Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner says nobody ever told him the large SS-Totenkopf tattoo he's had on his chest for the last 18 years is a Nazi symbol : nottheonion

[–] KrasMazov@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 3 days ago

Three days ago I didn't know who this imperialist scum was, and now I can't believe the amount of people falling for this bs lmao. When I learned about nazism in school, nazi symbols where never talked about or addressed other than the swastika, but even I, a random brasilian, learned about this shit years later way before I became a communist or a leftist for the matter, there is no way this fucker didn't know about it.

[–] Kallestar@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

He has other tattoos. You're telling me that the Totenkopf wasn't addressed by any of the artists he has worked with since he got it? Or are you telling me the Totenkopf is his most recent tattoo (from 2007)? Or are you telling me he has (un)knowingly/"accidentally" worked exclusively with Nazi/Neo Nazi tattoo artists who wouldn't lose their shit seeing one of the most recognizable Nazi symbols right on his chest. It's pretty fucking hard for me to really believe he didn't know what it was for the last 18 fucking years, and who-knows-how-many tattoo parlors since then who also didn't tell him, or offer a coverup.

I'm not even touching the Blackwater in 2018 shit. That's fucking inexcusable.

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 4 days ago

My dear sweet apolitical US troops did nothing wrong, they just adopt these tatoos because they look cool amirite

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 days ago

He regrets getting that tattoo. It makes his second Nazi tattoo redundant

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 28 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

He should do a photo op where he gets the skull removed and has a hammer and sickle tattooed there instead.

EDIT: Ok, looks like he went with a Celtic doggie-knot thingie instead.

[–] Jayjader@jlai.lu 4 points 2 days ago

Amid the frenzy, another Democratic candidate released his own shirtless photo to show off his arm tattoo of former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign logo.

Reality continues to be stupider than fiction...

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago

He should do a photo op where he gets the skull removed

🪓

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 30 points 4 days ago (1 children)

don't hold your breath; he's already pleaded insincerity about his old reddit comments where he'd called himself a communist.

it might be more like this

screenshot of tweet from Patrick @dramaticirony: "not getting your ss totenkopf tattoo removed before your primary campaign because you might still need it for the general"

[–] Jayjader@jlai.lu 14 points 4 days ago

I really hate how I can't immediately and unequivocably dismiss this as a joke. Sign of the times, I guess.

[–] mathemachristian@hexbear.net 10 points 4 days ago

It’s not the first controversy faced by Platner’s campaign. CNN first reported on Friday a series of Reddit posts made by Platner between 2013 and 2021 — and deleted before his campaign — in which he called himself a “communist,” referred to law enforcement officers as “bastards” and downplayed the severity sexual assault reports.

one thing is not like the others

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

does he even have a snowballs chance?

[–] Thesilverpig@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago

Yes, that's why Schumer and his media allies and flinging so much shit against him.

[+] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I heard the interview. The story about the tattoo seemed genuine and he chose to release the video himself. There's loads of skull and crossbones imagery in various US military insignia. I'm willing to believe him.

Edit: Looks like he got it covered up, so happy now?

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/maine-senate-candidategraham-platner-covered-tattoo-resembled-nazi/story?id=126774352

[–] mathemachristian@lemmy.ml 21 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah lets give the guy that did 4 tours in Iraq as a marine and one in Afghanistan as a blackwater merc the benefit of the doubt lol

[–] Pieplup@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 day ago

it was actually 3 tours in iraq and one in blackwater. Idk if all the tours were marine i think he might've bene in the army too.

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If there's ever a comment defending Nazis on lemmy, you can bet it'll be .world user 90% of the time.

[–] mathemachristian@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 days ago

Hey now give shits.fullon.fash and sonazi.xyz some credit too!

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 20 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

There are lots of types of skulls and crossbones used in many contexts, but his is specifically the SS-Totenkopf insignia used from 1934 to 1945.

It seems very implausible that, as he claims, nobody ever told him this before now.

And he obviously chose to release the video himself as damage control only after he knew it was coming out anyway.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That link has like 7 different variations of the skull and crossbones that the Nazis used and that covers basically every usage by anyone ever. I just don't buy that he's a closed Nazi and it never came up in all his Reddit shitposting.

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I heard the interview.

Did you see the video or just listen to it? In case not, here is a link to the part of the podcast where they play the video showing the tattoo.

That link has like 7 different variations

But one is by far the most well known; you may remember it from Mitchell and Webb's Are we the baddies?

[+] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -11 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

I watched the video. I'm not arguing that it is the same skull used by the Nazi SS. I'm arguing that specific skull wasn't created by the Nazis (here it is on an 18th century pirate flag) and it wasn't used last by the Nazis (here it is on a US special forces patch used in Vietnam) .

The US military has used all sorts of eagles, swords, crosses, skulls, double lightning bolts, etc over the years that were also used by Nazis at some point. I just don't think it is reasonable to say he's a Nazi based on this tattoo alone in the absolute absence of any other evidence of any sort.

[–] Kallestar@lemmy.ml 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There's just no way the US military allowed Nazi symbology to proliferate amongst its ranks. That's certainly never happened before. We're the good guys /s

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It could be that, or it could also be that the Nazis copied some of this stuff from the US. They admired our treatment of black people and borrowed a lot from us.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

No, totenkopf was symbol used in XIX century by Prussian hussars. They were pretty badass so it spread a little in different forms in the region, but it only made a world career by being symbol of SS.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The pirate flag I posted earlier was from the XVIII century. The skull and crossbones in general was used by pirates from the XVIII century onward. In general it was used in Europe since the late middle ages, originating in Spain. The Hussars were just the first military regiment to officially use it.

The skull of Adam at the foot of the Cross: detail from a Crucifixion by Fra Angelico, 1435

Here is a grave in Ireland, likely from around 1730 with the symbol.

And I'm just sticking to depictions with the left facing 1/4 turn that the SS most often used. I guess my point is that the association of the symbol with death far elipses it's association with the SS.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

You seem to consistently and deliberately confuse specific design used by SS with any usage of similar symbol through the ages.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago

There is no point in arguing this anymore because the tattoo that started this whole thing has been altered to a non offensive design.

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

here it is on an 18th century pirate flag

that one is an entirely dissimilar skull and cross bones

here it is on a US special forces patch

that one is 100% intentionally the SS-Totenkopf

I just don’t think it is reasonable to say he’s a Nazi based on this tattoo alone

I'm not saying he necessarily secretly considers himself a Nazi, but he does have an unambiguously Nazi tattoo and his explicit claim that he was totally clueless about its meaning for 18 years is simply not believable (especially in light of other evidence, like his reddit posts defending other solders' double lightning bolt tattoos).

Not the Onion