Ok, after some closer look, it could resemble the SS “Mützenabzeichen”, but it could also just be a generic skull.
BTW, the British atme are no nazis are they? www.army.mod.uk/…/royal-lancers/
I can not say what exactly that tattoo was there is no clear image I found, so I can not jump to conclusions in any direction.
irish_link@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The issue with this kind of stuff is history. As a 40 you’re old American, whose grandfather served in World War II, I had no idea what that tattoo meant before this whole scandal.
The only symbolism we ever went over in school was the flag and swastika. I believe they thought dumb kids would mimic the iconography to look edgy.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Yeah, I keep saying this but idiots keep telling me I must have been a dumbass not to recognize it. I told them to show me a single screenshot of this symbol appearing in any media that depicts nazis or WWII and they couldn’t provide one, they just kept deflecting and calling me a dumbass.
Objection@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
It’s on every SS uniform
ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
It’s even specifically mentioned in the “are we the baddies” video. They’re wearing it too.
Image
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Yes, we all see so many of those on a day-to-day basis, and photos from the time are such high-def it’s astounding that anyone could miss it!
vapeloki@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totenkopf_(Symbol)#/media/D…
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Oh great, you’ve proven that there’s a wikipedia article for it. This is proof that anyone who hasn’t already stumbled upon it by chance is clearly a willfully ignorant nazi! /s
The only reason you’re even linking it now is because we’re already discussing it. My whole point is that hardly anybody knew what this symbol was prior to the discussion around Platner.
Now find a movie, TV show, book, comic, or video game that depicts that symbol on a nazi. Because that’s what I meant from the start and you know it.
irish_link@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I fully admit I am not the smartest or best student of history. However I recall no lessons un symbolism in any history class other than ancient Egypt and Neolithic era or late Stone Age.
Make not mistake I am not supporting any hatred other than towards Nazis. However when I first saw the image I honestly thought it was from Warhammer or something.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Yeah, I thought it looked tacky and stupid. I wouldn’t have gotten it myself. But I also didn’t know it was a nazi symbol until I read about it in the context of platner. Never would have guessed.
mathemachristian@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
I love how the main defense is “bro we all are so ignorant about history that we don’t know one of the most recognizable symbols of the nazis, but trust, we can definitely tell this guy isn’t one”
irish_link@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I think you’re missing my point. And YES, I just told you it wasn’t part of my history lessons. Are you based in the U.S.? If so, eastern, western, north, south, midwest? They all have different types of history being taught in school. For example, in the southeast there was a much bigger unit on trail of tears than in the Midwest. Also I bet if I asked you the name of the fertility statue from the Paleolithic you wouldn’t know it because it wasn’t part of your history lessons. Clearly that version of the totenkopf image was part of your history lessons or part of your history.
If you asked me what skull a bones together mean I would have said pirates and I would have been right because that’s the version of totenkopf I know. As I have now done a quick read on Wikipedia I must disagree with you about it be one of the most recognized symbols. How can it be one of the more recognized symbols if the main use was in concentration camps. They weren’t flying it all over or even putting it on all the uniforms. So yes, please accept that many people don’t know it.
Also no I didn’t say “ohh no this guy is totally not a nazi” but by all means put words in people’s mouth and ignore what they’re saying as it seems you do constantly. What I’m saying is most people I know, don’t know that symbol and thus can readily believe he didn’t know either. Thus the issue with pointing to it and saying “see this guys a nazi” is history lessons. If you’re going to point to shit, point to his words and comments not a tattoo.
Am I going to go dive into this guys Reddit history and learn about him, no. I will not be voting for him and I won’t be voting for his opponent. Not my area and thus I don’t need to go learn all the shit about him.
mathemachristian@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
The bolded statement is what I take issue with. I don’t care that you personally didn’t know what the SS Totenkopf looked like. But you do now, and if you now see it tattooed on some guys chest wouldn’t that make you highly suspicious of them? Or would you think “nah they probably don’t know either”?
I think that this generalisation of “I didn’t know, so they didn’t either” is really dangerous and gives nazi’s even more plausible deniability to switch to openly fascist symbolism. I’m sorry for being so rude, and it seems like it was misdirected at you, but the amount of people that are willing to look past all these red flags (of which the Totenkopftattoo is but one) got me kind of spiraling…
It’s so well recognised that Mitchell & Webb made a comedic sketch about that skull on the radio. They later made it into a TV sketch that became even more famous as the “Hans, are we the baddies?” meme. It’s up there with the Swastika, SS runes and Sonnenrad as far as nazi symbols go.