Friday, September 25, 2009
Crazy Crap / Phillips Jerk of the Day Award
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 5:28 PM
It's also the kind of place that is open every holiday and every holiday they load up styrofoam coolers full of hot meals for all the old people who want to have a holiday meal but may not have family or the wherewithal to cook it. I'm a sentimental fool, but I swear, when I'm running in there because we've discovered we've run out of milk after using it to wash down our Christmas candy, it makes me teary-eyed to see these folks working on holidays to provide for the old folks who need it.
These are very community-oriented folks. So, I wonder, who will be the first to deck the fucker with the SS tattoo?
I saw him for the first time back in January and I about died of shock. I complained about it over on Tiny Cat Pants only to discover that folks claiming to be snipers claim that snipers get SS tattoos. Well, what do you say in the face of that except, "Give me a call in 50 years when American kids are running around with Bin Laden tattoos and let's see if you feel like it's okay."
But being the stupid liberal that I am, I thought, well, maybe I need to be more open-minded about idiots with SS tattoos. Maybe some of them are just snipers.
Yes, America, I am embarrassed to admit that, in the service of being open-minded, I had convinced myself that I need to be more understanding of assholes with huge SS tattoos on their arms.
And then I didn't see him again, so I assumed that he either died or had sense enough to start wearing long-sleeved shirts when out in public.
But who do I see at the grocery store just now but that fucker with the SS tattoo, only now he's got his head shaved, and he's wearing a tank-top, so there is no mistaking. He's not one of those misguided idiots; he's deliberately evil.
So, I'm scoping out the grocery store hoping for him to cross paths with just one veteran of World War II and I'm hoping the old guy is rested up from his trip on Wednesday so that he's got his strength to just haul off and deck that jackass.
But no such luck.
Yet.
Comments (59)
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I figure the minimum age of a WWII vet right now at about 82 (assuming a guy who was 18 years old in 1945). That's too old to be punching out assholes, and besides -- the vets who are left have done all the fighting they ought to have to do on our behalf.
It's a good bet the law wouldn't regard the decking of a neo-Nazi as justified...but on a moral basis? No contest.
God, I really hope karma works as advertised.
I say, would this lad have also had a skull tatoo on both sides of his neck? AND one of these very very clearly visible on his left bicep: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nazi_eagle_swastika.png
This fellow was at a chinese buffet on Dickerson just last week. There was an air of fucked up bristling violence all around him. He was so wanting to be provoked.
No, that's not the same guy. The only tattoo this guy has is a giant SS tattoo on one arm.
So, apparently, there's more than one of these jerks running around town.
Oh I don't know about age being a barrier. I ran across a sister of a WWII vet who would probably crack this guy a good one given the chance.
If this guy loves Nazis so much, can't he just wear a nice Hugo Boss suit instead?
"Yes, America, I am embarrassed to admit that, in the service of being open-minded, I had convinced myself that I need to be more understanding of assholes with huge SS tattoos on their arms."
I expect that if the guy had had a hammer and sickle tatoo instead, you wouldn't have had a thing to say about it.
Gilbert, you have crossed a line and gravely insulted me. I took three years of Russian in college, so I sure as hell hope I remember enough to say something to him.
Although, I have to admit, I'm kind of secretly tickled by the idea of their being neo-Soviets. I mean, not real neo-Soviets, like Putin, but it would make me laugh if there were jackass white boys running around pretending to be Soviets.
"What will we do today to advance the cause of a Soviet America?"
"We're all going to move in with our mother-in-laws because we can't afford anything else."
"Damn it, I knew I should have stuck with the Boy Scouts."
Mr. Martin, I don't know why a hammer and sickle tattoo would seriously offend anyone. Communism is a failed ideology whose state-level adherents never attacked us (wingnut and neocon historical prisms notwithstanding). More importantly, a hammer and sickle tattoo would not likely be more than an asinine, hipster attempt at irony. The SS sign is often a symbol of violent, eliminationist white supremacy.
