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I donât trust people that wear acrylic jewelry.
I saw this on Instagram and I had to take it.
I feel like the book had the right ending. And i'm starting the wind through the keyhole today
I must say that I was very disappointed at first, but now I've come to the conclusion that he could not end it for he did not know the ending of Roland's saga himself. At least that's what I think!Nice! It's a really good read :)
"Tales from the Pit" #812
3â Jain Swastika Lotus plugs with purple fluorite window setting. A very complicated pair for a awesome client! Iâd like people to keep an open mind when it comes to this symbol and to know that it has only positive meanings in this form. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
And this is why you should stick to custom jewellery! Oaks is a killer when it comes to this stuff!
1â obsidian labret w cab grade labradorite inlay..
My first suspension.
Above is a video from J.C. Potts, owner of Pangea Piercing, ranting that using the swastika in a positive manner is something done by âwhite hipstersâ, which is inappropriate because the swastika is apparently a Hindu symbol (hint: despite being used in Hinduism, itâs not solely an element of Hindu symbology.)  JC makes the astute observation that âwhite hipstersâ âainât Hinduâ, pointing out that âwhite hipstersâ are also ânot Indianâ.  Despite the obvious flaws in his argument, which I pointed out in a previous entry, I thought itâd be worthwhile to address this in direct response. First Iâd like to direct everyoneâs attention to this video, which shows JC cooking bacon in a WWII era soldierâs uniform to âfeed to Jewsâ.  While JC is absolutely entitled to his opinion, the person who owns and dresses in a Nazi officerâs uniform to feed bacon to Jews while drinking in excess, and furthermore, posts it online as a representation of himself and his studio, probably shouldnât try to appoint himself as the moral barometer of the modified community.  When responding to outrage of the fact that he posted a video talking about someone making out with a âtrannyâ, JC said, âI personally donât want to live in a sanitized world with no sharp edges.â  Well, Mr. Potts, a swastika has 4 sharp edges.  Let me show you some âwhite hipster bullshitâ: This is the ceiling of an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Clearly, it was built to show âwhite hipsterâ art.  This brass promotional watch fob from the 1920s was clearly intended to promote drinking Coca-Cola in both Hindu and âwhite hipsterâ communities. This US Navy base just outside of San Diego, CA was built for the âwhite hipsterâ division of the Armed Forces. These cigarettes were clearly intended to only be smoked by Hindus. Look at this decoration at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural Sciences.  Clearly, the Smithsonian was built for Hindus, until the âwhite hipstersâ overtook it.  And lastly, look at this building I found in lower Manhattan yesterday.  Located right on the border of Central Park, this place was like âwhite hipsterâ mecca! Needless to say, just because you have a youtube channel, it doesnât mean youâre ineffably correct.
I greatly appreciate your contribution to the conversation. Itâs good to hear from someone who is very passionate about swastikas, and learn their arguments. So, far, your argument is that: since I made a video, with my friend and new media colleague, Jon Barkan (who is quite Jewish), who correctly observed that a Epic Mealtime parody mixed with an anti-racist message wrapped in a politically incorrect shell while wearing a 80âs era East German uniform would be a lot more engaging than a simple informative video about daith piercings, that my opinion is invalid. Your second argument is that since I defended a good friend of mine from an online witchhunt that tried to smear him as transphobic, that my opinion is also invalid (BTW I wouldnât personally even use the term he used). You then submit pictures of things that were built before WW2 as evidence that the swastika is a well-accepted in Western society. You finish with saying that just because I make videos doesnât mean Iâm right.Â
I fully understand the history of the swastika. Itâs a shame that theyâre so controversial that the city of Albuquerque has to have a page on their city website to explain why they have one in a historic theatre downtown http://www.cabq.gov/culturalservices/kimo/about-the-theatre/kimohistory/swastikas Indeed, they USED to be a fairly common decorative motif, until millions of peopleâs families were killed under its banner in recent history.
