Marines posed with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan

[nackertash]

It's all about intent. They did it as a joke. Not because they fully intend on slaughtering jews or whatever people think it implies. Relax.

So if someone walked up to you and said, "I think we should kill all black people", but later told you that it was a joke, you would be okay with it?

Of course I would thats hilarious, if someone said that to you and you took them seriously you would look like a complete fool.

 

[Owen Robertson]

Looks more like the Kiss logo to me...!

And they didn't say they thought it meant that... they said their SS meant sniper scout... Sounds like you have right and truely jumpend on the media over exaggeration already...!

Oh, and my me sticking my middle finger at them I'm not saying Fuck you. No no no.

No, to me it means "Good job boys". Yeah, that's it...

Because symbols have universal meaning, right? I doubt the Marines weren't somehow cognizant of what it may have been tied to, but that is a horrible counter-argument.

Yes, a lot of symbols have universal meaning. Especially ones originating in a WORLD WAR where MARINES fought and DIED. If that symbol isn't known in America, then that's just kinda sad.

Maybe if we stopped funding the military and starting funding education...

Are you fully aware of the Swastica's origin and meaning in other cultures? It means eternity, for the most part. A Bhuddist from Tibet may misunderstand why Americans give him dirty looks for drawing one in the sand at a beach. Granted it would be straight not angled and may have dots within its "corners"

 

[Owen Robertson]

It's all about intent. They did it as a joke. Not because they fully intend on slaughtering jews or whatever people think it implies. Relax.

So if someone walked up to you and said, "I think we should kill all black people", but later told you that it was a joke, you would be okay with it?

Of course I would thats hilarious, if someone said that to you and you took them seriously you would look like a complete fool.

You're about to get flamed for that comment, but I almost agree with you. I'd expect a punch-line after, and if there wasn't one there'd be a lengthly discussion.

 

[Malyc]

I find it funny that I am already halfway to winning the pot of cookies...

KEEP THE ARGUMENTS MOVING!!!

 

[Malyc]

I find it funny that I am already halfway to winning the pot of cookies...

KEEP THE ARGUMENTS MOVING!!!

You beat me -shakes fist and looks at his lost cookies with teary eyes-

I never said I wouldn't share...

 

[nackertash]

It's all about intent. They did it as a joke. Not because they fully intend on slaughtering jews or whatever people think it implies. Relax.

So if someone walked up to you and said, "I think we should kill all black people", but later told you that it was a joke, you would be okay with it?

Of course I would thats hilarious, if someone said that to you and you took them seriously you would look like a complete fool.

You're about to get flamed for that comment, but I almost agree with you. I'd expect a punch-line after, and if there wasn't one there'd be a lengthly discussion.

The truth is that without context there is no way of answering his questions properly. Is he my friend? If so then what i said is true, because i know my friends arent racist and that its just a joke, and think about it, if your friend out of nowhere just said "i think we should kill all black people" it would be funny and unexpected. If it were someone i know less i might question it.

 

[Krion_Vark]

To be fair to the Marines, I'm obsessed with Nazis and I would probably have scanned over that image; like many people said it could just as easily be the logo for a metal band.

For the record OP, while you're busy throwing a hilarious shit fit and tarring all Americans with the same brush (I'm British, by the by) try and remember that THIS is the symbol everyone recognises...

Spoiler

As for what I first thought of when I saw that picture I thought something was a bit off then someone reminded me a few posts down I mean hell no one made a big deal about it then because there were 2 letters before it buy hell its so fucking similar.

Spoiler

In history we never went into the SS themselves so we never got the SS symbol jammed down our throats. Yes its bad but it also makes them not that much of common knowledge as some posters might think. I know the Swastika more than any other symbol I mean that is the symbol best associated with the Nazis while the SS isn't.

 

[BarbaricGoose]

Honest mistake my ass.

This is completely despicable. I like how the defense is 'They're marines, they wouldn't knowingly do that'. What does that even mean? I didn't realize the US military force was now considered to be infallible. I think they should've at least sent out a memo, or something.

A strongly worded, all-caps memo. But make the text small, so it's hard to read. And maybe throw in something at the bottom that says "if you understood this, write XXX here," which they won't do, because it's so impossible to read.

Throw in Arial Narrow too. Really fuck 'em up.

But seriously, as some people have pointed out, it could be a poorly made Kiss logo. Or maybe, I dunno, lightning bolts? I'm not gonna take a side in this--just throwin' that out there.

 

[3 legged goat]

In history we never went into the SS themselves so we never got the SS symbol jammed down our throats. Yes its bad but it also makes them not that much of common knowledge as some posters might think. I know the Swastika more than any other symbol I mean that is the symbol best associated with the Nazis while the SS isn't.

Well in the good ole US of A generally we go into detail about WW2. America really likes that war.

 

[Blatherscythe]

Honest mistake my ass.

This is completely despicable. I like how the defense is 'They're marines, they wouldn't knowingly do that'. What does that even mean? I didn't realize the US military force was now considered to be infallible. I think they should've at least sent out a memo, or something.

