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Subject: 
Re: Rückkehr der Raumnazin
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Fri, 23 Dec 2005 04:36:31 GMT
Viewed: 
1762 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kevin Heckel wrote:

   I think I need to make my original question more explicit. Of all the many reasons to object to a swastika spaceship, I’d like to know why you chose “because it offends Germans”. Why didn’t you once mention the feelings of Jews? Is it because they’re not going to Heaven?

I mention Germans because there are a lot of German AFOLs. I know some personally. They are great guys. And I would rather not have them believe that English speaking people are a bunch of jerks who joke about things which are uncomfortable for them at best. That’s not “playing well” in my book.

As for Jews, I don’t know many, if any, AFOL Jews. But it’s different for Jews anyway. They are the victims of the Nazis; the Germans are the decendents of the Nazis.

As for your weird comment about Jews not going to heaven; no. I consider myself a grafted Jew. I consider the history of the Israelites as the people of God to be my history. I have studied in Israel. I honeymooned in Israel. My boss is a Jewish carpenter;-) So, if Jews aren’t going to heaven, I’m not going to heaven...

  
  
   But points for looking out for people’s feelings. Let’s see, who else could be offended? I imagine Asians might be offended, because it reminds them of how the symbol was stolen from them.

<shrug> There is nothing new under the sun. Are we sure that “they” invented it, or did “they” “steal” it from some previous source?

What I mean is, what used to be an innocuous symbol adorning Hindu and Buddhist temples has now become politically loaded. ****! Time to redecorate!

That’s the breaks:-) Not exactly the same symbol, though.

  
  
  
   What is so hard to understand about that? Your little science project is doomed from the beginning. I mean, shesh-- imagery like that is illegal in a Democratic State, for crying out loud. What’s funny about that?

See, it’s meta-bigotry. It’s funny because it’s so ridiculously over-the-top. And the ridiculousness is what you laugh at. If not, then it really is bigotry.

That’s my point. Yeah, you and I as non-Germans and non-Jews can “see” the humor because we are removed from it. Our laughter, however, can so easily be perceived as calloused insensitivity.

And here I thought you didn’t understand the principle, when it just turns out that you’re no rock ‘n roll fun.

If you say so; I’m not getting your reference:-(
  
  
  
  
<snip>

  
Well it’s not a new idea to make a joke out of nazism. Mel Brooks

He’s a Jew. Different issues there.

What are your issues there?

Mine? None. I’m only pointing out that victims of crimes had “earned” the right to mock, whatever, their persecutors. I don’t really like Mel Brooks’ Nazi humor (though I enjoy a lot of his humor normally) but at the same time I am not about to condemn it-- it is not my place to do so.

Well, it’s just “different issues there” seemed (to me, at least) to be pretty dismissive of Jewish “issues”, like they didn’t fit in your “this is offensive to people” argument. So please elucidate me on your true intentions with that.

Only that I was specifically thinking about German AFOLs when I originally posted. The Jewish response is another discussion in my mind. It’s not that I don’t think that some Jews won’t find it offensive, it’s just that I didn’t choose to comment on that.
  
  
  
  
   and Hogan’s Heroes spring to mind.

That show is about forty years old.

And that was before we invented “Political Correctness”, or...?

Well, yes. “Political Correctness” is such a loaded term. I agree that people should be sensitive to others’ feelings; it’s just that the whole concept has been taken to an absurd extreme.

Hogan’s Heroes was a pretty prime example of making light of Nazis. What does its age have to do with it?

Put it this way: you’d have a pretty difficult time trying to sell a TV series concept to Hollywood like HH today.

  
  
  
  
   I personally don’t think any subject should be out of bounds for humour, but it depends a lot on the execution. I’m hoping I carried it off well enough, but that’s ultimately up to the audience.


Not for any German audience I suspect. Just as only blacks can call each other the N-word, and Jews have “permission” to joke about Jews, I would guess that only a German would have any hope of making light of that subject, and certainly not an outsider from Aussie.

Again with zee Germans. Frankly, if I were to look out for someone’s feelings, it’d be the someone who doesn’t have grandparents because of what that symbol represents, rather than someone who’s simply embarrassed by their grandparents. Do you have any examples of Germans making Nazi jokes?

Not in the slightest. And judging from Jo-Jo’s remarks elsewhere, there doesn’t seem to be many if any at all. It’s like laughing at someone’s misery: what kind of jerk finds that funny? Well, a jerk who is a jerk.

Are you calling me a jerk? Or are you calling Allister a jerk?

Do you or Allister laugh at the misery of others? If so, then yes.

   More importantly, are you trying to distract us from your ridiculous theory that only Germans can make Nazi jokes?

I never said that. Go back and reread what I said.

  
  
   Off the top of my head, I can think of a few non-Germans who are able to make light of the Holocaust and Nazis. Mel Brooks (well, that was cheating, he was already mentioned!), Sarah Silverman (Jewish American),

Again, Jewish (implicit permission). She is painful to consider. Here is a bright, intelligent women who is just so offensive. I don’t subscribe to the “I’ll joke about taboos and stereotypes and bigotry and racist until we all find it funny together” theory. What ends up happening is that when she gay-bashes, for example, she only reinforces intolerance and bigotry in her audience rather than helps to break those barriers down.

