• Arthur Besse@lemmy.mlOP
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    3 days ago

    There are lots of types of skulls and crossbones used in many contexts, but his is specifically the SS-Totenkopf insignia used from 1934 to 1945.

    It seems very implausible that, as he claims, nobody ever told him this before now.

    And he obviously chose to release the video himself as damage control only after he knew it was coming out anyway.

    • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      That link has like 7 different variations of the skull and crossbones that the Nazis used and that covers basically every usage by anyone ever. I just don’t buy that he’s a closed Nazi and it never came up in all his Reddit shitposting.

        • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          I watched the video. I’m not arguing that it is the same skull used by the Nazi SS. I’m arguing that specific skull wasn’t created by the Nazis (here it is on an 18th century pirate flag) and it wasn’t used last by the Nazis (here it is on a US special forces patch used in Vietnam) .

          The US military has used all sorts of eagles, swords, crosses, skulls, double lightning bolts, etc over the years that were also used by Nazis at some point. I just don’t think it is reasonable to say he’s a Nazi based on this tattoo alone in the absolute absence of any other evidence of any sort.

          • Kallestar@lemmy.ml
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            3 days ago

            There’s just no way the US military allowed Nazi symbology to proliferate amongst its ranks. That’s certainly never happened before. We’re the good guys /s

            • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              It could be that, or it could also be that the Nazis copied some of this stuff from the US. They admired our treatment of black people and borrowed a lot from us.

              • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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                2 days ago

                No, totenkopf was symbol used in XIX century by Prussian hussars. They were pretty badass so it spread a little in different forms in the region, but it only made a world career by being symbol of SS.

                • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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                  2 days ago

                  The pirate flag I posted earlier was from the XVIII century. The skull and crossbones in general was used by pirates from the XVIII century onward. In general it was used in Europe since the late middle ages, originating in Spain. The Hussars were just the first military regiment to officially use it.

                  The skull of Adam at the foot of the Cross: detail from a Crucifixion by Fra Angelico, 1435

                  Here is a grave in Ireland, likely from around 1730 with the symbol.

                  And I’m just sticking to depictions with the left facing 1/4 turn that the SS most often used. I guess my point is that the association of the symbol with death far elipses it’s association with the SS.

                  • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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                    22 hours ago

                    You seem to consistently and deliberately confuse specific design used by SS with any usage of similar symbol through the ages.

          • Arthur Besse@lemmy.mlOP
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            3 days ago

            here it is on an 18th century pirate flag

            that one is an entirely dissimilar skull and cross bones

            here it is on a US special forces patch

            that one is 100% intentionally the SS-Totenkopf

            I just don’t think it is reasonable to say he’s a Nazi based on this tattoo alone

            I’m not saying he necessarily secretly considers himself a Nazi, but he does have an unambiguously Nazi tattoo and his explicit claim that he was totally clueless about its meaning for 18 years is simply not believable (especially in light of other evidence, like his reddit posts defending other solders’ double lightning bolt tattoos).

            • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              Yea, it is unambiguously a Nazi tattoo. It is also just as accurate to say it is a pirate tattoo or a Vietnam era special forces tattoo. Personally, I just don’t see it as automatically damning in itself.