Couple wear Swastika masks while shopping

[Swede]

Last edited Sat Jul 25, 2020, 09:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

?s=20

[LakeArenal]

1. Why even acknowledge her? She's begging for it.

[Doodley]

11. Yes, why challenge people who celebrate Nazis? Are you kidding?

[LakeArenal]

13. No I'm not kidding. The video played right into her hands.

Shunning is a powerful weapon. Store manager could have refused them service. That’s where the confrontation belongs.

[Doodley]

15. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

[LakeArenal]

16. Oh brother. Yank on one the others below that agree with men.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Well, I guess I've seen it all, now.

I am shocked, but I know I shouldn't be.

This is part of tRump's legacy.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Absolutely no point talking to these people. They are doing it to get a rise out of you and...

everyone else.

You could just ignore them. Or maybe accidentally spill chocolate syrup or vinegar on them. Or mumble disapproval.

But altercation is not advised. That just turns them on.

Now, maybe one quick right cross to the chin... But silently. Don't say a word, just beat the fuck out of them. Silently.

[Mariana]

6. The best thing is to learn their names and make them public.

They certainly can have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a Walmart.

[mitch96]

22. " Absolutely no point talking to these people"

Yup, I agree...... They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience...
m

[Gothmog]

4. Assholes

Link to tweet

[Srkdqltr]

5. How cute. I guess it takes all kinds.

They do come out of the woodwork . They would be offensive if they didn't look so thoroughly stupid. Got a good laugh.

[Stallion]

18. Well Since They Got the Jumbo Size of Cheeto-Puffs that Should Keep Them Busy for Awhile

[Brother Buzz]

7. It is what it is...

The fucking orange anus has enabled these assholes. The fucking president of the United States enabled these assholes to do these asshole things.

Nothing shocks me anymore.

[Andy823]

8. Typical trump assholes

only the best "assholes" are for trump!

[Wellstone ruled]

9. This is a complete insult

to one of the most influential families in Marshall. BTW,our Niece was in the Store at the time and send us a video of these two. Have not heard the names as of yet,but,rest assured,they will be outed.

[ismnotwasm]

49. Good

Cause fuck Nazi assholes

[KentuckyWoman]

54. I really feel for that cashier.

He deserves a medal and a big fat raise.

[Wellstone ruled]

60. We were in that store three years ago this past weekend.

The Lady Cashier in the Video waited on us. We saw first hand how these local Fascist do their thing. As our Niece mentioned,the Store just erupted with people flocking to the Registrar Area,with some protecting the Cashier while others verbally forced the Couple out the door. Others followed the two out into the Parking. Understand the two went full out verbally fascist.

[KentuckyWoman]

61. Local Fox 9 says they've been banned from all Walmart for a year.

[Wellstone ruled]

63. Heard that last night

from our Niece. Knowing the area pretty well,was truly amazed how the locals reacted. The Worm has turned.

[Ms. Toad]

10. They are wearing a mask. If attaching a swastika is what it takes for them to comply - so be it.

Is it incredibly offensive? Absolutely.

Does it fall within protected speech. Yup.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

- Evelyn Beatrice Hall, 1906.

[Doodley]

14. Defend to the death people's right to promote a party that killed 6 million Jews? Really?

[Ms. Toad]

17. You are aware that the ACLU, for example, has defended them - right?

https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/rights-protesters/skokie-case-how-i-came-represent-free-speech-rights-nazis

If you truly believe in free speech, you have to. And if you don't, you are suggesting that you will accept suppression of your public speech if others (who happen to have more power) disagree with your position.

That doesn't mean you can't argue with them, educate others as to what the Nazis stand for, hold counter-protests, let their employer's know what they are doing in public, etc. But yes, if I expect my right to demonstrate in Portland (as an example) to be respected, I also have to allow for people who support Nazis to speak publically. My options are to disagree wtih them, not call for suppression of their speech.