Itâs genuinely upsetting to me that Hindus and Buddhists with a real cultural affinity for them have to explain to their Western neighbors that the swastika is used by them for auspicious holidays, like weddings, or in the words of Dr. P.V. Rau, noted scholar on Hinduism and a professor of physics at Emory, âPay attention. Understand and learn what it means, to other cultures, outside of Nazi ideology. And above all, have empathy. If you were living in a dense crowd of Jews, it would not be good manners to openly display the swastika. It wouldnât make us good neighbors. If you go to a party and do or say or carry something the host hates, that would be considered bad, ill-mannered. Hindus donât have to carry the swastika around to be Hindusâ http://www.khabar.com/magazine/features/the_auspicious_swastika.aspx
I think it sucks that itâs occasionally uncool for white people to engage in activities that others can. It would be awesome if we lived in a world where white people could freely use the ân-wordâ, have an organization for white people, or wear swastika earrings without looking like an asshole, but in my estimation, we donât. Judging by the comments left on the pictures of swastika jewelry and people wearing it that was left on the (professional piercing org) tumblr, Iâd say that Iâm not alone in thinking that itâs insensitive at best, especially when the argument presented to people who commented on that post that it was offensive was about as substantive as âOMGZ itâs just a symbol Y R U so madâ or âit has MEANING to people in ASIA! I donât care how someoneâs grandma died! BUDDHAâÂ
See, I dealt with the same shit long before I had a YouTube channel, only back then, the trend was confederate flags. In quite a few peopleâs eyes, it means rebellion against the federal government- MOST people associate it with oppression of black people. The Gadsden flag means rebellion without the racist overtones, so it is used because most people actually donât want to alienate people. It made my job easy when my competitors were selling rebel flag jewelry, especially since for most of my career Iâve worked in pretty diverse areas. Same would work now if any of the people online or in the 1 hour circle around me were selling swastika jewelry.Â
So, I guess the only point you make that isnât a personal attack or a straw man about things that came before the Nazis is that having a YouTube channel doesnât mean that Iâm right. Thatâs the only thing that I can agree with. I have never once tried to claim Iâm the voice of the community. I have never tried to represent all body modification artists. I show my clients what they can expect in my studio, spread unbiased information about piercing based on my 20 years experience, and use my voice to give exposure to artists that I feel deserve it, regardless if they pay to be a part of a group or donât. Thatâs it. Will everyone always agree with me? No, one one ever has 100% approval of everything they ever do, ever.Â
My whole entire point has been that there are lines that as a professional community, we should not try to approach, especially since so much of what we do is cultural appropriation in the first place (for most of us). While I am not the voice of the professional piercing community, the APP IS the de facto voice of the professional piercing community. What you and a few other piercers do doesnât affect the overall piercing community, but when the organization that claims to speak for us drops the ball in such a dramatic fashion, someone has to say something. I couldnât dream of any real professional organization, like the UAW, the Teamsters, or the Board of Plastic Surgeons who would publish pictures of their members adorned with swastikas, but then again, this industry has very few blacks or Jews who have gained status in it. Maybe if there were, I wouldnât have to explain why.Â
Which brings me to my conclusion: your main point that you and your friends have been making is that I am unpopular in your clique, and since the 40 or 50 of you (and your fans) say so, that makes it right, and anyone elseâs opinion on the topic is to be mocked. Â I say otherwise. Tell you what- Iâll issue a public retraction of my video on the floor of the expo at Conference if you (or any/all of your buddies) doll up in all your swazi gear and walk from 8 mile to downtown Detroit on Gratiot and let me film it. Iâll even buy you a coney at All-American if you make it.Â
