The History of the Swastika

It appears a simple case of ignorance was behind the severe beating administered to a man I took care of the other night. This white gentleman was at a biker bar evidently doing his job as a bounty-hunter when a "whole bunch of ni***** jumped me". Whether or not he had his shirt on at the time is a matter of debate, but he certainly did not have his shirt on when he was brought into the ED. I couldn't help but notice the large swastika tattoos prominently displayed on this gentleman's arms. As I was putting staples in his closely-shaven head (he had sustained multiple lacerations and bruises from an expertly wielded pipe) he educated me on the meaning of his tatoos...

"You know doc, most people think the swastika is a nazi thing. It's not. Now I am a white power guy but I think we should help other races with food drives and stuff... I read some old books and the swastika is a Christian symbol."

Poor guy. Out trying to preach the gospel, his tattoos get misinterpreted or perhaps he just said the wrong thing, and some uneducated troglodytes did a little dance on his head. Turns out he was wrong about the swastika (click 'History of the Swastika' to become enlightened), and wrong about displaying it in such a provocative way. Gentle in the art of persuasion he was not, it did not help that he was also stupid.