**Note** we are talking about public speech - not the private right to exclude offensive conversations on a message board, for example.

[Doodley]

23. I don't defend hate speech. I support laws many other nations have to stop the

spread of hatred that I see in America. All this freedom of speech at any cost is why we are in this mess. It's why we have Trump. It's why we have lost control of this virus. It's why we have police killing black folk. It's why tens of millions have no healthcare. It's why we have one quarter of the world's prison population. It's why we have school shootings other nations don't have.

Talk to me about the suppression of speech when we are comparable to European nations on all these issues. I am never going to defend anyone's right to spread hatred and racial division.

[Ms. Toad]

26. Your (and other's) ignorance of the consequences of state suppression of speech

- and the willingess to allow suppression of speech you find offensive, is part of the danger of Trump.

I am not willing to have Trump, et al. dictate that BLM protestors must be silenced - that means that I must also not be willing to have our side silence voices we find offensive. The principles (the government must not suppress speech) must remain the same, or it is just a political game - and whoever has the ball gets to determine what speech the government is permitted to suppress.

The right to speak, associate with others of like mind, etc. is a fundamental principle on which our society is founded.

Again - that doesn't mean do nothing. Educate. Counter-protest. Creatively usurp the places they want to hold their ralies. But the one thing that is off limits is using the force of law to suppress their speech - no matter how much I hate it. Unless I am similarly willing to have my own speech suppresssed when the government is run by folks like Trump.

[Doodley]

27. Well, how's that working out for America? In what way has that made America better than other

nations that won't tolerate hate speech? Has it made America more equal? More caring about each other? Less divided? Less hateful? Less dysfunctional? How has all this tolerance for hate benefited America?

[Ms. Toad]

28. Tolerance for speech is not the same thing as tolerance for hate.

And do you really think the country will be more functional if we carry a big stick and suppress speech we don't like? That's a Chinese and North Korean tactic. And if Trump wins - it will continue to be used against us, just as it is being used against us now in Portland.

[JonLP24]

39. Europeans ban these symbols

Even Russia does. I know it is not legally possible in the US.

[Doodley]

51. Thank you.

[NutmegYankee]

37. Other nations do not have a Constitution that flat out prohibits suppressing speech with laws

We do. You can scream into the wind as long as you want, the USA will never have hate speech laws.

[Doodley]

48. You could say the same about slavery before the 13th Amendment. Hiding all our problems

behind the constitution doesn't solve anything. As a nation, we are in decline. We have problems most other advanced nations have dealt with. What the hell are we going to do about it?

[NutmegYankee]

65. Good luck getting the majorities needed to override a fundamental right.

Keep in mind that once government can ban speech a future right wing government would absolutely use that against us. They might make lèse-majesté a crime and punish the opposition.

[Doodley]

66. Funny our standards always have to be in the gutter compared to other advanced nations.

[JI7]

45. The first Amendment protects against Govt. But Businesses don't have to accept it

[Ms. Toad]

47. Absolutely - and I am glad that Walmart declared them trespassers and banned them.

That's speech countering speech. It is different from government suppression of speech.

[Doodley]

55. So you would have a president that wears a swastika, but not a shopper in a store, all because of

the precious constitution?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

24. What would you do if you saw a swastika mask at the grocery store?

[GulfCoast66]

35. I've seen several MAGA masks and did not say a word.

But if I see someone with a Nazi mask I’m calling them out. Probably say if my uncle who flew in bombers was here and still alive at, what 96, he would still try to kick their asses. And tell them if they wore them in 46 they might be killed when the greatest generation was in its prime. I certainly have now deceased relatives that would have shot them dead in 46 or 47. And in that part of Arkansas no jury would have convicted them.

All that said, they have the right to wear them. I suspect they are either unemployed or soon will be.

[Ms. Toad]

41. Someone in a Trump mask walked into my daughter's store.

she had the same response as I did - at least they are wearning a mask.

