Scary Meeting With An Old German Nazi

[Luxius]

Of course I know, that you will find people of all races, religions, beliefs and so on everywhere on the planet. I am also very aware of the background history of the swastika, what meaning it represented in ancient cultures, and still carries in modern Thailand and Asia. I can even understand why young and old Thais will wear a T-shirt with the flag of the pre-WWII Nazi Party, which later became the icon of war and terror of a grand scale, that will not soon be forgotten in the history of mankind - they might not know the significant difference the red square with a white circle makes.

Well, today I had an encounter with a middle-aged German man and a Thai guy who was renting him a motorbike. They were discussing tax regulation on bikes, which is irrelevant, but I joined in on the conversation. The old guy goes to retrive a helmet, which is covered with SS stickers and those of the nazi eagle carrying the Hakenkreuz (or swastika). I mentioned them, and the old guy said he had been in a village, where he had said "Adolf is my friend", which had resulted in a nazi salute and a "Heil Hitler" from some young kids. He told this story with great passion and a bright eye, that gave me chills up through my spine. I am not normally shocked or provoked, but this guy was both scaring me and pissing me off. He said Hitler was a hero in Thailand, that here the Hitlerjugend were still at large. My Buddha ...

I want to hear your comments, similar experiences, and your own evaluation of the situation of nazism and fascism in Thailand and SE Asia. I am not interested in rants about racism and xenophobia, as it is not directly related to nazism.

[Jingthing]

I am not too worried. For every Thai Hitlerjugend there must be 1000 wearing Che Gueverra t- shirts! I think some kids think its cool and I don't think most of them know what it means. I base this on my perception of a dreadful education system here.

[t.s]

not quite sure how he was scary. old, sad, nuts and bigoted maybe, but scary how?

and was he old or middle aged?

[Harcourt]

Do people actually say, "My Buddha" instead of, "My God"?

Edited November 12, 2009 by Harcourt

[Maejo Man]

Well, today I had an encounter with a middle-aged German man and a Thai guy who was renting him a motorbike. They were discussing tax regulation on bikes, which is irrelevant, but I joined in on the conversation. The old guy goes to retrive a helmet, which is covered with SS stickers and those of the nazi eagle carrying the Hakenkreuz (or swastika). I mentioned them, and the old guy said he had been in a village, where he had said "Adolf is my friend",

Middle aged German?? He'd have to be well over 70 to have met/known Hitler, and what on earth is he doing hiring a bike at that age. Seems a few things don't crack up

[Geekfreaklover]

Saw a middle-agged Thai walking across the footbridge today wearing swastika sweat bands on his wrists. Is he aware of what happened in Europe, no?. Does he know that the symbols are offensive? no. Does he know who Gobbels is? no. Do I feel upset by it? no.

Was the symbol (originally a Far-eastern symbol of peace) taken by the Nazis and used in their campaign. Yes.

The guy on the motorbike just sounds like an idiot. Let him live out his Nazi dream. I guess he isn't hurting anyone?

Edited November 12, 2009 by Geekfreaklover

[rabcbroon]

Mao and Stalin slaughtered more of their own people in peace time than Hitler ever did foreigners whilst at war. Yet they are still highly regarded by many Chinese/Russians!

In othere words - why are you suprized that some Germans still hold Hitler in high regard.

Edited November 12, 2009 by rabcbroon

[bkkjames]

I would like to see a photo of this troll, I mean Nazi before commenting.

[Luxius]

Do people actually say, "My Buddha" instead of, "My God"?

Yes, lots of Thais do.

I am still waiting for intelligent posts in this thread, by the way. Of course, I am not worried about a revival of the Nazi era, and I know there are lots more Bob Marley fans to be counted, but it was eerie to find the Nazi monster so far away from home, and to see this old/middle-aged (I don't know 50-60 years old, and of course he never knew Adolf Hitler - stop reading everything literally, l speak about it, as it was still a force to be reckoned with. "Sad, nuts and bigoted" maybe, but nevertheless scary, like seeing a ghost of the fascist movement hard to get rid of. Don't get me wrong (and refrain from the silly remarks just to get your name on the board), I am not scared of anyone or any movement, especially not here in Thailand, but I can still find a good psychological thriller scary, even though I am in my comfortable bed or sofa. Am I the only one?

