This photo is by Bellboy in Insaneskinarts in Sinapore. The reason I’m posting it is I’d like to raise the following subject for discussion — it’s very common in North America to see communist paraphenalia (the Hammer and Sickle, Stalin and Lenin, and so on) in the backgrounds of photos and no one really bats an eye at it. These days I’m seeing more and more Nazi paraphenalia from South America and Asia, which as far as I can tell is not strongly associated with neo-Nazism.
Each type of image of course represents an ideology that resulted in the needless genocidal deaths of millions of people, yet one tends to generate a knee jerk reaction and the other does not — I’ve gotten many taken-down requests over this photo, but effectively none over pro-Stalinist imagery for example. I assume it all boils down to cultural context?
Comments
180 responses to “Nazi Fetishism”
Why is Communist imagery considered more acceptable?
Because there are those who believe what boff posted in #74, that the United States is the greatest evil that the world has ever known. It’s easy, then, to hold up Communism as something good and just, since the Cold War was dominated by the United States and ohter Western nations opposing the Soviet Union and other Communist nations.
They conveniently ignore the seven million Ukranians starved to death at Stalin’s orders (25% of the population at the time), or the 23 million Stalin had murdered by 1953.
Most often, their response is the same one I’ve heard throughout this thread: “That was Stalin and Stalinism. That’s not Communism.” Fine. Of course, 30 million died in the largest famine in history during Chairman Mao’s “Great Leap Forward”, or the million that died during the “Great Cultural Revolution”. Pol Pot’s “Year Zero” eliminated between 1.7 and 3.2 million people (out of a population of 7 million). Then there’s the executions, gas chambers, tortures, forced abortions and famines of North Korea. That sure seems like more than just Stalin to me.
But, you know what they say: “One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
Oh, and nice bunch of propaganda there, boff. Always nice to use part of the truth, omit what doesn’t fit with your view, and make up a few more things, when trying to push an agenda.
Why is Communist imagery considered more acceptable?
Because there are those who believe what boff posted in #74, that the United States is the greatest evil that the world has ever known. It’s easy, then, to hold up Communism as something good and just, since the Cold War was dominated by the United States and ohter Western nations opposing the Soviet Union and other Communist nations.
They conveniently ignore the seven million Ukranians starved to death at Stalin’s orders (25% of the population at the time), or the 23 million Stalin had murdered by 1953.
Most often, their response is the same one I’ve heard throughout this thread: “That was Stalin and Stalinism. That’s not Communism.” Fine. Of course, 30 million died in the largest famine in history during Chairman Mao’s “Great Leap Forward”, or the million that died during the “Great Cultural Revolution”. Pol Pot’s “Year Zero” eliminated between 1.7 and 3.2 million people (out of a population of 7 million). Then there’s the executions, gas chambers, tortures, forced abortions and famines of North Korea. That sure seems like more than just Stalin to me.
But, you know what they say: “One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
Oh, and nice bunch of propaganda there, boff. Always nice to use part of the truth, omit what doesn’t fit with your view, and make up a few more things, when trying to push an agenda.
#47 Zion… I too am in a relationship a Jew… I have Swastika tattoos. I have a shaved head, I get tattooed at a shop owned by a Skinhead… I’m not a Skinhead… I’m not racist. This picture shows beautiful tattoo work and a flag which sadly has a place in our world history… note the word history (it actually happened)no biggie. Is Shannon laughing about what this has stirred up?
#47 Zion… I too am in a relationship a Jew… I have Swastika tattoos. I have a shaved head, I get tattooed at a shop owned by a Skinhead… I’m not a Skinhead… I’m not racist. This picture shows beautiful tattoo work and a flag which sadly has a place in our world history… note the word history (it actually happened)no biggie. Is Shannon laughing about what this has stirred up?
Sexy boy.
Sexy boy.
i am not defending stalinism. i am merely pointing out that to limit the debate to soviet/nazi flags and imagery is rather short sighted when EVERY nation is guilty of atrocities, and usually the more powerful the nation the greater the crime. i used the US as the example, but it could just as easily been the British, israel, brazil, the catholic church… whoever. the flag may change, but the truth remains: power corrupts, no-one is innocent, all governments lie and carry out murder.
i am not defending stalinism. i am merely pointing out that to limit the debate to soviet/nazi flags and imagery is rather short sighted when EVERY nation is guilty of atrocities, and usually the more powerful the nation the greater the crime. i used the US as the example, but it could just as easily been the British, israel, brazil, the catholic church… whoever. the flag may change, but the truth remains: power corrupts, no-one is innocent, all governments lie and carry out murder.
