Of course the posters are right tha

Of course the posters are right that we shouldn't blame the boy for wearing a shirt that might offend people. He probably has no idea what the symbol is. But I think what surprises and disappoints people is that he doesn't know and so many people in Thailand don't know. Over 60 million people died in World War II. At least thirty countries were involved. Over 100 million people fought for their countries. Six million Jews died. It was an event not only huge for the world at the time, but has shaped many of our institutions, politics and economies to this day. Now, I suppose it would be understandable that Thai people might not know about it if it was just something that affected Europe. But it very much affected Thailand. Thailand was invaded by Japan in 1941. Bombs were dropped on Bangkok, first by the Japanese and then by the allies. Rama VI bridge was virtually destroyed by aerial bombers. For those who know anything about the war, who are horrified that such an event and such atrocities could have occurred, who try to learn from it, the swastika is a lasting symbol of evil. So when foreigners see a Thai boy wearing a T-shirt with a swastika, what we see is 1: an education system that fails to teach some of the most valuable lessons that history has to offer 2: a society that cares only about its own culture, and does not teach or take interest in foreign cultures 3: Fashion being more important than history. No. We can't blame the boy. I'm sure there are kids in England and even the US who have no idea what the swastika represents. The educational system in the west is far from perfect. But I do believe that if a kid in those countries wore a swastika shirt, there would be many other people who would remind him.