JC, Iâm pleased that you responded.  Like I said before, and Iâll say it again, this is your opinion, and I feel that youâre more than entitled to it.  The only reason I shared the video of you in a German soldierâs uniform cooking bacon to feed to Jews wasnât to prove that your point was invalid, but rather, that as someone who doesnât walk the most politically correct path in life (admittedly, neither do I, or most of the people in our community for that matter) you lose a great deal of credibility in telling people what is and isnât offensive.  I donât think for a second that you harbor any resentment towards people of any color or creed, but any person who watches that video knows itâs in bad taste.  A swastika, on its own, doesnât implicitly reference the Nazi party.  A man in a German soldierâs uniform cooking bacon to feed to Jews clearly does.  I wasnât attacking you for your defense of your friendâs poor choice of words, but I quoted what you said- âI personally donât want to live in a sanitized world with no sharp edges.â Truth be told, I donât either.  But certainly, someone wearing a swastika for non-violent, non-Nazi reasons is much less offensive than using hateful slurs or posting videos of oneself engaging in clearly disrespectful behavior.  To draw a parallel to the Confederate battle flag issue you brought up⊠what youâve done is the equivalent of posting a faux-whipping of a black person, and then attacking people for having âRebel flagâ stickers on their truck.  Itâs definitely a course of action youâre entitled to undertake, but you canât be surprised when someone calls you out on it.  Iâm glad that you now seem to be familiar with the origins of the swastika, but you never once mentioned in your video that it could be anything besides a Hindu symbol or a Nazi symbol.  This marginalized A LOT of people, including the 350 million or so Buddhists of the world.  Itâs still APPALLING that you seem to think that white people canât be Hindu or Buddhist.  The link you shared to the city of Albuquerqueâs website explaining why a swastika in a public place isnât the worst thing to ever happen was awesome.  People had questions, and the city represented the swastika fairly and honestly, acknowledging the possible assumptions that could be made, and educating with facts and asking people to remember the true spirit of the symbol.  How hard is that to do?  What is wrong with the government presenting citizens with facts and allowing them to draw their own conclusions?  I seem to remember a government that tried to make a lot decisions for its citizens and told them what to think.  It didnât work out too well. Also, on the topic of educating people, the Association of Professional Piercers has been very successful in their efforts.  They have set standards in our industry for safe piercing materials and conditions. Standards you follow, even though youâre not a member.  Standards I follow, even though Iâm not currently a member.  Youâre painting with a very broad and damning brush when you demonize an organization for posting a photo here and there of swastika jewelry.  Since you feel so strongly about the use of the swastika, surely youâre in the process of ceasing business with Maya, Gorilla Glass, Diablo Organics, Quetzalli, Modifika, and Body Vision Los Angeles, right?  And while youâre at it you should probably stop selling swastika jewelry at your studio, huh? I appreciate your offer to host a swazi fashion show on 8 Mile, but living everyday with swastikas tattooed on my head means I have first hand experience with this sort of thing, and as someone who travels the United States constantly and who has spent a lot of time in the Los Angeles area (namely Compton, Inglewood, Long Beach -all places they mention in rap songs, so they must be dangerous) I can tell you that most people donât notice and those that do donât really care after a brief conversation.  Iâll be in Detroit in about 12 hours, but Iâll gladly buy my own hot dog to avoid the hassle of packing all my swastika jewelry- I have a bunch. Anyhow, I guess the important thing to remember is that as humans, we use context clues to determine the meanings of things we donât understand.  For instance, letâs play a game of  âNazi or Notâ: - Native American man with a swastika in his head dress. -Buddha with a swastika on his chest -white hipster kid with swastika plugs -Ganesha holding a swastika -guy in German soldierâs uniform cooking bacon to feed to Jews I donât think weâll ever see eye to eye on this, and Iâm sure weâll both have people who agree with either of us, and some who agree with both of us, but at the end of the day, Iâd rather kind of look like a Nazi to some than to act like one in front of everyone. Live well. (thatâs what âswastikaâ actually means, btw)
