The Town of Swastika, Canada
Swastika is a small town in Ontario, Canada. (wikipedia link). It was founded in 1908, and got its name from a nearby gold mine. Then the Nazis went and adopted the swastika as their symbol, which made things a little awkward for the Swastika townsfolk. But despite pressure from the Canadian government, the townsfolk resisted changing the name of their town. After all, they had the name first! And so the town has kept its unusual name, to the present day.
Several pictures of Swastika from Steve Colwill's flickr account. The Swastika Laboratories sounds a little sinister.
Several pictures of Swastika from Steve Colwill's flickr account. The Swastika Laboratories sounds a little sinister.
Comments
Well if they had the name first it has its own history for them. That said, I still think the pervasive Nazi connotation is much to strong to overcome.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 08/17/12 at 10:33 AM
The Nazis never called it a "swastika", instead calling it a "hakenkreuz", or "hooked cross".
Posted by Joshua Zev Levin, Ph.D. on 08/17/12 at 11:27 AM
A geometric shape that happened to be used by the enemy. How about the 5 pointed star used by the Russians and Chinese?
The fighting of WWII has been over for over 65 years. Time to move on!
The fighting of WWII has been over for over 65 years. Time to move on!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/17/12 at 11:39 AM
The community of Swastika, Ontario is actually within the current city limits of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. So saith the mighty Wikipedia.
Dr. Levin is right about the Nazis' use of the word "Hakenkreuz" for the swastika - although I think the issue is the implication of the symbol conjured by the word, not the word itself.
And to Expat47: the amount of time that has elapsed since World War II doesn't matter. Time in itself is no reason to "move on". After all, neo-Nazis haven't moved on. They still use the symbol. Why don't you tell THEM to move on?
Dr. Levin is right about the Nazis' use of the word "Hakenkreuz" for the swastika - although I think the issue is the implication of the symbol conjured by the word, not the word itself.
And to Expat47: the amount of time that has elapsed since World War II doesn't matter. Time in itself is no reason to "move on". After all, neo-Nazis haven't moved on. They still use the symbol. Why don't you tell THEM to move on?
Posted by BB on 08/18/12 at 07:34 AM
Ok.... Yo! NEO-Nazis, get a grip! Find a new symbol to promote your hate.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/18/12 at 09:12 AM
That middle picture ("Swastika Laboratories") must exist in the camera or phone of every person who passes it. It's clearly visible from the train window and the train is moving pretty slowly at that point. I know I considered it a real trophy from my trip to Moosonee a couple of years ago!
Posted by Rita Johnson on 08/19/12 at 12:39 PM
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Category: Odd Names | Signage | Weird Names