And just as they have a right to wear the mask (Trump or Swastika), you have a right to speak your mind in response to it. And their employer likely has a right to terminate them, since most employment in this country is at-will.

[niyad]

46. "It is so helpful when idiots self-identify" as I walk past Been using this since I saw my

first trump shirt in 2016.

[Progressive Jones]

59. I could make them crap their pants without moving a muscle. nt

[Devil Child]

81. Keep shopping and go on with my life?

Those groceries aren’t going to purchase themselves and make it back home.

[JonLP24]

38. You are legally correct

I think this was more effective though

Germany

After World War Two, the penal code of the Federal Republic of Germany was amended to prohibit propaganda material and symbols of forbidden parties and other organisations (StGB 86 and 86a). This includes, explicitly, material in the tradition of a former national socialist organization. Prohibited is the production and distribution of this material. Prohibited is also the public display of the symbols related. Legal consequences can be a fine or a prison term (up to three years).

Examples are Nazi symbols, such as the Hakenkreuz swastika and the SS logo. It is legal to use the symbols for educational and artistic purposes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post%E2%80%93World_War_II_legality_of_Nazi_flags

We have a solid first amendment but racism & discrimination continue to be a huge problem in this country.

I saw a Green Frog's twitter page the other day -- looked like Hitler's feed.

[Ms. Toad]

42. There is a little bit of difference when you are fighting an actual organization

(or the resurgence of one) that ran the country and murdered 6 million people.

Here it is stupid hateful people, most of whom have not studied enough history to actually understand the symbol they are using.

[JonLP24]

43. We have similar problems just not at the same scale

We have the highest incarceration rate in the world. African-Americans are locked up at disproportionate rates. Trump's immigration policies & Muslim ban. Imperialist foreign policy which is a lot of "we know what's best for your country".

There is a long history of redlining & gentrification.

How American Racism Influenced Hitler

Americans have an especially insatiable appetite for Nazi-themed books, films, television shows, documentaries, video games, and comic books. Stories of the Second World War console us with memories of the days before Vietnam, Cambodia, and Iraq, when the United States was the world’s good-hearted superpower, riding to the rescue of a Europe paralyzed by totalitarianism and appeasement. Yet an eerie continuity became visible in the postwar years, as German scientists were imported to America and began working for their former enemies; the resulting technologies of mass destruction exceeded Hitler’s darkest imaginings. The Nazis idolized many aspects of American society: the cult of sport, Hollywood production values, the mythology of the frontier. From boyhood on, Hitler devoured the Westerns of the popular German novelist Karl May. In 1928, Hitler remarked, approvingly, that white settlers in America had “gunned down the millions of redskins to a few hundred thousand.” When he spoke of Lebensraum, the German drive for “living space” in Eastern Europe, he often had America in mind.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/how-american-racism-influenced-hitler

How the Nazis Were Inspired by Jim Crow

When the Nazis set out to legally disenfranchise and discriminate against Jewish citizens, they weren’t just coming up with ideas out of thin air. They closely studied the laws of another country. According to James Q. Whitman, author of Hitler’s American Model, that country was the United States.

“America in the early 20th century was the leading racist jurisdiction in the world,” says Whitman, who is a professor at Yale Law School. “Nazi lawyers, as a result, were interested in, looked very closely at, [and] were ultimately influenced by American race law.”

In particular, Nazis admired the Jim Crow-era laws that discriminated against black Americans and segregated them from white Americans, and they debated whether to introduce similar segregation in Germany.

https://www.history.com/news/how-the-nazis-were-inspired-by-jim-crow


Free speech is solved. Other problems not so much.

[Ms. Toad]

44. The scale is the issue.

And the fact that Nazis WERE the government, and as an official act of government tortured and murdered more than 6 million people. We have not had a situation in which the Nazis WERE the government, nor mass murder by the government on that grand a scale. The potential rise, again, of the Nazi party is what makes it a different situation, from my perspective.

