Context: The company is German and has been around long enough (120 years) to have seen it used as a hate symbol during WW2.
Not everything is WW2 related my dude.
The saddle product family you’re looking at literally has Medicus in its name and you rather associate a cross with the military and not the red cross or medicine.
The saddle product family you’re looking at literally has Medicus in its name and you rather associate a cross with the military and not the red cross or medicine.
Because their older product lines did use a cross symbol that looked more like a medical cross, but these newer ones absolutely look like Balkenkreuz from WW2.
I have to reiterate that the company is German and has been around since WW2.
Seemed like a funny coincidence(?).
I see Tetris blocks. That clearly means it’s a Russian conspiracy to conspire with the Germans conspiratorially.
Sorry, you think it’s suspicious they put a cross on a new version of a product when the previous version had a cross on it in the exact same position? It’s just a modern, minimalist design like you see just about everywhere else. Also, Werner Herzog was born in Munich in 1942, so he’s also a German who’s been around since WW2, but that doesn’t make the guy a Nazi.
Sorry, you think it’s suspicious they put a cross on a new version of a product when the previous version had a cross on it in the exact same position?
I didn’t even know they had a different cross until the other poster mentioned “medical cross”.
Medical crosses are SOLID and usually all red or all white with red surrounding it, usually inside a circle.
I’ve never seen a medical cross that looks like a Balkenkreuz. Not even Nazis in WW2 used this symbol as a medical cross. LOL
It’s just a modern, minimalist design like you see just about everywhere else.
Of course, I’m not saying they are literal Nazis… I thought it was funny that an old German company would put a ubiquitous symbol used by Nazis during WW2 on their products.
There must have been some discussion over this at the company!
I find it extremely funny how you asked a question, received an answer of “no”, and then started arguing with everyone about how the answer is actually yes. The answer is no.
You cannot expect to be taken seriously when you’re arguing that a minimalist cross outline in red is the same as a black cross with a white outline, but it’s totally not the same as a red cross. And that black cross outlined in white is totally different to a grey cross outlined in white that uses the same name.
There was probably no discussion because only you saw the connection, and it’s a VERY tenuous connection at that.
You’re right. And I overestimated this Lemmy community for thinking it had more of a sense of humour.
Given the multiple coincidences of that specific symbol being used, I thought it was something funny. My apologies if it came out as not funny.
Thats not an iron cross
You are right, it’s the Balkenkreuz, also used by Nazis.
Wrong Nazi symbol, my apologies. I’ve corrected the title.
Actually you are both wrong, since the Balkenkreuz and the Eiserne Kreuz are but two of hundreds of variations of the same symbol, the black cross of the German Order of knights, dating back to the 12th century. It’s the same symbol.
And not only that, the particular variation you are going on about, the Balkenkreuz, black cross with a thick white and small black outline except for the endings of the cross, isn’t a Nazi symbol. It was used in the first world war already.
Which is all completely ignoring that it’s a simple cross with a single outline, one of the most basic shapes there is, used by a medical company.
All to say, I see how it’s easy to mistake, but you are wrong on the facts and you are airing your grievances on the wrong venue. Write to the company, maybe they will even agree with you and change it.
I appreciate the history lesson. I had no idea that people would take such offence to a funny observation I had about a symbol on a bike saddle.
And I don’t think the company is led by nazis, nor do I think they intended for the symbol to look so similar to the one used by nazis.
They were using a medical cross before, and this new one looks nothing like a medical cross in my opinion.
This post wasn’t meant to be controversial or upsetting, and it seems to have triggered far too many people. I regret posting it.
Also of note, the Bundeswehr logo is a slightly different variant of that same symbol, and is in current day use.
Right, I have the exact seat - but I don’t see any nazi symbolism here? Are you talking about the cross at the bottom?
Are you talking about the cross at the bottom?
Yes. It was displayed by Nazis, most notably on Luftwaffe planes during WW2.
That’s a stretch I would say :D
A German company dating back to WW2 using a WW2 Nazi symbol on their 2023 product isn’t at least a little suspect?
I honestly couldn’t believe it.
Also, how’s the saddle? I’m considering getting it. LOL
Hahaha I’m not saying it’s not a funny coincidence, because it is - I just don’t think it was intentional :D Probably just a international red cross symbol, usually associated with medical/health, but in this context…
It’s really comfortable! I bought it in Lidl for around $15 to replace my stock saddle which was hard as life itself. Big difference - couldn’t sit on my ass for weeks after a longer cycle on the old one. No issues now.
The saddle literally has Medicus in its name and written on the product but yes surely the cross is not associated with medicine but with the Nazis.
Op is a bit trigger happy and looking to be offended.
As posted previously, they changed the symbol from a more traditional medical cross to this WW2 Nazi emblem cross.
