at length on A Swas-Stickler for Detail. The decorative use of Buddha images goads my chaff, too.
November 9, 2007 at 10:06 pm
The owner probably put many of the symbols up there so that he/she can have lots of luck?
November 12, 2007 at 4:58 pm
[...] A very special thank you is due to Ron, producer of the inspiring 2Bangkok.com, for his posting of a link to A Swas-Stickler for Detail. [...]
November 15, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Update: Building works are in progress on the facia surrounding the swastika detailing. New images of this building will be posted as an update next week. Reportage Thailand will also endeavor to gather information regarding the proposed use of this building. Thank you for your continued interest in what is Reportage Thailand’s most popular post to date.
November 19, 2007 at 6:56 pm
[...] Thailand’s most popular post to date, A Swas-Stickler for Detail, was linked by 2Bangkok.com and quoted within posts on the popular Ajarn.com and ThaiVisa.com [...]
December 8, 2007 at 10:41 am
You mentioned not seeing swastika’s decorate buildings. There is a Catholic church in central Minnesota, USA that had swastika’s in the motif along the awnings. The church was built in the later half of the 19th century; apparently there is religous significance to the swastika in Christianity also.
A couple years ago the church had the swastika’s removed because some group found them “offensive” and made a big stink. I find it offensive that people give one man and his “party” the respect to let him re-write hundreds of years of history that is linked to the swastika [and perhaps other symbols].