I didn’t know about the symbol, but I wasn’t as politically aware when I learned about it. But I have learned that Nazi symbols are fairly popular among US military members. It seems unlikely to me that he would not have known, but I certainly didn’t until I looked it up. (which I would have done before getting it permanently drawn on my body)
There is simply no fucking way he didn’t know by the time he ran. I could sort of buy that he may not have known when he got it (although I would also expect most artists to be aware of common Nazi symbols and make a call over whether or not they want a Nazi clientele - I doubt the tattoo parlour made the totemkopf available but not swastikas and sieg runes, so even that is doubtful), but there is seriously no way he didn’t find out in the intervening what, 18 years? between getting it and being caught.
Edit: there’s also the slight problem of his Reddit history where he talked about being annoyed when soldiers get their “bolts” (SS lightning bolt tattoos) without “earning them”, because he views getting a Nazi tattoo as an honour that should be earned.
![[CW: SA] my goodness, what an idea](https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/4622961b-c0fc-45c6-90ee-44bd9ab349b1.jpeg){kind=link}
I didn’t know about the symbol, but I wasn’t as politically aware when I learned about it. But I have learned that Nazi symbols are fairly popular among US military members. It seems unlikely to me that he would not have known, but I certainly didn’t until I looked it up. (which I would have done before getting it permanently drawn on my body)
Yeah, this exact photo is what I had in mind while typing that.
There is simply no fucking way he didn’t know by the time he ran. I could sort of buy that he may not have known when he got it (although I would also expect most artists to be aware of common Nazi symbols and make a call over whether or not they want a Nazi clientele - I doubt the tattoo parlour made the totemkopf available but not swastikas and sieg runes, so even that is doubtful), but there is seriously no way he didn’t find out in the intervening what, 18 years? between getting it and being caught.
Edit: there’s also the slight problem of his Reddit history where he talked about being annoyed when soldiers get their “bolts” (SS lightning bolt tattoos) without “earning them”, because he views getting a Nazi tattoo as an honour that should be earned.
Right. I wasn’t necessarily trying to say he didn’t know, just that maybe not every person who didn’t know is a “dumbfuck.”
Fun fact: American soldiers in vietnam flew nazi flags because they saw it as edgy and rad. This is no different.