I’m not offended, nor do I intend to offend. I thought it was funny. Sheesh.
Dude stop calling it a WW2 Nazi cross unless you want to call the current German military also Nazis for using the Balkenkreuz.
Please go educate yourself before you make such wild claims.
It’s really comfortable! I bought it in Lidl for around $15 to replace my stock saddle which was hard as life itself. Big difference - couldn’t sit on my ass for weeks after a longer cycle on the old one. No issues now.
Seems like pricing in Europe is way cheaper than North America. It’s like $50+ Canadian.
I’ve got a Brooks Cambium C17 that I’ve ridden with for thousands of KM, but it’s not super comfortable after 120km at a time, even with padded shorts. My MTB, on the other hand, has a relatively cheap saddle that feels more comfortable with regular shorts… this Wittkop looks like a nice alternative to the Brooks.
Wait you can immediately tell it’s not the same symbol.
-The item’s symbol has a hollow inside. The one depicted in your pic is heavy black, as you can see that it’s darker than the plane itself.
-The pic shows a heavy, bold white outline. This outline is not present in the item’s symbol.
-Also just of note, the item’s symbol color is red. Isn’t that plane using A black/white color for it’s cross, like the swastika’s color scheme?-The item’s symbol has a hollow inside. The one depicted in your pic is heavy black, as you can see that it’s darker than the plane itself.
That’s the difference between a printed logo and a vinyl sticker, not the emblem itself.
-The pic shows a heavy, bold white outline. This outline is not present in the item’s symbol.
The outline is there, but bold white would have looked silly (from a design standpoint of the saddle)
Also just of note, the item’s symbol color is red. Isn’t that plane using A black/white color for it’s cross, like the swastika’s color scheme?
The Balkenkreuz was typically black and white, but on a red background flag. I’m not sure the company would go all out with a red coloured saddle. Haha!
I honestly feel like you’re making shit up to make a fairly offensive joke. If they were really trying to make the offensive cross, “It would have looked silly” isn’t remotely an argument. Plus white goes on most colors, especially Black which is the color of the item, so there’s no reason it couldn’t have been used.
You’re right. My bad. I’m the asshole.
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Both use crosses that are completely different in style and colour. So, not Nazis :)
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I posted a photo of a Balkenkreuz on a Luftwaffe plane from WW2 and this cross looks strikingly similar.
Even the black, red, white colour scheme used ties in with the Third Reich colour pallet.
And from a German company who was around during WW2…
I mean, I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this couldn’t all be a coincidence. LOL
Balkenkreuz was in use prior to WW2 and prior to Nazi’s.
It appears to be a symbol of the German Armed Forces, which is a separate entity of the political Nazi party.
Some of the German forces,(like the Luftwaffe) were actually pretty anti-nazi.
So while that symbol was used by the German Forces during the Nazi regime, I wouldn’t automatically see that symbol and think Nazi’s.
The Swastika (with colors/rotation) and some of the SS symbols/group icons are definitely Nazi, as those are directly related to the political party.
Some of the German forces,(like the Luftwaffe) were actually pretty anti-nazi.
Explain:
Dude you’re embarrassing yourself. Please stop. You have no argument at all.
You’re reaching. Crosses are used a lot.
Wait, so any cross symble to you is Nazism?Wave you seen the flag of England? Not the United Kingdom, the flag of England.
If only there was some sort of symbolism they could use to tie-in with the name of the product…
Of course, perhaps the medical cross they were using in previous models would have more concise?
Changing it to something historically awful seems like a terrible mistake.
I don’t think the nazi’s actually ‘created’ any of their own symbols did they? Maybe the stylized SS? They completely ruined the swastika which had been around for ‘nearly 7000 years’ according to the holocaust museum. While I wouldn’t expect a company to ever use a swastika, I don’t think every single stolen symbol they used should hold the same stigma…
Yes, that’s true about Nazis ruining other symbols, including swastikas (although, they flipped the direction of the symbol).
But this particular emblem was famously used by Nazi forces, probably more so than the swastika.
I just thought it was suspect for a German company dating back to WW2 to even consider this symbol on their products. There’s literally no point of having that symbol at all… **it’s not the company logo. **
You do know that the Bundeswehr is still using the Balkenkreuz, right?
Of course, but styled very different and using totally different colours (blue, grey, white) not black, red, white.
Finally, a literal design for assholes
It even comes with its own hole if you want to use a connecting pipe
Oh you’re talking about the cross symbol at the front. I was confused and focused on the nut trapping hole in the center of the seat that caused me to wince a bit.
*Ballzenkreuz…land your naziballs right here.
Well it’s called Wittkop… white head in a germanic dutch way?
The fact that it’s thin and fading outwards makes it looks more like one of the crosshair options in FPS games
That’s way more thin and also has a fade-out and also the shade of red is completely different from the nazi one