I'm not so sure. I actually think it's probably just a case of extreme ignorence. Everyone knows the swastika symbol, it's in games, movies and books about WW2. But the stylized SS symbol is less known, at least, it seems, to Americans. It's on the collars of SS soldiers and guards, but the symbol itself shows up less than the swastika. Also, some of the soldiers in the photo looked like they were of African descent, at least it seemed that way to me. Anyone who knows their history knows that anyone who isn't white with blonde hair and blue eyes or is of German descent (and even then, those few are few and far between) would never willingly pose with a symbol connected to Nazi Germany and the concentration camps.

 

[Krion_Vark]

In history we never went into the SS themselves so we never got the SS symbol jammed down our throats. Yes its bad but it also makes them not that much of common knowledge as some posters might think. I know the Swastika more than any other symbol I mean that is the symbol best associated with the Nazis while the SS isn't.

Well in the good ole US of A generally we go into detail about WW2. America really likes that war.

Well not all of the good ol us of a we had a separate class just about WW2 which I wasn't interested in since it was considered an easy a and a boring class at my school

 

[3 legged goat]

It's all about intent. They did it as a joke. Not because they fully intend on slaughtering jews or whatever people think it implies. Relax.

So if someone walked up to you and said, "I think we should kill all black people", but later told you that it was a joke, you would be okay with it?

Of course I would thats hilarious, if someone said that to you and you took them seriously you would look like a complete fool.

You're about to get flamed for that comment, but I almost agree with you. I'd expect a punch-line after, and if there wasn't one there'd be a lengthly discussion.

That is what I am saying. A friend walks up to you and only says that. That is all he says. Then he just waits for your reaction. You probably wouldn't laugh to hard. It would be more weird than funny.

 

[Compatriot Block]

Aren't we currently on the same website who's community argued that that symbol had other meanings before the Nazis used it?

It had something to do with Call of Duty custom insignias. People made swastikas and got banned, and a bunch of people here said it was unfair.

 

[Elate]

Spoiler: So I was browsing fukung and guess what I found..

BURN THE MONSTER!

Seriously though, they've been using it for decades, yea it may be a bit of a derp, but as other people have said, compared to previous atrocities.

 

[3 legged goat]

Spoiler: So I was browsing fukung and guess what I found..

BURN THE MONSTER!

Seriously though, they've been using it for decades, yea it may be a bit of a derp, but as other people have said, compared to previous atrocities.

What is that? Is it making fun of Kiss?

 

[Elate]

Spoiler: So I was browsing fukung and guess what I found..

BURN THE MONSTER!

Seriously though, they've been using it for decades, yea it may be a bit of a derp, but as other people have said, compared to previous atrocities.

What is that? Is it making fun of Kiss?

I didn't even THINK of Kiss... dear god... They must be neo-nazi's.

Spoiler: They're promoting the Nazi regime through toys!

 

[Tsun Tzu]

I'm pretty certain this wasn't an intentional reference to the Nazi SS. The symbol merely looks like heavily slanted S's formed to resemble lightning bolts.


Believing otherwise and insulting the Marines, their country of origin, and Americans in general is a bit unfair.

 

[JMeganSnow]

Looks more like the Kiss logo to me...!

And they didn't say they thought it meant that... they said their SS meant sniper scout... Sounds like you have right and truely jumpend on the media over exaggeration already...!

Oh, and my me sticking my middle finger at them I'm not saying Fuck you. No no no.

No, to me it means "Good job boys". Yeah, that's it...

Because symbols have universal meaning, right? I doubt the Marines weren't somehow cognizant of what it may have been tied to, but that is a horrible counter-argument.

Yes, a lot of symbols have universal meaning. Especially ones originating in a WORLD WAR where MARINES fought and DIED. If that symbol isn't known in America, then that's just kinda sad.

Maybe if we stopped funding the military and starting funding education...

So everyone in the world understands the middle finger as "Fuck you"? There is no culture that would look at that and think "Wtf is he doing?" The middle finger is a bad example.

The American culture should. That's my point. The SS symbol isn't some sort of unknown thing that you know, wasn't common knowledge in America say 60 years ago. Something that isn't part of AMERICAN history. Something that isn't im the AMERICAN collective conscious.

I'm an American, lived in Germany on an American military base, and I've never seen that symbol before this moment.

History is a huge fucking place. How many people know where the swastika [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika] came from before it became a Nazi symbol? Oh, and the badge for the actual USMC sniper scouts has a death's head on it:

Which, by the way, WAS ALSO A SYMBOL COMMONLY USED BY THE SS. ZOMG THE HORROR.

Please. I'd only give even odds that the dude who OWNED the flag even knew what it was actually about. The neo-nazi's in this country tend to pass largely unnoticed until there's a rally.

 

[GenericAmerican]

First off, that isn't the proper symbol.

Second, who the fuck cares? It's about time we get over the past, it's a cool looking symbol and I want to be able to use it.