[OxfordWill]

I met a guy like this, but younger. He was wearing nazi emblems on his wrists. I walked past him and he didnt look up. I did a u turn as I just had to know- and caught up with him.

"Excuse me. Are you a Nazi?"

"What?"

"I said, are you a Nazi?"

"No."

"Aren't those Nazi signs on your wrists?"

"No."

"What are they then? If you dont mind me asking."

"They're not Nazi."

"Ok."

"bye."

And he walked off.

Weird!!

[YoungNRich12]

I am scared just hearing about this guy. Somebody hold me.

[Luxius]

Saw a middle-agged Thai walking across the footbridge today wearing swastika sweat bands on his wrists. Is he aware of what happened in Europe, no?. Does he know that the symbols are offensive? no. Does he know who Gobbels is? no. Do I feel upset by it? no.

Was the symbol (originally a Far-eastern symbol of peace) taken by the Nazis and used in their campaign. Yes.

The guy on the motorbike just sounds like an idiot. Let him live out his Nazi dream. I guess he isn't hurting anyone?

Now that you take the time to reply on my post, why not take the time to read it too? You are stating the obvious, which I already put in the beginning of my posting, and had you clicked the word "swastika", you would have learned that it is a symbol of good luck, not peace, and that it was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization, hence it is not far eastern.

The guy on the motorbike might be an idiot, but you don't get much more credit from me.

[Jaydillon]

Well there is a lot of BMP guys in Thailand specially Pattaya and more towards Rayong. Majority of Thais do not understand due to lack of education ect. I have been told that There are few bars in Pattaya which are own by BNP guys.

I think they will fitting very well in Thailand as Thai's do discriminate there own.For example a darker skin Thai gets discriminated by lighter skin Thais when it comes to jobs ect. They look at them as 3rd class citizens My Thai mats have told this to me.

Any way these sick bastards are all over the plant,I my self will NOT put up with it.

[rabcbroon]

Do people actually say, "My Buddha" instead of, "My God"?

Yes, lots of Thais do.

I am still waiting for intelligent posts in this thread, by the way. Of course, I am not worried about a revival of the Nazi era, and I know there are lots more Bob Marley fans to be counted, but it was eerie to find the Nazi monster so far away from home, and to see this old/middle-aged (I don't know 50-60 years old, and of course he never knew Adolf Hitler - stop reading everything literally, like a damned American theologist) speak about it, as it was still a force to be reckoned with. "Sad, nuts and bigoted" maybe, but nevertheless scary, like seeing a ghost of the fascist movement hard to get rid of. Don't get me wrong (and refrain from the silly remarks just to get your name on the board), I am not scared of anyone or any movement, especially not here in Thailand, but I can still find a good psychological thriller scary, even though I am in my comfortable bed or sofa. Am I the only one?

If your worried about a middle aged nazi then don't travel to the UK. Hitler would bee proud of the current facist police state once known as Britain

[dttk0009]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

[Luxius]

If your worried about a middle aged nazi then don't travel to the UK. Hitler would bee proud of the current facist police state once known as Britain

I left Denmark, because I see it as a fascist police state. I do not, however, link this to nazism or the works of Hitler.

Neither would I call the Sovjet Union a communist federation that failed, it never became fully communist. I would be more careful with tagging countries and governments, knowing what these expressions and words actually mean. Still, I see your point and have to both agree and disagree. A true fascist government would not allow this many Indians and Pakistani people to freely travel in and out. Another discussion, though ...

I think we can all agree, that nazism is almost extinct in Europe, the small groups and operations taking place on this banner are scattered and not even very well organised. There is no organised nazism here in Thailand either, otherwise I'm sure I would have seen advertising for it before. Yet I am still interested in knowing more, about the few who are of those beliefs here, especially natives but also other "crazies", who are truly convinced the Aryan race should dominate all other human races.