Holy moly- Hell must be freezing over if Richard Ivey and j.c. potts are having somewhat civilized discourse on the internet! While I reject the idea that Iâve done the equivalent of posting a faux-whipping of a black man, then attack the confederate flag guy (I just attacked the confederate flag guy, so to speak), I accept that youâve noticed the fact that I am entitled to my opinion. I also reject the idea that I ever have implied that white people canât be Buddhist or Hindu- thatâs absurd- but the people who actually practice Buddhism and Hinduism in the US/UK/EU generally genuinely do not like to cause controversy about their sacred beliefs. My apologies if I doubted your devoutness, but in the couple of years Iâve been seeing your output, the only references Iâve ever seen to anything âspiritualâ have been swastikas and a few scar pieces. A reasonable person might think theyâre just a way to be edgy in a world where facial tattoos are passe, in the absence of anything else that might suggest someone who follows the teachings of Buddha, or is a devout Hindu. Man, Iâm the poster child for knowing what is offensive, and if Iâm telling you thereâs a problem, you might want to listen. This is a problem. It isnât the place of the body mod community to âreclaimâ jack shit. Sure, there are overlaps, as I donât know of any reason one couldnât be a proud Hindu or Buddhist and a body mod enthusiast, but many would agree that it simply isnât the place of the pro organization that represents us to fight that battle, especially with a picture of a white male with a bunch of swastikas and no context. I wasnât the first to raise the alarm, just the loudest and most unpopular. Any comments about it by Jews, people of color, or others with clear cultural affiliation were merely swept aside. People arenât completely dumb and can clearly tell that the Native American man with the headdress, the Ganesha or the Buddha arenât hateful- the white hipster with the swazi plugs and the guy in the German uniform cooking bacon for his Jewish buddy definitely warrant more attention, because context is key. My earlier video stands on itâs own, and clearly is as close to the edge as I would ever feel comfortable doing, but the white hipster kid with swazi plugs starts to look suspect when nothing immediately says âdevout Buddhist, maybe Hinduâ.
Youâll notice this when you actually get to SE Michigan. Iâm sure we will all be treated to a selfie, wearing something boldly emblazoned with swastikas, somewhere recognizable. Youâll take that picture and take that shit out and go back to work, since it wonât fly anywhere around here in reality.Â
A final note- body jewelry itself is generally neutral. A company can certainly make jewelry with swastikas on it, since body piercing fans come in every color and creed under the sun, and it makes a huge difference who wears it. I fully support the jewelry companies making whatever adornments people want, but l am not going to avoid sparking the debate when I see something that needs to be debated. (btw- I genuinely NEVER noticed the swazis in those Modifika plugs. All I saw was a geometric pattern. Talk about surprisedâŠ.)Â
So, pangeapiercing, I suppose that I belong to the white hipsters that look like a nazi wearing my swastika jewellery?
I'm 22 years old and I go to a completely multicultural school here in Sweden. We've got people from Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippenes, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Polen, Denmark and no one bats an eye with me wearing swastikas. The only ones that have said that my jewellery is offensive towards POC/queer/hbtq/jews/muslims and so on is non-queer, non-hbtq, non-jewish, non-muslim white people. Oh, wait, sorry. ONE queer person said that it's offensive and that I should be ashamed of myself, letting others believe that I am a neo-Nazi.
You are right though, the body mod community aren't the (only) ones who should "reclaim" the swastika. Every one should. Before WWII practically every nation (especially the US) used the swastika, so this is not something that should only concern those with Eastern beliefs.
As long as people like yourself are judging people wearing swastikas, saying that we look like haters, the swastika will ALWAYS be feared and treated as a symbol of hate.
I hope that I don't come of as rude, because that is my intention. It's just that zero tolerance can't be used to fight zero tolerance. Imagine a world where everyone truly knows the meaning of the swastika and condemns the Nazis for using it, instead of the other way.
Take away "their" most precious symbol and you take away a lot of their "power".
And regarding the sayagata pattern in the Modifika plugs: nice to know that you actually care about what you are selling.
"White hipster" reporting for dutie.
