AOC doesn't let gun CEO play stupid about white supremacy tattoos in ads (video)

Have fun walkign around with a swastika shirt, I guess…

clerks-im-taking-it-back

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I was curious about how much coverage this was getting outside of BB, so I googled “Daniel Defense”. These are the cut-and-pasted results. This could just be the algorithm showing me what it thinks I want to see, but that’s three different “Daniel Defense being shitty” stories being reported on in just the last two days.

Savannah Morning News
CEO of Bryan-based Daniel Defense defends marketing …
Marty Daniel, CEO of Bryan County-based weapons manufacturer Daniel Defense, appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on…
3 hours ago

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Daniel Defense CEO says industry bears no blame for mass …
Marty Daniel, the founder and chief executive of gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, testifies remotely.
4 hours ago

The Current GA
Daniel Defense CEO says gun industry isn’t responsible for …
Daniel Defense manufactured the military-style rifle that the Robb Elementary School shooter used to kill 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde…
16 hours ago

The Washington Post
Gunmaker Daniel Defense’s Super Bowl stunt sheds lights on …
Formed in 2001 by Marty Daniel, a former garage-door salesman, Daniel Defense began as a military contractor using the bureaucratic slogan “…
2 days ago

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I initially read “Gunmaker” as “Gunwanker” and momentarily thought “good on ya, WP!”

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I agree.

The real problem is that the US actively discourages any kind of system for licensing guns to ensure safety training, secure storage, the mental stability of the owners, and so on. There are several European countries with high gun ownership and low gun violence, because of their licensing regime.

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That needs to become a thing.

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I believe the river consumption is simply to make them unfindable. It’s not concerned with usability.

Or, so I’ve heard, from every movie and tv show forever. :wink:

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Not necessarily, As a designer and production designer I have seen lots of un-thoughtful designs.

I wasn’t even aware of the valknot being associated with white supremacists until about 4 or 5 years ago. There are a lot of coded language and symbols that are under the radar with the mainstream and used by other people for other reason.

I have told this story before, but I was helping a black friend design a character sheet for an RPG he was making, He wanted certain power gauge boxes to have specific designs. He asked for a “circle with a cross in it” and then sent me a picture of the white power cross. The rather well known white supremacist icon. I said, “No, we aren’t using THAT”, and came up with something else.

My point being, not everyone knows all of the white supremacists iconography and would associate a lesser known symbol with white power. It certainly is reasonable to have suspicions. It is possible this was 100% intentional, or that DD was ignorant to it, but the model had the tattoo for white supremacists reasons. Or the model could have it as part of “warrior culture”, which is what this ad, IMO, is trying to evoke.

There certainly is a level of machismo in firearms advertising, and there is overlap with many evoking a “warrior culture”. That would include Vikings, Spartans, samurai, US special forces, and others. The ad certainly evokes that concept, and the model definitely looks the part of a former “operator” with a tight shirt and tattoos. IMO, the marketing is “wanna be a bad ass warrior, buy a Daniel Defense rifle”. Which is still problematic, but for different reasons.

Obligatory.

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Can we stop pretending like THIS particular instance of THIS symbol popular among white supremacist ISN’T that?

I figured that a god damn attempt to over thrown the fucking government would wake people the fuck up, but apparently NOT. Do we have to get to piles of dead bodies before people start to understand? Because we don’t want to get to that point. We want to stop it before it starts…

FFS.

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Hey, just so long as it’s not my body, or anyone that I personally care about…

/s

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This type of defense comes up often with republicans. It’s not that they are bad, they’re just stupid. Like being stupid is a valid excuse and somehow better.

It’s not clear how either are good answers for him “CEO knew what it was and left in in there” vs “CEO is so stupid they didn’t even know or research what was in their own ad”.

It’s like when politicians say they don’t have an opinion on a bill because they haven’t read it yet (even though everyone else already has). So, it’s not that they have an unpopular opinion, it’s that they cannot do the thing that is their one job.

Why does anyone ever get away with that type of excuse. Using the excuse of “I’m to stupid to do my job” should be the end of a career not a valid dodge for a poor opinion/decision.

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There are lots of shamrock shirts sold to Americans visiting Ireland too.

To be fair, my songwriting ability is zero and, as I said, my playing ability is pretty low as well. So while Woody Guthrie’s guitar killed fascists, mine aren’t so lethal. Maybe some day.

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“We’re just standing up for Western Civilization” :wink:

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Even if your music slightly irritates them, you’re fighting the good fight!

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The question I want answered it this: Did the model for this ad actually have that tattoo or was it added? If real it would only be visible if you were standing behind and to the right of the person. But it’s in just the right place to be “caught” by the camera for this ad.

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And then they grab the next symbol and pollute it.

A group connected with the “Freedom Convoy” opened a place in Ottawa and swiped the White Tree of Gondor for their symbol, added maple leafs, and then wove an odal in the roots to remove all doubt. WTF?

index

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for sure. being pagan and being racist are not mutually exclusive. some might even use their religion as an excuse wear symbols of racist or fascist ideology. they certainly wouldn’t be the only people using a religion ( or tradition ) that way.

i think its worth noting too that some might decide not to wear something they cherish ( or decide not to fly some flag, say ) due its legacy and the harm it has caused, or still causes, others

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One of my favorite movies is from the 1930’s “The Women”. Someone is explaining all the positives for sleeping alone. One of them was “spread out like a swastika.” Obviously, it was before Hitler and his Nazi’s, but the first time I saw it, I was flabbergasted.

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Huh?

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Does it matter? They hired a guy sporting what is often used by white supremacists. Most times, people who make ads will not let such things through UNLESS they are pushing a particular message.

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