I am not convinced that suppression of speech is appropriate, even then. But it is a vastly different situation that a disorganzied collection of Nazi wannabes - the vast majority of whom could not even articulate the policies and ideals of party they emulate, beyond some general idea of white supremacy.

[Doodley]

58. You could make your same argument in Germany in the 1920s. If Donald

Trump said that "illegals should be executed," and polls showed a large number of people supported it, would you continue this "right to free speech" nonsense?

[Ms. Toad]

64. There is no point in even having a discussion if you believe the 1st amendment to the constitution

is "nonsense."

[Doodley]

67. It is nonsense to potentially defend a president who is even worse than Trump and says,

"We should look at executing all illegals." That can't happen in Europe. It seems like you would defend it, based on the 1st amendment. Yes, that would be nonsense.

[Ms. Toad]

69. I defend the constitutional right of every person

to speak freely (even when it is offensive) to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Once we allow the government to pick and choose which speech is allowed, no speech will be safe - because whether one is permitted to speak is up to the whim of whichever party is in charge. That's why the protesters in Portland are being shut down - and why there are so many lawsuits about whether Trump's actions are permitted. The same would (should) be true if Obama had tried to shut down speech.

As a matter of speech, of course any person can utter - without government interference - "we should look at executing all illegals." It is offensive and, if a law calling for that we enacted, it would be unconstitutional. That doesn't change their right to SAY it.

You seem confused on the distinction between speech and action.

[Doodley]

70. Do you defend Hitler's right to say what he said?

[Ms. Toad]

72. Hitler is not a U.S. citizen

And he was acting as the head of state. Ordering murder (when you have the ability to command others to carry it out) is action - not speech. That is different than opining that murder should be allowed.

The former is not covered by the first amendment; the latter is.

[Doodley]

75. He wasn't head of state when he gained a following by spouting racist crap. It could happen here.

It sounds like you would defend it.

[Ms. Toad]

76. As I said, we're done.

You seem utterly unfamiliar with the first amendment, or the distinction between speech and action.

[Doodley]

79. You choose to go out of your way to insult me. When I hear or see

Nazis my first reaction is to condemn it, not rush to say, "I defend their right to spout hatred."

Frankly, I am offended by right-wingers who are full of hate speech and use freedom of speech as a defense. For example, they might join in calling Colin Kaepernick a "son of a bitch," for expressing himself, but then they excuse racist crap or Nazis marching through Charlottesville as freedom of speech. It is sick that anyone goes down that road. Our first reaction should be to say that this is unacceptable, not to say that they would go to their death defending their right to say it.

[Ms. Toad]

80. Take it up with the ACLU.

[Doodley]

57. You are correct. We have a wannabe fascist in the Whitehouse, but we also have

devastating statistics when it comes to gun crime, police brutality, wealth equality, life expectancy, healthcare, environmental protection - all because the hate-charged political environment we are in where things are said on a daily basis by the right that would force politicians or broadcasters to resign in other nations.

We have lost our way, always excusing outright lies, smears and scaremongering with free-speech arguments, no matter how much damage it does to us as a society, as individuals or our standing in the world. Our nation is being shredded with pure unadulterated hated that always sets one group against another for political or economic advantage.

[Doodley]

50. How do you know what they understand or don't understand? And why should any

lack of intelligence or understanding make any difference to whether their spread of hate and racial division is acceptable?

[Ms. Toad]

62. First have you ever spoken with any of them?

Second, did you listen to this particular woman - it was clear from what she said that she had no clue.

The reason it matters is that these people is that these are stupid idiots who control nothing. They are just running their mouths because they are angry, hateful people who feel powerless. Use your voice, not government repression to counter them. (As Wal-Mart did when it told them they were no longer welcome to shop there.)

This is a vastly different scenario than being in Europe, where Nazis actually ran Germany, killed more than 6 million people across many countries, and of the party real enough to make the threat of resurgence was real.