On the other hand, I wouldn't doubt that-- given the pathetic state of our educational culture-- there are actually people now living and breathing who don't understand the historical context of the SS symbol.
That's right, no problem with the hammer and sickle because all you libs and Democrats are commies yourselves! And that will be true forever on the entire planet, no matter what YOU say!
Then there's "skoalrebel", who wants to impeach the "nigger/jew" Obama for banning flavored dip tobacco.
You think I'm joking, don't you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCvkatCGNFY&feature=player_embedded#t=38
"Mr. Martin, I don't know why a hammer and sickle tattoo would seriously offend anyone."
Maybe because the victims of communism far outnumber the victims of the Nazis.
"Communism is a failed ideology whose state-level adherents never attacked us"
Really.
I imagine Korean war veterans would be surprised to hear that they never actually fought any communist Chinese troops.
You are correct about one thing though, communism is indeed a failed ideology - right along socialism, marxism, liberalism or any other "ism' based on state enforced economic collectivism.
God, if I ever ran into that guy i would SO totally sit down with him and patiently use the socratic method to question him about his purported ideology until I really understood where he was coming from and picked apart the subtle contradictions and emotional frailty, until he conceded wrongness and got it covered/converted into "happineSS" with a little rainbow.
This reminds me, do you remember a few years ago when Wales announcd their special forces group?
http://chris.quietlife.net/2006/04/21/my-honor-is-called-loyalty/
I checked, and they still have the same logo.
I can't believe I used a quote of an englishman to mock the welsh.. is 3 years too late to go back and edit a blog post?
See, Mr. Martin, that's what I mean by the wingnut historical prism. Ask any Korean War vet how many Chinese troops invaded U.S. soil. If MacArthur's arrogance had been reined in earlier, the Chinese wouldn't have entered the fray and a lot of American lives could have been saved.
But let's not stray too far afield from the domestic point. No reasonable person would argue that both communism (especially its Bolshevik and Maoist interpretations) and Nazism are not failed ideologies. But only one of those ideologies was explicit in its eliminationist white supremacy, which is why it continues to hold cultural relevance for successive generations of racist assholes here in the US. Bolshevism and Maoism have no contemporary local relevance, which is why a hammer and sickle tattoo would only signify an arguably tone-deaf (but harmless) attempt at irony. Which, in turn, demonstrates the irrelevance of your original reference.
Well put, ras3. Capitalism's bedfellow conservatism is riding pretty high, too.
If you want to really parse motives, Mr. Holloway, Hitler's actions were defensive ones with regard to the white race. He held no illusions about the superiority of the white race overall. His quest was to create a master race through selective breeding, somewhat analagous to the superior athletic abilities of the descendants of black slaves.
Do I think the murder by the Nazis of the various undesirables was acceptable? No. Do I view the Hammer and Sickle as harmless ironic humor? Hell no. Stalin made Hitler look like a social worker. If you think Stalin had no nationalist goals, then you need a refresher course in recent history.
"If you want to really parse motives, Mr. Holloway, Hitler's actions were defensive ones with regard to the white race."
Jesus. Baldheaded. Christ.
"Ask any Korean War vet how many Chinese troops invaded U.S. soil"
Irrelevant.
They crossed the border from their own country into Korea to attack our troops.
An attack on our troops IS an attack on us.
"But let's not stray too far afield from the domestic point. No reasonable person would argue that both communism (especially its Bolshevik and Maoist interpretations) and Nazism are not failed ideologies. But only one of those ideologies was explicit in its eliminationist white supremacy, which is why it continues to hold cultural relevance for successive generations of racist assholes here in the US. Bolshevism and Maoism have no contemporary local relevance, which is why a hammer and sickle tattoo would only signify an arguably tone-deaf (but harmless) attempt at irony. Which, in turn, demonstrates the irrelevance of your original reference."
