You've got to be kidding...

[scotiacat]

I was over on ebay and came across a Scout Swastika!!! Is this for real or a hoax? It says it was "old school" before the Germans took it, but I find it hard to fathom. I also wonder if it is real/true, what people think of it, knowing what it means now, although apparently not then. In another thread someone asked if something was a Scout item in the past is it still legit now.... can you imagine the issues if a Scout wore this item today?????

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/V-RARE-BOY-SCOUTS-SWASTIKA-THANKS-BADGE-SCOUTING_W0QQitemZ120058315833QQihZ002QQcategoryZ404QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[LongHaul]

Here is some reference material about the "Thanks Badge"

http://pinetreeweb.com/bp-can3.htm

LongHaul

[orennoah]

Before the Nazi's adopted it, the Swastika was used by many, including Baden Powell, as a symbol of friendship.

 

Shocking, no?

 

(Much like finding out that Cortez's name in Spanish means "Mr. Politeness." Genocide with a smile, in both cases.)

[BrentAllen]

Rudyard Kipling used the swastika as a logo on his books, before the Nazis took the symbol. It was a Hindu good luck symbol, and in Kipling's time, a Hindu trader would open his annual account-book with a swastika in order "to ensure an auspicious beginning." I have a first edition copy of his "Land And Sea Tales For Scouts And Scout Masters", and it has the swastika logo on the title page. Different times.

[epalmer84]

The swastika was used by many cultures before the Nazis co-opted it. There is a good article at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

 

It references an article on the swastika and Scouting:

http://www.scouting.milestones.btinternet.co.uk/badges.htm

 

Ed

 

[epalmer84]

You might also want to check out the Bellamy Salute:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute

 

Ed

[SR540Beaver]

At the Woodbadge course I helped staff this fall, one of the other staff members gave each staffer a gift of a scout swastika with a printed page explaining the "thanks badge".

 

As others have noted, the swastika was used by many cultures thru the ages before Hitler adopted it. Some folks feel it is time to remove the stigma he gave it and return it to use.

[packsaddle]

Really cool trivia!