[Doodley]

68. The Nazi Party thrived on hatred and resentment. You can dismiss this as two

nutters. It only takes one narcissist, megalomaniac nutter to attract a big following.

Would you support the right of a wannabe Hitler to have a platform of hatred and racial division to attact Trump's most extreme supporters, after Trump has gone?

It could happen. As people didn't expect Trump to happen, this could happen.

Would you let a neo-Nazi party grow in America and attract millions of supporters by spouting hatred and the persecution of minorities?

[Ms. Toad]

71. Frankly, those risks are the price we pay for living in a free society.

Freedom of association (also part of the first amendment) permits people to assemble together. Do you want them shutting down DU? If you allow the government to pick and choose which groups are permitted to exist, then only those groups that find favor with the current government will be permitted to meet.

Did you skip your civics class in high school? You seem surprisingly unfamiliar with the first amendment, its importance, and its implications.

[Doodley]

73. That is the price 6 million Jews paid and 72 million total in WW2. You defend that?

[Ms. Toad]

74. Killing is not speech.

We're done, since you have no concept about the first amendment or about the distinction between speech and action.

[Doodley]

56. That is why Germany has Angela Merkel and we have a racist idiot.

[Steelrolled]

77. +1

I understand that people get worked up over this.

Everyone knows this, especially the people wearing the masks. THAT'S WHY THEY DO IT!

I just laugh at wackos like this - they are not the salt of the earth, but maybe the cayenne pepper.

[not_the_one]

12. If you mention rabid conservatism and someone says you are "over reacting"

show them this lovely couple.

I hope more do it. They make our point FOR us.

[NightWatcher]

19. We know what type of person just has swastikas laying around the house...

[Codeine]

20. It's Walmart; the fuck did you expect? nt

[colsohlibgal]

21. Disgusting

My Paternal Grandfather fought in WWII and he and others like him would be so appalled by this.

It’s a disgrace and those folks are white trash. I’m skeptical but if there is a Hell they’re headed there.

[GulfCoast66]

36. And here's the thing...if you grandfather saw them doing this in his prime.

Do you doubt for a second he would have kicked the living shit out of them? Sure as hell my ancestors would have. First amendment our not. What my uncles went through was super traumatic and god awful. They came home and saw that shit and it would have been on.

[a kennedy]

25. What the hell.....

[Blue Owl]

29. Fuckstikas

Send in the nazi-punchers -- cleanup in Aisle 3

[roamer65]

30. I support the free speech of the person calling them sick.

They are sick. Free speech goes both ways. They should be publically shamed for wearing such an offensive symbol.

[GaYellowDawg]

31. It's not a Trump t-shirt.

It's a Wal-Mart t-shirt that say "True Red and Blue."

I saw someone called out on Twitter for claiming it was a Trump t-shirt, and he made a real ass of himself in the process. We don't need to get caught out like that.

[Swede]

33. I delete that part of the tweet.

Thanks.

[The Wizard]

32. Point at them and laugh.

Ridicule is our friend.

[MerryBlooms]

34. Nazis promoting their approval of the killing

of millions of people. Entire families wiped out... That's what they're promoting. Our families wiped out by C19. They are part of the 38% of trump's death cult. It's not political speech. There are NO good nazis. Dox and shame. Shave their heads and parade them through the streets.

[gulliver]

40. Damn. Get the freakin' pro-Trump T-shirt the guy is wearing in the video.

That's the intro picture on YouTube. Missed opportunity.

[0rganism]

52. swastikas aside, those look like piss-poor masks

thin single layer loosely draped
could have done better with a folded bandana
yet another reason they should not have been permitted to enter the store

[KentuckyWoman]

53. LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME !!!

What a pathetic loser.

[Ilsa]

78. Their great-grandparents were probably

Members of the German American Bund or Friends of New Germany (FONG).

[Devil Child]

82. Well, at least they were wearing masks while attention seeking.