Tail End Charlie
Swastikas and Red Stars
Text: Richard Plos
History is not an exact science, knowledge about things and events of the past is not only added to and refined, but its perception may change in relation to the evolution of society as a whole. The chroniclers of ancient times often wrote along the monarch desire, otherwise they risked their neck. Those who then set about writing down about events that occurred during the reigns of monarchs who were already dead and therefore harmless, in turn often committed errors or fabrications for the simple reason that they had few sources or had favorites they did not want to disgrace, and vice versa. First half of the 16th Century Czech chronicler Wenceslaus Hájek from Libočany could tell a story about such an approach... In his time, he too had limited sources of information and usually interpreted what little he found in his own way. He was not alone in this, and he was by no means the last. Like medieval or ancient rulers, modern despots like to alter history in their own way. Some time ago, on one of the (a)social networks (primarily set up to increase the reach of human narrowness and smallness, I think), I noticed a reel by a lady of about 50 years of age who took umbrage at the fact that some historical events are now spoken and written about differently than she was taught in school. She used the word “unbelievable” about twenty times, probably because of her weak vocabulary due to her poor education. The person in question obviously lives in the belief that history is an exact science, which is of course nonsense. Unfortunately, in our country still dragging a lot from the communist era, the communist interpretation of history, which, well beyond the work of Wenceslaus Hájek of Libočany, resembles the fairy-tale Chronicle of the so-called Dalimil (early 14th Century ), still greatly influences the worldview of not only the older generation. Like a mental cancer, the lies that were drilled into our heads by our teachers spread from our parents and grandparents to the younger generation. If we add to this the weakness of contemporary education, then it is no wonder that we still have the heroic Soviet Union, which was insidiously attacked by the Nazis and then saved the whole of Europe, and hence the world, from their tyranny. No, that is not the case, dear children, the Soviet Union was only saving its own ass and extinguishing what it had helped to set on fire with great initiative, in order to then ruthlessly exploit it all in a race for the World ruling. Under the sign of the red star, people have died quite needlessly both by the hand of their enemies as well as their own leaders’.
As many as 17 million people were killed during the Russian civil war that followed the Bolsheviks’ (i.e. Communist) seizure of power and nearly 1.5 million people were killed during the “Great Purge” by which the Communists settled their accounts and got rid of uncomfortable “elements”. All in all, some 12 million people were “terminated” during the Stalinist purges. Until the monstrous communist ideology was embraced by Mao Tse-Tung to dispose of an estimated seventy million people in various ways, the Soviet Union was the leader of the “hit parade” of mass murders crimes committed directly under the flag and state symbols of the country. And in both cases, the red five-pointed star, which in terms of symbolism of atrocities is equaling the swastika, played a role. However, while the swastika lost, the red star won, at least in the eyes of those who adopt as their interpretation of history the lessons of the Communist Party’s point of view. And that is why today we have laws that seek to erase the swastika from history, while the red star can continue to shine cheerfully, even as a symbol of the most heinous atrocities whenever and wherever.
Today, we have to cope with legislation that tries to erase the Nazi symbol from history in the preparation of plastic models somehow. Swastikas have to be deleted from paint schemes, boxarts and decals, even in the form of small symbols of aerial victories, which the Allied fighters of the time certainly didn’t paint on their planes to promote Nazism. In other words, the legislator de facto misses the point of his own work.
To be honest, I am not in favor of banning the use of Nazi symbols provided they are used solely in connection with the depiction of historical events, just as I am not in favor of banning the red five-pointed star. I’ve yet to see a symbol, no matter what it is, do evil on its own. Evil on this planet is perpetrated solely by humans, and those who wish to perpetrate or promote it will not be stopped by any legislation. Turning a blind eye to history is strikingly reminiscent not only of Wenceslaus Hájek from Libočany, or that versifying joker we call Dalimil, but especially of communist comrades who wrote history textbooks so that everything would fit into a predetermined ideology. And this is a very dangerous development. Personally, I am very curious if the letter “Z”, the symbol of newer Russian atrocities, will be measured by the same yardstick as the swastika. I don’t know about you, but I probably can’t do without it, it is a quite useful letter …