Blah blah blah.
The only thing being demonstrated is the hypocrisy of the left - which was MY point.
Which you are helping to make with all your rationalizing.
There were plenty of admirers and apologizers for commumism in this country in Stalin's day and there still are today. All those Che guevara T-shirts aren't being bought by capitalism lovers. Hollywood celebrity idiots gush over Castro and Chavez, Michael Moore makes "documentaries" about how wonderfull Cuba is, etc.
"Capitalism is working just dandy right now."
Indeed it is despite the government meddling in the markets that caused the recession and financial crisis.
"Indeed it is despite the government meddling in the markets that caused the recession and financial crisis."
Please clarify. This sentence makes no sense. I'm guessing you need a judiciously used comma in there.
I guess there's different ideas about what "working just dandy" means. I suppose that meaning is modified when you give consideration to who it is "working just dandy" for.
There were plenty of admirers and apologizers for commumism in this country in Stalin's day and there still are today
Name one. One that we've heard of, please. combat during WWII.
All right, people, Gilbert has managed to completely derail this thread and make the discussion all about him by making up a completely implausible scenario and then trying to hold all real life liberals accountable for what his fantasy liberals do, or will do, once they socialize tattoo artistry.
You can never win an argument with him because the imaginary liberals in his made up scenarios will always prove him right.
So, you can fight with him if you want, but let's be clear how futile it is.
If ignorance was bliss more people would be happy. This guy is just a complete loser.
Thanks, B. Sometimes it's difficult to leave the low-hanging fruit alone, no matter how rotten it is.
Micheal Moore has made a documentary, multiple ones even, about how wonderful Cuba is? Really? What are the names of these documentaries?
"You can never win an argument with him because the imaginary liberals in his made up scenarios will always prove him right."
As opposed to your post where you imagine why some guy got a tatoo and what it means to him.
"Micheal Moore has made a documentary, multiple ones even, about how wonderful Cuba is?"
Let's see now, what was that little communist country that Moore went to to proclaim how wonderfull their health care system was in his movie "Sicko"?
I beleive it was Cuba.
Wow, I wonder if the snipers are going to come back again? I enjoyed talking to them last time.
We clearly have a growing white supremacist problem in the U.S. Trying to deny it is foolish and I don't understand why so many conservatives want to do so, unless criticism of racism hits a nerve. Is old Gilbert secretly a Hitler lover?
I have a Che t-shirt, it's just a joke. But a Hitler t-shirt just couldn't be funny or ironic, it would just come off as racist. How could his image be associated with anything except the Final Solution?
Cuba's health-care system was included as a relatively small part of the film "Sicko." To characterize the film as being "about how wonderful Cuba is" is absurd on it's face. Never mind that it's only one film. You said Moore made multiple films about the subject.
And you're about 50 years behind on Pete Seeger.
Go wear your Che shirt around Miami. I think you'll find plenty of people who don't think it's a funny joke.
government meddling in the markets that caused the recession and financial crisis.
Facepalm.
Exador,
Such a silly comment. I wore the t-shirt once to a halloween party where I played zombie Che. See, just a joke. And I'm certainly no commie or supporter of Che, though I do understand why someone would want to overthrow the Bautista regime.
And I've read his diary from Bolivia and treatises on querilla warfare because he was darn good at it and I'm a military historian. I've also read Mein Kampf and General Giap's book on Vietnamese war tactics, but I'm no commie or fascist, just a historian.
Gilbert started all of this by stating, "I expect that if the guy had had a hammer and sickle tatoo instead, you wouldn't have had a thing to say about it."
Lance said that "Stalin made Hitler look like a social worker."
Notwithstanding the fact that no one made Hitler look like a social worker, arguing over who was the worst dictator and which is the scarier ideology is pretty silly. And Gilbert, when you actually see a sickle and hammer tattoo (or t-shirt) please report back.