Maybe she reinforced your bigotry, but not mine.

Actually, I’ve never heard her act; only read an article about her. And I was very disappointed, because I loved her in a classic 2 part episode of ST:V.

  
  
   and Eddie Izzard (British transvestite).

Not familiar with him.

That’s too bad. He was my only non-Jewish example! Well, I know what to get you for Christmas now.

LEGO? ;-)
  
  
   Certainly an Australian can horn in on this game!


Maybe if their last name is Goldberg;-)

Well, not all the Hogan’s Heroes writers were Jewish. And besides, who are you to dictate what nationalities can make what jokes?

I’m not dictating anything.

  
  
  
   I categorically can’t find it funny because I know that it offends Germans.

Well, it’s not like you’re a stranger to offending people. And I for one thought you were pretty funny in that thread.

You thought I was being offensive? How?

Well, if you re-read the post I linked to, for example, you’d notice you were very close to saying “I can’t help hating gays, it’s genetic!”

(I’m sooo misunderstood) It’s not gays I hate, it is their behavior, and specifically to that discussion, the thought of gay sex. But I’d really rather not open that can ‘o worms again-- I think I said all I wanted to back then.

   That was almost as awesome as you writing, in all caps, “GAYS ARE PEOPLE”. Comedic gold!

My point was that discussions about AFOLs by gay people can be carried out in .people (questioning the need for an NG based on behavior). Gays are people, so they can discuss AFOLs in .people like everyone else. What is so funny about that?

   But I was merely trying to illustrate meta-humor to you, thinking you didn’t understand the principle.
  
  
   Hey, just for kicks-- go post your MOC on 1000Steine and see what happens. If that idea gives you pause, then maybe there are some deeper issues to which you are oblivious and should have addressed before you embarked on your build.

JOHN

Hey, just for kicks-- let’s put all the Germans in ovens so there aren’t any left to be offended by this MOC. (See? Meta!)

Careful. William Bennett was tarred by Liberals for less than that!

JOHN

Well, there are some key differences here. I am mostly ethnically German (aside from the occasional Russian great-grandfather who’ll say until his dying day he’s Polish) and I have racist grandparents to be ashamed of, so I figure that that’s close enough to being a Kraut for me to be comfortable making jokes about them. It’s like how black guys call each other the N-word, as you said. Furthermore, my joke was, I believe, sufficiently over the top to be well into the “meta-humor” category.

Yeah, but see (and this is my whole point) you may think you are justified saying such a thing, but we all out here on LUGNET don’t know you from Adam! So unless you preface your statement, it really doesn’t help your case, and I’m sure a few eyebrows went up when you wrote that. I realize you didn’t mean it literary, and neither did Bill Bennett, but jerks who hate him or his politics seized on the opportunity to unfairly attack him.

   I admit I was thinking of linking to Jojo’s recent (and delightful) oven MOC, but I decided to err on the side of good taste.

That’s it right there. All I am saying is that I wish when Allister came up with his idea, he decided not to build it as to err on the side of good taste. But he chose to build it, it sparked controversy as he must have known it would, and here we are. And let me state right here-- germane to this discussion is the fact that LEGO is a child’s toy. I think we have an extra responsibility to create wholesome MOCs that are intended to be displayed to the GP. That may sound prissy, but that is what I believe, and that is what I advocate, and that is what I do.

   This Mr. Bennett’s “joke”, on the other hand, was about a group (black infants) he is decidedly not a part of, and there was some question as to whether he was kidding on the square.

Ahh, see, there is the slander, internalized and repeated to perfection. Tell me, how does a staunch Pro-lifer advocate abortion in any way? The answer of course is he doesn’t. So the “kidding-on-the-square” assertion is simply a vicious lie (from people who actually advocate abortion!!! God, the irony is so thick it’s unbelievable!)

   Also, I’m not afraid of liberals. They suck.

Well, I disagree with them on just about everything, but I wouldn’t say they suck.

JOHN



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: Rückkehr der Raumnazin
 
(...) So you mean to say Germans can't take a joke, and need defending. Alright then, good enough for me. (...) So what does that mean? That Germans are made more uncomfortable by it than Jews? (...) I'm glad to hear you don't have anything against (...) (19 years ago, 23-Dec-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
  Re: Rückkehr der Raumnazin
 
(...) Controversy? You're the only one making a fuss here, John. (...) Very prissy. Maybe even prudish. How about patronising? But hey, it's your life. Yes, lego is a child's toy. But, I am not a child, and neither are you, which makes it also an (...) (19 years ago, 23-Dec-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Rückkehr der Raumnazin
 
(...) I think I need to make my original question more explicit. Of all the many reasons to object to a swastika spaceship, I'd like to know why you chose "because it offends Germans". Why didn't you once mention the feelings of Jews? Is it because (...) (19 years ago, 22-Dec-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)  

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