Political Correctness getting in the way of Historical Accuracy

[Willhelm II]

How ridiculous of Paradox Entertainment to not include the Third Reich Swastika flag in Hearts of Iron - again, political correctness triumphs over common sense.

What's next? Ridding games of the Union Jack flag for fear of offending countries which were previously under the British Empire?

One of the most promiment, powerfull and recognizable flags of the 20th Century and a major symbol of WW2 and it is not included in the game - yet the communist flag of Russia is (and let us not forget, communism was responsible for millions of deaths as well as Fascism).

[mactbone]

The game was developed in Sweden and as far as I understand things they have laws about Nazi stuff. I know that various countries in Europe have laws concerning things associated with Nazism and I think that's the case here.

I don't approve of the law, but I wouldn't want a great developer like Paradox to get in any trouble.

[Dauphin]

The swastika is a banned symbol in Germany, Italy and France (and probably elsewhere too).

[Willhelm II]

Originally posted by Big Crunch
The swastika is a banned symbol in Germany, Italy and France (and probably elsewhere too).

It is Fascist in itself to ban a symbol outright because a certain group used it to symbolise themselves.

[Dauphin]

Its not Paradox fault that those nations ban the symbol.

[St Leo]

It is Fascist in itself to ban a symbol outright because a certain group used it to symbolise themselves.

It's not banned because of the Nazis. It's banned because of the neoNazis. A certain group still uses it so symbolize itself. The ban will lapse with the fading away of those nutcases.

In the meantime, feel free to enjoy documentaries and schoolbooks for their use of the swastika is entirely legal.

As for the associate freedom issues, I'll take this moment to point out that many western democracies make the self-application of many substances illicit for no good reason.

[mactbone]

Because mind-altering isn't always a good thing - sanctitiy of life and all that

[St Leo]

Because swastikae aren't always a good thing - arson and murder and all that.

[Heresson]

Re: Political Correctness getting in the way of Historical Accuracy

Historical accuracy...
Well, again I come back to the point that Silesia, Kostrzyn and two Pomeranias should have Polish culture, Prussia Polish except for German, perhaps Brandenburg and Magdeburg as well, Luzyce should have Luzyczan one for example, and Memel - Lithuanian. So much when it comes to Germany itself.

[Dauphin]

If we are talking accuracy, the geography of the UK in HoI has a lot to be desired.

[Kropotkin]

Originally posted by MacTBone
The game was developed in Sweden and as far as I understand things they have laws about Nazi stuff. I know that various countries in Europe have laws concerning things associated with Nazism and I think that's the case here.

Nope, as far as I know that's not the case here. It might however be the case they took other countries laws into consideration.

[Jon Shafer]

A mix of everything mentioned here is the real reasoning.

You can get the swastika from another source and put it into your game anyways. I put the swastika as the political German flag, and the Iron Cross as the isignia of the Wehrmacht. The army had nothing to do with nazism, so giving them that flag and associating them with that would be wrong, IMO.

Er, just my two cents.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Trip
The army had nothing to do with nazism, so giving them that flag and associating them with that would be wrong, IMO.

Nothing?

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Trip
A mix of everything mentioned here is the real reasoning.

You can get the swastika from another source and put it into your game anyways. I put the swastika as the political German flag, and the Iron Cross as the isignia of the Wehrmacht. The army had nothing to do with nazism, so giving them that flag and associating them with that would be wrong, IMO.

Er, just my two cents.

Wehrmacht was commiting atrocities as well as any other German force, only a bit smaller.

[Dr. Nick]

I, too, was rather disgusted to see the 'Blood and Iron' tricolour when I first played HoI.