Oh, and Vlad the Impaler made Stalin and Hitler look like Mother Teresa!!!
Aunt B.,
My apopogies for not returning to the original topic but there are a few points that need clarification.
Mr. Holloway,
"Mr. Martin, I don't know why a hammer and sickle tattoo would seriously offend anyone. Communism is a failed ideology whose state-level adherents never attacked us..."
Who are you to determine the offense taken by Americans of Polish or Georgian, or Ukranian, or Czech or Afghani or Latvian or other nation where the Russians enslaved and murdered their people? Perhaps you missed these little events because the Left spent so many years apologizing for this behavior.
"Never attacked us"? But not for a lack of desire to do so.
"Name one. One that we've heard of, please."
Check out the Venona Decription project. You will find a large number. And then there are all the Leftists who still deny the reality of this treason.
Regarding Korea, if the Chinese and Russians hadn't supplied North Korea, there would never have been a war. And MacArthur came close to freeing the North Koreans from the horrific future that they ended up with. But hey, they and the Cubans have national health care so being slaves must not be that bad to you.
"Leave it to Gil to defend Nazi storm troopers."
Nope - didn't do that.
Just pointing out the hypocrisy of the left who hold up the Nazis as the epitome of evil while ignoring the communist regimes who killed far more people.
Any symbol associated with communism in any way is not one iotal less offensive than any symbol associated with the Nazi regime in any way.
"I have a Che t-shirt, it's just a joke. But a Hitler t-shirt just couldn't be funny or ironic, it would just come off as racist. "
Says you.
Eye of the beholder, pal.
Hey Mark, regarding Soviet apologists, don't forget about one of the most famous - Walter Duranty - the New York Times man in Moscow.
Casey,
"I have a Che t-shirt, it's just a joke. But a Hitler t-shirt just couldn't be funny or ironic, it would just come off as racist. "
So is Mel Brooks a racist for his use of Hitler for humor in 'The Producers' and 'To Be or Not to Be'?
Is Brooks a racist for virtually everything in 'Blazing Saddles'?
Just curious.
Why did Communism have to come into this? Of course Stalin was a scum bag. Why the automatic "you are liberal therefore you must love communism hogwash?"
B was mearly pointing out how disturbing it is to see Americans adopting a fascist ethoes when our fighting men and women during WWII fought so hard to destroy it. Why did that require a "and communism is evil too rant, except to be a troll?"
How do you know she wouldn't be offended by someone who wanted to establish a communist regime in America?
Mark,
You've got me there. "The Producers" and "Blazing Saddles" both do the same thing with white supremacy. Hard to call Mel Brooks a racist, as you well know, as he is Jewish. So maybe someone could come up with a t-shirt with Hitler on it that was funny. In fact, I had one back in the eighties that I bought at King's Road in London. It was a concert t-shirt with Hitler on the front and the countries he had invaded listed as concert dates with England and Russia listed as cancelled. I got the joke, but my mom threw it away when I came home.
Personally, I don't throw the racist tag around too easily and I think a person has every right to be racist in a free society if they like.
My real question here is why does it bother you guys so much that B was upset by a dude wearing an SS tat? Shouldn't it bother her? Go online and read some of the filth these idiots support.
Nor have I made the argument that we shouldn't be upset by Communist regalia either. The Che shirts have become kitsch in the same way that surplus West German army jackets were the rave among punk rockers in the eighties. Most kids wearing them just know he represents rebellion. Are they supporting Stalin, or even the murders Che is responsible for after taking power in Cuba? Not in most cases.
Why, also, the automatic idea that if I'm more liberal than you, then I must support communism? That is flat out silly.
Mark,
I sent in another post, much lengthier than this, but it didn't go through. You have me on that one. Clearly, the same type of humor has been used and effectively in each case.
But why are you guys so upset about B being bothered by this guy's SS tat? Why did you even have to bring up the communism is bad too argument? Did she defend communism in her post?
