Swastika Earrings Provoke Outrage (but Are They Meant to Offend?)

A Brooklyn jewelry store is selling earrings that look like swastikas. Photo courtesy of Gothamist

A Brooklyn, New York store called Bejeweled has been selling earrings that resemble swastikas. A tipster sent in this image (at left) to Gothamist, and confronted a salesperson about the potentially offensive accessory, selling for $5.99 a pair.

"When I asked the clerk why they had them and that they are offensive, she looked embarassed (sic) and said people have asked for them," the tipster told Gothamist. "I said its not worth it to sell them, and she shrugged and said "business." Gothamist followed up on the tip, asking a Bejeweled employee if she thought they were offensive. "She said, 'No.' Were they big sellers? 'Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.' A long pause. 'I think I'd have to see them first."

The earrings do look like the symbol associated with the Nazi party, but upon closer inspection, the studs aren't exactly swastikas-the lines turn to the left, instead of to the right. For those unfamiliar with this version, here's a quick history lesson courtesy of About.com. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika. "Su" means "good," "asti" means "to be," and "ka" is the suffix. It's an ancient symbol used by many cultures over the last 3,000 years to mean good luck, life, sun, power, and strength and used to face either direction. It wasn't until 1920 that Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika as the symbol for the Nazi party, causing it to be associated with hate, death, violence and antisemitism in modern society.

When the New York Daily News reached out to Bejeweled manager, she sited the prior meaning behind these earrings. "These people are ignorant," the anonymous female manager told NYDN. "They shouldn't say anything if they don't know anything about symbols. I find this offensive."

But New York City Councilman Steve Levin is disturbed by the sale of these earrings. "They should be sensitive to what that symbol means to Jews around the world," he told the NYDN. New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told the paper that the manager's defense was "nauseating." "It's sick. It's insulting. It's degrading," Hikind told the NYDN. "The average person, when they see a swastika, they see it as a symbol of hate. End of story."

We have to agree with Hikind. It's unfortunate that a symbol that once stood for positive things was turned around in our consciousness to mean the opposite, but when we see a swastika or anyone wearing a swastika it looks hateful. And we're pretty sure the Brooklyn hipsters who bought all but one pair were intending to be controversial. So even if Bejeweled did not mean to be distasteful, we hope they'll think twice about selling items that could be interpreted in such an offensive way.

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