Also notice how we’re discussing and arguing about the minutiae of a single Neo-Nazi cop’s tattoo that may or may not be exactly a Nazi eagle tattoo, but is just enough not one to be able to slide past regulations against such adornment, but are not discussing what percentage of the approximately 1,100,000 police officers in the United States, spread across 18,000 police departments, are in ideological agreement with the pictured Neo-Nazi officer.
Intended derail or not, it was still extremely successful as a derail, shifting the focus from the original topic, i.e. the fact that enough of a percentage of the US police force are fascist white supremacists to have the federal police worried, to a focus on a singular individual cop who can disavowed as a white supremacist after much debate, leaving the rest as an unexamined amorphous presence.
Lichterman is also a WWII re-enactor, apparently playing the German side.
I have some small experience with such types, although I’m not one.
They’re pretty much split into two factions; a small number of guys who are basically fascinated with the equipment, organization and history of the WW2 German war machine and a larger faction who are tickled pink to be able to dress up as Nazis and strut around in public.
Other reenactors tolerate the Nazis because the first faction really does exist, and because the allies need somebody to shoot their blanks at.
I work with a guy (of Puerto Rican heritage) who falls into this group. He’s shown me some photos of their little get togethers. Including having nice cakes with swastikas on them.
Back in the UK the local steam railway does a WW2 reenactment each year. Someone I know (nice guy, a bit clueless at times) took part once and was asked to play a German soldier. He got a uniform together including a swastika armband. Noticed that everyone was avoiding him. Once he took it off, everyone was much friendlier.
We’re gonna be a white minority
We won’t listen to the majority
We’re gonna feel inferiority
We’re gonna be white minority
White pride
You’re an American
I’m gonna hide
Anywhere I can
Gonna be a white minority
We don’t believe there’s a possibility
Well you just wait and see
We’re gonna be white minority
White pride
You’re an American
White pride
Anywhere I can?
Gonna be a white minority
There’s gonna be large cavity
Within my new territory
We’re all gonna die
"This song is frequently mistaken for a racist rant. However, songwriter, Gregg Ginn, set the record straight to Ripper: “The idea behind it is to take somebody that thinks in terms of ‘White Minority’ as being afraid of that, and make them look as outrageously stupid as possible.” The original version is sung by Ron Reynes, who is a Puerto Rican. Ginn said this added to the irony of the lyrics: “The fact that we had a Puerto Rican singing it was what made the sarcasm of it obvious to me. Some people seem to want to take it another way, and somehow think that we’d be so dumb to where a Puerto Rican guy would sing it and it would be - I don’t know how they could consider that racist, but people took it that way.” Ginn added: “It throws that attitude out and makes people think. To me, that’s what it does. It doesn’t preach, but it makes people think.”
Can you prove that? Seems to me that most Trumps most vocal supporters among individuals were small business owners, who had already got theirs and are just interested in snapping up the ladder behind them.
At what point are people to take responsibility for holding beliefs that harm others? When it comes to racism, is that never?
Maybe it’s time for the first faction to say that the second faction isn’t allowed to play? I’m really getting tired of pretending that white supremacy is just one of many acceptable positions to take in modern society. It isn’t. We need good people to always stand up against what they find wrong, especially nazism.
That’s interesting, i don’t really know any of this, but its cool that there are interesting things to know about these details, very “happy mutant of you”
Why? There is no evidence to support this. I certainly can’t tell from the picture either way, except of course he is openly displaying his tats.
It comes off as apologizing for the man. It’s as unnecessary as saying “boys will be boys”.
What’s wrong with tattoos in general? Are people who have tats that AREN’T white sumpremacists somehow bad? Body art has been a part of many cultures over the course of history.
Is waking up with an incorrectly detailed Nazi tattoo a risk in your lifestyle, that you’re projecting your feelings onto it? I mean, my attitudes towards tattoos are decidedly visceral and negative, but I’m more worried about getting numbers on my forearm without my consent as the formative perspective there.
The problem with pushing them away that is it just hardens their ideas and forts them up in their own compounds where you can’t see what they are up to… instead of making them not be Nazis.
All the racist redemption success stories I know of start with some regular person being the opposite of aggressive and punitary - confrontational, yes, frequently, but reaching out and demonstrating a non-violent, kindly alternative to race hatred. Check out Wade Watts, for example. Persecution rarely changes people’s minds, historically, it just drives dissent and ugliness into the shadows where it can grow stronger.
All that being said, I think we can agree that we don’t want cops to be members of any sort of hate groups, underground or otherwise!
Never understood why this isn’t universally seen as a bad thing. If one made a list of the pros and cons of national standards vs. Local standards, I don’t see too many solid defences of keeping it local.
I don’t really drink, but there is a film trope where people wake up from a night of drinking with a tattoo or spouse. I assume that tattoo artists probably would refuse to work on someone that inebriated, I don’t know for sure.