Casey,
I wasn't bothered by Aunt B's post. Aunt B is that rare Liberal who actually sees beyond her own Ideas to the Ideas of those with whom she disagrees. Further, I think people with SS tatoos should be ruthlessly mocked in public and probably forbidden from breeding.
The responses to Gilbert were what irked me. Mr. Holloway's comments in particular, struck me as nonsense.
Why do I personlly get exercised when the Left talks about Nazis? Because many on the Left love to equate every in-bred invertibrate pseudo-Nazi with Conservative Ideas.
Do some of these people subscribe to mutated versions of Ideas that Conservatives value? Yes. And these can be dangerous people who deserve constant observation and investigation.
But it is unfair to suggest that Conservatives are any more responsible for these people than that Liberals were responsible for the acts of far better educted people on the Left since the 1920s. Alger Hiss, by himself, did more to damage America than every neo-Nazi since George Lincoln Rockwell.
Yet where leading Conservatives accept our history on civil rights and similar issues and try to distance ourselves from the fringe crowd like the neo-Nazis, where is the similar behavior from the Left?
Rather than own up to the influence of Liberal rhetoric on the numerous traitors and apologists who put Russia above America, the Left still denies both the scope of the betrayal and the damage it did.
Beyond the major problems in American foreign policy that this denial has created, I find the intellectual dishonesty of using 'guilt by association' as a tool on one issue and denying any merit to it on another to be intellectually dishonest.
This part of the discussion is very hard for me to wrap my head around. Let me just repeat. The dude with the SS tattoo at my grocery store is a real person, with a real tattoo.
I have never, in my life, that I recall, seen a person with any kind of communist symbol as a tattoo.
And yet, for some reason, we've spent almost 50 comments arguing in response to a tattoo that does not exist on a person who is not real that symbolizes a movement that no small violent groups in our country emulate.
It's very strange. And I say that as a girl who had to read a comment that seemed to indicate that the commenter was disturbed that I had not checked my facts with a person with a penis.
So, I know strange when I see it.
"I have never, in my life, that I recall, seen a person with any kind of communist symbol as a tattoo"
Mike Tyson has a tattoo of Chairman Mao's face and a tattoo of Che Guevara.
I plan on getting a tattoo of a Hammer and Sickle, but not too represent the Communist regime. I understand that I will not have a chance to explain my tattoo's symbolism to everyone who sees it. I am ok with this, because the tattoo is not for them, it's to satisfy my intrinsic feeling of nationalism.
I was born and brought up in the USSR, I then involuntarily moved to America. My whole family lived in the Soviet era, they fought under the soviet flag, and received medals with the that insignia on it. I am straying away with from my roots and want a strong reminder of my small time in my native country.
(commence motherland jokes now)
The tattoo is going to consist of the hammer and sickle, with three words circling it in Russian.
Strength: For the humongous strength of my family, and strength of the Soviet, now Russian people
Culture: For the culture of this region which I retain, and which makes me the person I am today.
Unity: For the unity of the Agricultural and Urban workers, as well as unity of people throughout the world.
Hopefully you will not criticize my decision.
Anon,
I'll tick off some people, but there are reasons for former Soviet citizens to be proud. The Soviet Union faced 90% of Hitler's war machine and won. Upwards of 30 million Soviet citizens died during World War II. We lost 450,000. Of course, American industrialism helped Russia a great deal. For example, we loaned/gave them 100,000 Sudebaker trucks and much more equipment.
B, this now sounds like our argument over Confederate legacy and German's being proud of their WWII military heritage. Anon will likely be ripped now for being proud of his/her country's military legacy. But I would be proud if I had an ancestor who helped defeat the Nazis. Did any of them win the Hero of the Soviet Union. I would also be proud if I had an ancestor who was a hero in Hitler's army, though not so proud of the cause.
