Nazi chic - a new trend in Thailand

I currently live in Bangkok and a few days ago I noticed a group of young people wearing T-Shirts with pictures of Hitler and swastikas. I felt extremely uneasy and thought about confronting them but decided that it would be best to keep away, especially since I'm Jewish. Then I found this article which explained it:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4159467/Hitler-T-shirts-are-a-Nazi-trend-for-Thai-youth.html

It baffles me how this kind of thing became popular / is allowed. Am I overreacting?

Reply 1

Hermóðr

Nazi imagery has long been a favourite of those looking to elicit a response. It's most likely motivated by a desire to shock/offend rather than any sincerely held beliefs.

Reply 2

phiddy23

Most of those pics are t-shirts on sale at the sunday night market in Chiang Mai, if you go up there you will see them about half way to 3/4 of the way down the road, I know because I have just got back from there. I think I actually have a picture of one of those particular stalls. Anyway they have loads of t-shirts on there which are basically mish mashes, so I think there was also one which was Stalin as Mario, and there was a Saddam Hussain one too, as well as other random famous figures such as Barack Obama. There's also loads of other novelty stalls...

Most of the Hitler (and other famous dictator) related stuff that I saw was taking the piss out of these people, none of them glorified them at all, plus their target market is just tourists / young thai's trying to be fashionable. Tourists wear them as a joke and the Thai kids probably have no idea what it really means.

It's up to you whether you look at this stuff and take offense. I am more worried about the real and violent racism that goes on underground rather than this kind of novelty stuff.

Reply 3

username818763

The people are so clueless about Nazi's, ignorance -.- The girl in the image does a salute with the left arm :L

Reply 4

simoncino

Whilst they are in poor taste, I do disagree with the slant that article takes. These tops are not glorifying Hiltler, or even showing authentic photos. In fact, they are taking his iconic image and mocking it. The same thing is done with other figures of lesser evils (for example Che Guevara). Perhaps it may offend some, but these shirts in no way glorify Nazism.

Reply 5

Lamptastic

The images are usually quite cutesy in those pics so I wouldn't be so intimidated.

My friend has a Hitler/Nazi tee from Camden Town so it's not so uncommon: http://www.andigear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=205

It's a parody of Hitler's intention to conquer Europe as a European music tour.

Reply 6

Ham22

Stupid on every level imo.

Reply 7

VeniViciVidi

Let's be honest though, Hitler must be turning in his grave bunker emphatically knowing his legacy has now turned into being a Nazi teletubby.

Along with every SS officer.

Reply 8

Daydreamer18

As much as it seems odd, I do wonder the extent to which those girls have actually been educated about Hitler. I don't know how much you'd get taught out there - obviously it's of higher relevance to the UK and it is taught in schools etc.

Reply 9

SleepySheep

"VILE T-shirts featuring cartoons of Nazi monster Adolf Hitler have become the latest fashion must-have in Thailand".

They are pictures of Hitler as a teletubby. They are not vile, they are stupid/slightly hitlarious.

Spoiler

Reply 10

Lamptastic

Ah my friend just wears it to take the piss. I'd understand on first glance if anyone thinks it is a lil full on.

He enjoys the weird stares too though I prefer to stick to my 'Science, it works *****es' and 'I <3 Lamp T Shirts'. :smile:

Reply 11

green.tea

Its an anti establishment thing. Punk rockers wore swastikas but had they lived in nazi germany theyd have been up against the wall pretty sharpish. The freedom we have as a result of defeating fascism unfortunately means people are going to be able to wear offensive t-shirts.

Reply 12

No Man

If the shirts didn't have mocking images of him as Ronald McDonald or a tellitubby I can see how it would be offensive.

Although since they are mocking him I don't think it's that offensive/vile, since Hitler himself would probably find them very offensive.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 13

Snagprophet

If it had just been a Swastika it would've been stupid to assume it was related to Nazism, especially if you look at how it's related to European and Asian cultures, but pictures of Hitler? Definitely Nazi related.

Reply 14

Fluffy Chuckie

Original post by phiddy23

I wouldn't normally find it offensive but I have seen comments on Facebook recently where people have gotten quite serious about Hitler and the Nazis, quite a bit of the public are slowly becoming more sympathetic the whole Nazi regime. This might seem like the race card now but give it 1-3 years, because when serious events turn into jokes, some like to take things too far and not much people really know about how bad the repression of the people in Germany at the time, not just Jewish but disabled, travellers, Germans who just didn't like the Nazis and the list goes on. No one ever thinks about that :redface:

Reply 15

brabzzz

Eh? Who cares.
They're mocking rather than glorifying.

It happened 70+ years ago. Not saying it should be forgotten, but it is time to move on and he/it is not some sacred cow that must never be discussed or jested about...

Mao
Che
Various US presidents
Ho Chi Minh
Stalin
Romans

I've seen them all on t-shirts or as part of graphic designs. Depending on your point of view, they might be heroes or terrorists, and chances are there's someone who they'd offend. I object to the fact that, through a particularly effective PR effort, people instantly get all hot and bothered when they hear the N or H word, and don't bat an eyelid with equal (or far greater) evils are mentioned.

If Thai fashion (tasteless at the best of times) reckons the man with a tach is in this season, so be it. Who knows, maybe it'll mean a few people actually do some reading into the matter, which is more than most -worldwide- have ever done.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 16

Eightyeight

I think you're overreacting to something which more mocking Hitler and Nazism than glorifying it.

You might even say that they are................Hitlarious? :tongue:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

Ahumsk

Well, many Europeans and North Americans are rather indifferent to the exploits of Imperial Japan or Kemalist Turkey. Why should people in a country largely untouched by the Germans be greatly concerned about WWII in Europe or the Jews? It happened a while ago and to some other people who don't seem to be well-regarded in East Asia anyway. Germany was friendly to Thailand during WWII, it was generally against European empires in Asia, and Thai government has been right-wing for a long time, so I doubt there's much Thai state anti-Nazi propaganda. There is no prominent Jewish community there to stress Nazi atrocities in mass media. American popular culture with its strong anti-Nazi themes has a lower penetration in Thailand than in, say, Sweden, and people probably can't really relate to it.

I'd imagine the entire thing with glamorising Nazis is largely the influence of Japanese pop culture though. It's not really against or for Hitler, he is simply a meaningless popular image with some irreverent undertones.