isn't it going the opposite direction though? i saw a woman with a sari covered in (what looked like) swastikas the other day and had to do a double take. symbols are only symbols but it is difficult to take the history out of them sometimes...

my father had an old WWII nazi helmet in our basement when I was a child that his uncle brought back with him from the war. one of my childhood friends (who happened to be Jewish) confronted me about it one time, and I simply told him that it was there not as a tribute but rather to serve as a reminder of what we do to people like that.

it's important to keep that stuff around to remind us that it needs to always remain nothing more than "memorabilia". trying to prohibit it or otherwise hide it won't stop the loonies from being looney, better to keep it out in the open where we can at least attack it head-on.

While I hate agreeing with you on anything, it's true. If we completly erase periods of history, then we are bound to repeat it. Holding onto Nazi period pieces, does not mean that the holder has them to personally identify with their politics. Unelss of course one is holding a piece of equipment that was used in torture and displays it above the fireplace; for example.

But the Swaztika itself is an important symbol that can be found a lot of places still today. Just in Swiss and Nordic countries, I saw one yesterday on the front of an old village church in SZ canton on my return from holidays. And in Detroit at one exclusive high society health club, in the old ceramic work around the interior. If you were to go to Lietchtenstein Hitler stamps are readily available for sale there. I mean, Hitler is a goofy looking man. Imagine him on a stamp?

it wouldn't surprise me for one minute if there were swastikas on the walls at the DAC.

What am I missing? isn't Nazi just Nationalsozialismus or national socialism??

I'm touched and have to share it with someone... I went to the flea market today. Saw innocently looking guy selling old post stamps. German, from early 1930s. And also German from early 40s... with the Adolf's face on them. Some of the ones had marks from the cities that are Polish now. 3CHF for a stamp. I'm... confused? shocked? The stamps were cut from the letters, with some margin around and fragments of machine typed text on the backside (one mentioned a word "slawische", I don't dare to think where did this guy get them from). Not far away, another guy with the collection of banknotes, coins and b/w photos had a full basket of old German b/w photos, also from the 40s (they had notes on the back made probably by a previous owner), obviously obtained from a soldier or his family, as they mostly depicted army men in a casual surroundings. On training, in the barracks, by the table, in the village, by some ruins. Pretty surreal. I couldn't distinguish the uniforms though. One of the photos depicted a guy writing something by the desk, looking like an official - and Adolf's photo was hanging on the wall in background. Another photo showed civil people saluting with their right hands with what could but didn't have to be a nazi salute. Awkward. I don't know what to think about it.

Why did the commie stuff not bother you?

https://www.wonderslist.com/10-most-...er-in-history/

Oh good! A Sunday morning Top 10 clickbait as a 7 year thread resurrection.

Some years ago I read about somebody in Hungary trying to get Heineken to take the red star off their company logo as this person argued nobody would tolerate a swastika either. No idea if that ever went anywhere.

One of the coolest bars I went to once in Budapest was done out in cold war era decor with lots of red stars, soldier uniforms etc.

This was quite a few years ago and the wall hadn't been down too long.

Historians of people with similar interests, obviously?

Ancient Rome made the Nazis look like amateurs, they raped and pillaged and slaved and conquered for literally millenia... yet we love collecting all of their stuff because the fact that it all happened thousands of years ago somehow makes these things glamorous and acceptable? The 'Commies' were also no angels and their land-grabbing in Germany and Eastern Europe following WWII was in its own and very different way abhorrent and sinister.

Yes, Nazis and especially Hitler were in our view evil incarnate and there is no excusing anything that they did, if there is a hell they will burn there for eternity, but lets not go into knee-jerk outrage mode at the thought of someone buying a piece of history, no matter what it represents, as it does not automatically make them Nazi sympathizers and some people have a genuine interest in the wars and the artifacts from that time.

And no, I do not own any Nazi artifacts and have no interest in doing so.

I agree with those who think we should separate historic interest from present endorsement.

Indeed. If I came across an Enigma machine in some junk store, I'd snap it up no problem!

Tom

I've got a Nazi medal hidden in a drawer, a nice little souvenir from the old days.

It helps remind me that my grandfather had bigger balls than I might ever hope to have.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4oitt3

Tom

With all respect, you are answering a 8 year old post to someone who might even have changed their mind in the meantime. Just saying. Good post though..


@Redbanner, why this apparently not-so-random thread resurrection? Do you have something to sell or.....something to say?

Yeah... replying to years-old threads tends to happen pretty easily when someone randomly bumps them... *shrugs**

You know Greenmount isn't British, right?

I have seen this expression used by native English speakers here so I don't get his urge to post that.