this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2025
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Which people are still defending!
Fuck it's one of the emblems of the SS, 2nd to their lightning bolts, and people are excusing it even in this thread.
I really can't decide what's worse. Those defending the tattoo or those saying they had no idea what the symbol was.
Not everyone walks around with an encyclopedia of knowledge on hate symbols. I didn't learn about the totenkopf until this issue came up.
It's literally the skull on the nazis hats. And the skull from are we the baddies? We have a skull on our hats.
And yet, I've never noticed it. I thought it was only the bird symbol on the hat. I've never looked into their uniforms with any meaningful inspection. I had to google the hat because I doubted you were right, but you are. So I just learned something else.
Like I implied earlier, people can exist for decades without knowing something. Just because it is common to you, doesn't mean it is common to everyone.
True but this is basic history stuff.
I don't think we ever reviewed symbols of nazi Germany in any of my history classes in High School or University. I'm also not a history buff (had enough of war growing up, don't want to read about more of them in my spare time) so I don't spend my free time on history unless it's directly relevant to a conversation (like this is now).
Maybe knowing nazi symbols is a greater part of basic history where you live? It seems more in depth on that specific subject than I experienced. We covered the instigations, effects, and resolutions more than details like that.
Again this isn't obscure stuff like ruins or numbers, but the symbol of the SS.
Excluding the history side it's again all over media to exclusively identify the bad guys.
And seems to keep popping up in the usa military
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/flashpoints/extremism-disinformation/2024/03/26/army-investigating-social-media-post-showing-nazi-symbol/
Ok? I wasn't arguing whether it is one or not. I fully understand that it is. All I was saying is that prior to this incident with Platner I didn't know what the symbol was and that it's not uncommon for someone to not know something that is perhaps commonly known for another person. I'm sure there is information that to me seems common and like everyone should know that you might not know of. It happens. People aren't computers. We don't have a hash verifiable set of knowledge common amongst us all.
The point is not knowing it, especially for that long is a massive issue. Both on his judgment, those around him, the military and now those defending it.
There's so many failures here and the defense has just been we was drunk or how was anyone supposed to know a deaths head was bad
How do you suggest an individual go about knowing it when they may not have ever considered it? How do you know what you don't know without directed effort, either internally or externally motivated? Why would anyone not in to history just go look up hate symbols unless they were wanting to know for some specific reason/question or wanted to know about them for their own edification?
The military should have caught it. I can't disagree with you on that knowing what it is now. If they check for that shit they should have done something about it.
I won't fault a group of soldiers (drunk or not) getting a tattoo of something that just looks like a cool skull and crossbones if you don't know anything else about it though.
It is hard to imagine no one said anything about it over the years, and I have some difficulties believing that it never came up. It's possible and even plausible for all the reasons Ive mentioned, but it's also unlikely.
So yeah, him having it is definitely a reason to be concerned initially, but I think it also matters what his reaction towards being informed about it is. He's gotten it covered with a new tattoo which leads me to think that he's being truthful on the matter. He doesn't equivocate on it. Explains why it's there without trying to make it an excuse. And then promptly had it covered. His platform is comprised of good ideas, even if they could be better in some cases, and his responses in town halls to QA has also been good.
People learn, grow, and change. Maybe I'll eat my words later on this, but I don't think I will. For now I'm choosing to believe he's being truthful. Any other thing like this and I'll probably tell you you were right and I should have listened though.