Above is a video from J.C. Potts, owner of Pangea Piercing, ranting that using the swastika in a positive manner is something done by âwhite hipstersâ, which is inappropriate because the swastika is apparently a Hindu symbol (hint: despite being used in Hinduism, itâs not solely an element of Hindu symbology.)  JC makes the astute observation that âwhite hipstersâ âainât Hinduâ, pointing out that âwhite hipstersâ are also ânot Indianâ.  Despite the obvious flaws in his argument, which I pointed out in a previous entry, I thought itâd be worthwhile to address this in direct response. First Iâd like to direct everyoneâs attention to this video, which shows JC cooking bacon in a WWII era soldierâs uniform to âfeed to Jewsâ.  While JC is absolutely entitled to his opinion, the person who owns and dresses in a Nazi officerâs uniform to feed bacon to Jews while drinking in excess, and furthermore, posts it online as a representation of himself and his studio, probably shouldnât try to appoint himself as the moral barometer of the modified community.  When responding to outrage of the fact that he posted a video talking about someone making out with a âtrannyâ, JC said, âI personally donât want to live in a sanitized world with no sharp edges.â  Well, Mr. Potts, a swastika has 4 sharp edges.  Let me show you some âwhite hipster bullshitâ: This is the ceiling of an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Clearly, it was built to show âwhite hipsterâ art.  This brass promotional watch fob from the 1920s was clearly intended to promote drinking Coca-Cola in both Hindu and âwhite hipsterâ communities. This US Navy base just outside of San Diego, CA was built for the âwhite hipsterâ division of the Armed Forces. These cigarettes were clearly intended to only be smoked by Hindus. Look at this decoration at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural Sciences.  Clearly, the Smithsonian was built for Hindus, until the âwhite hipstersâ overtook it.  And lastly, look at this building I found in lower Manhattan yesterday.  Located right on the border of Central Park, this place was like âwhite hipsterâ mecca! Needless to say, just because you have a youtube channel, it doesnât mean youâre ineffably correct.
Effin Ivey everyone!
as someone who wears jewellery that contains Swastikas, what do you think about jc potts' video that was just put up about swastikas?
First off, I think JC is entitled to his opinion. Â Many of the videos he makes contain at least some useful information, and some people clearly seem to enjoy them. Â That being said, JC isnât the definitive voice of the modified community, and I really wish heâd keep that in mind when he expresses his opinions. Â It seemed like JCâs whole argument was:
the swastika is a Hindu symbol
youâre not Hindu
Itâs a trend
People see swastikas and think hate
you shouldnât wear them
Itâs amazingly well documented that the swastika doesnât have a single point of origin.  Itâs used in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism regularly to this day, and in itâs many styles and varieties, itâs been used in Judaism, Christianity, many Native American tribes, and tons of other cultures throughout time and the world.  This information is all easily available in the works of ManWoman.  So, the swastika isnât solely a symbol with Hindu origins.  One thing that bothers me is that JC said âyou ainât Hindu, youâre not Indian.â (2:12 in his video)  Itâs upsetting that JC seems to think that being of Indian descent is required for an adherence to Hinduism, but the whole point is moot considering that the swastika is not solely a Hindu symbol.  JC called the use of swastikas a âtrendâ for white hipsters.  I donât think Iâve ever been indirectly called a hipster, but letâs look at the definition of the word âtrendâ: a general direction in which something is developing or changing.  In that case, I sure hope itâs a trend.  I hope more people can carry a symbol of love, well-being, and light with them.  Clearly, the world needs it.  I did a brief, informal survey of my friends who have swastika tattoos, wear swastika jewelry, or have a general affinity for the symbol, and I was surprised to hear that none of us have had negative experiences in person because of them.  Clearly, this wasnât a scientific study, but out of dozens of people with prominent swastikas on their person, not a single person had ever had someone confront them and accuse them of being a âhaterâ.  It seems that the people of the world can figure out the ambiguity of a symbol better than some people in our own industry can.  I can also see where it might be confusing for JC, as heâs the person who cooked bacon in a Nazi uniform and filmed it for the whole internet to see.  So, should they be worn?  I donât think you should have to wear them.  I donât think you should have to stop wearing them.  I do think you should be required to understand what youâre talking about, and I definitely think you canât accuse people of being accidentally offensive when you have intentionally done so.
Cigarettes for show, pipes for a pro.
Once again.
Seems like you've been replying to every anon except for mine. I was the one who sent the link about appropriation and dreads. I love your blog, but I find it sad that you're ignoring a very serious issue for no good reason :(
Nah, all Iâm doing is waiting for people like you to step out of your bubble of ignorance and misinformation.Â
Hey anon, do you like pizza?
Facts