“Those Who Forget the Mistakes of the Past,are Doomed to Repeat Them”
“Those Who Forget the Mistakes of the Past,are Doomed to Repeat Them”
Hmmm…is that a pennywise-tattoo on his left leg?
Hmmm…is that a pennywise-tattoo on his left leg?
His tattoos are a great mix…
PS: Well said Shannon
His tattoos are a great mix…
PS: Well said Shannon
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you gotta be kidding me.
you gotta be kidding me.
for some reason it will only allow me to post so much at a time.
for some reason it will only allow me to post so much at a time.
most of us, the asian knows about nazi. but it just that so many people couldnt bear to see the logo is because its either their family was hurt by hitler or either they know about the history. but during ww2, japanese killed so many chinese and so many people. so when people wear japanese flag logo we shall scold them in their face too? every human have the right to wear what they want, and what they like. if you dont like it, simply ignore it. if you wanna wear it, just wear it. its just like satanism. every other religion hate it as well. but how many americans are wearing church of satan tee shirts? its just like any single people in any religion, once they do crimes, they will be charge, be it they are from whatever religion. people are bad and kind from their heart, not by their clothing etc. its not up to us to decide who love to support hitler but think about it, how about those that dont wear nazi tee or whatsoever. why dont human just kill each other and everybody dies so no one will suffer? once and for all.
most of us, the asian knows about nazi. but it just that so many people couldnt bear to see the logo is because its either their family was hurt by hitler or either they know about the history. but during ww2, japanese killed so many chinese and so many people. so when people wear japanese flag logo we shall scold them in their face too? every human have the right to wear what they want, and what they like. if you dont like it, simply ignore it. if you wanna wear it, just wear it. its just like satanism. every other religion hate it as well. but how many americans are wearing church of satan tee shirts? its just like any single people in any religion, once they do crimes, they will be charge, be it they are from whatever religion. people are bad and kind from their heart, not by their clothing etc. its not up to us to decide who love to support hitler but think about it, how about those that dont wear nazi tee or whatsoever. why dont human just kill each other and everybody dies so no one will suffer? once and for all.
HAIL !!!!!!!!!!! this tattoo.
HAIL !!!!!!!!!!! this tattoo.
The 88 comment… any Nazi would know what that mean…
The bodyart is very, very good… the person(s) behind is clearly very gifted!
But my question is to the webmaster: how come you can find it in yourself to put the svastika or “sun symbol” [croocked cross] on this page, in clear sight and at the same time keep the genital pictures “blurred” ???
Witch is really the worst of the two ?
The 88 comment… any Nazi would know what that mean…
The bodyart is very, very good… the person(s) behind is clearly very gifted!
But my question is to the webmaster: how come you can find it in yourself to put the svastika or “sun symbol” [croocked cross] on this page, in clear sight and at the same time keep the genital pictures “blurred” ???
Witch is really the worst of the two ?
Maybe the flag was put there to raise a few eyebrows, or maybe to see what would get the most reactions; the nudity or the svastika.
We also have to remember that the svastika had other meanings before it was used by the nazis, so maybe the person on the photo put this flag up for its original meaning and not for what it became.
Maybe the flag was put there to raise a few eyebrows, or maybe to see what would get the most reactions; the nudity or the svastika.
We also have to remember that the svastika had other meanings before it was used by the nazis, so maybe the person on the photo put this flag up for its original meaning and not for what it became.
you seem to associate hammer and sickle with a swatsika pretty easily but if you think it threw many people use the hammer and sickle as an image representing ideas of a better world nothing to do wit stalin im a communist and i hate hitler as much as stalin but i do have a hammer and sicle on my jacket a nazi symbol only has one meaning;…
you seem to associate hammer and sickle with a swatsika pretty easily but if you think it threw many people use the hammer and sickle as an image representing ideas of a better world nothing to do wit stalin im a communist and i hate hitler as much as stalin but i do have a hammer and sicle on my jacket a nazi symbol only has one meaning;…