Conflict in the globalization of iconography

Hitler is a big deal in Thailand. Korea and China too, actually. 
The iconography of the Nazis is en vogue, and can be seen in restaurants, street art and youth fashion. “In 2013, at one of Thailand's most famous universities, Chulalongkorn, a superheroes mural painted by students included a saluting Hitler. Also in 2013 a Nazi fried chicken shop, with Hitler dressed as KFC's Colonel Sanders (bowtie and all) drew protests, and not just from the owner of the trademark. In 2011, a Catholic school allowed its students to sport Nazi uniforms for a parade, and in 2009, the Tussaud's Wax Museum advertised its exhibition with a billboard poster of a saluting Hitler with the slogan, in Thai, 'Hitler is not dead'. Most recently, in a film commissioned by the Thai junta, an animation shows a child painting a scene of Hitler while another child applauds the artwork.” (Brennan, 2015)

Hitler iconography found in youth fashion in Thailand

Once word reached Western countries, outrage and incredulity ensued. Authorities have since apologized in a number of fashions, taking down murals, stopping parades, and certainly Nazis are nothing to be made light of. But this outcropping of Hitler hybrid culture called “swastikawaii,” or “Nazi chic,” is puzzling both in its form and intent.

Some symbols are more easily interpreted as cultural imperialism, but Hitler infused with the Teletubbies, or with Ronald McDonald just seems odd from a Western perspective. McDonald’s is a slice of American culture with a different image abroad than domestically. In the States, it doesn’t represent the middle-class life, but despite this, the ubiquity of the golden arches abroad is accepted.

The iconography of Hitler is hardly revered in the West. Nazis are the ultimate and eternal bad guys in our minds, but history isn’t remembered the same way in all places. In the United States and in Europe, connection to Hitler and Nazism is quite the insult, as well as a taboo.

The hybridization of what is acceptable (McDonald's) and what is not acceptable (Hitler) in this case is what makes this imagery jarring and bizarre. This hybridization also shows some of the difficulties in cultural mixing of iconography that culturally imperialist countries such as the US are rarely conscious of. The meaning behind the symbol of McDonald’s and the meaning of Hitler and swastikas are both inherited from the West, and yet they conflict.

The spread of the internet is blamed by some, as is the lack of sensitivity imbued upon the people of this region of the world.

Nazi regalia is sported in Thai wedding photos

“Swastikawaii” or “Nazi chic” cause outrage in the West, but the memory of WWII in Asia a few generations removed is certainly different than that of the public memory in Germany. This iconography isn’t related to neo-nazism or punk culture, rather it is employed by K-pop stars and wedding photos. It’s trendy and provocative, but hollowed of the implications and associations felt elsewhere in the world. Is the Western reaction justified? Or is this condemnation of a hybrid, redefined icon another example of cultural imperialism?

The conversation around these artifacts of Nazi symbolism in Asia turns towards the nature of icons. Devoid of meaning, what are they? Hitler is seen as important in Thailand, but not because of the atrocities he and his followers committed that haunt Western memory. Before the Nazi Party, the swastika was an ancient and auspicious symbol and is still quite important in Buddhism and Hinduism.

This isn't meant to excuse the utilization of the swastika and Hitler in Thai youth culture. It would be hard to argue that these aren't at least somewhat offensive. Rather, it is important to look at where our pop culture comes from, and while many see this as offensive, it is rare to see the shoe on the other foot.