[Geekfreaklover]

Saw a middle-agged Thai walking across the footbridge today wearing swastika sweat bands on his wrists. Is he aware of what happened in Europe, no?. Does he know that the symbols are offensive? no. Does he know who Gobbels is? no. Do I feel upset by it? no.

Was the symbol (originally a Far-eastern symbol of peace) taken by the Nazis and used in their campaign. Yes.

The guy on the motorbike just sounds like an idiot. Let him live out his Nazi dream. I guess he isn't hurting anyone?

Now that you take the time to reply on my post, why not take the time to read it too? You are stating the obvious, which I already put in the beginning of my posting, and had you clicked the word "swastika", you would have learned that it is a symbol of good luck, not peace, and that it was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization, hence it is not far eastern.

The guy on the motorbike might be an idiot, but you don't get much more credit from me.

I don't need credit from the likes of you. You obviously have issues which I have not the time nor the want to try and remedy.

Good luck.

[Luxius]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

When I go to get a haircut, I often have to explain, that "skinhead" doesn't mean "short hair", but that it is a group of neo-nazi racists. It is hard to explain to them, that it is not worth a smile nor funny, that a true skinhead would break their face in, only because of their skin colour.

It is not funny. Not ever.

And the WWI helmet is as much a clown hat as those you wear on New Year's Eve, this guy I am referring to is a full-blooded nazi. There is a huge difference.

[mrtoad]

This thread is not going to last long, I can really sense it.

[bkkjames]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

When I go to get a haircut, I often have to explain, that "skinhead" doesn't mean "short hair", but that it is a group of neo-nazi racists. It is hard to explain to them, that it is not worth a smile nor funny, that a true skinhead would break their face in, only because of their skin colour.

It is not funny. Not ever.

And the WWI helmet is as much a clown hat as those you wear on New Year's Eve, this guy I am referring to is a full-blooded nazi. There is a huge difference.

Glad to know that you have it under control then. We will all sleep better tonight.

[h90]

Well shocked???

There are always some strange people, some love Hitler, some Stalin or Mao, some kill each other after football games because their loved club lost.

As long as the Nazi is not violent I would simply ignore him.

There are some great jokes you can do with Nazis, by pointing out that Hitler was Austrian and that they actually LOST the second war....

[Luxius]

This thread is not going to last long, I can really sense it.

At least I tried to keep in on topic, but I guess it's the wrong forum to be serious and considerate in.

Glad to know that you have it under control then. We will all sleep better tonight.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

[mrtoad]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

When I go to get a haircut, I often have to explain, that "skinhead" doesn't mean "short hair", but that it is a group of neo-nazi racists. It is hard to explain to them, that it is not worth a smile nor funny, that a true skinhead would break their face in, only because of their skin colour.

It is not funny. Not ever.

And the WWI helmet is as much a clown hat as those you wear on New Year's Eve, this guy I am referring to is a full-blooded nazi. There is a huge difference.

One village somewhere in Denmark has something missing ....

[dttk0009]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

When I go to get a haircut, I often have to explain, that "skinhead" doesn't mean "short hair", but that it is a group of neo-nazi racists. It is hard to explain to them, that it is not worth a smile nor funny, that a true skinhead would break their face in, only because of their skin colour.

It is not funny. Not ever.

And the WWI helmet is as much a clown hat as those you wear on New Year's Eve, this guy I am referring to is a full-blooded nazi. There is a huge difference.

I think it's just a different state of mind due to cultural upbringing. How many Danes do you know would be horribly offended if you put your shoes on the table of lifted them higher than someones head. Now imagine a Thai person explaining to a Danish person (in Denmark) that putting shoes on a table is very bad and very disrespectful.

Thais were unaffected by Nazism during WW2 and got away relatively (heavy emphasis on this word) unscathed from the Japanese Empire as well. As far as it goes here, there isn't much history involving them in that time period so they don't take it seriously. That's why you hear the Nazi jokes all the time, it's not serious to them. Not then, not now, not ever.

Also, I personally think the WW1 helmets look cool.

[Geekfreaklover]

I don't need credit from the likes of you. You obviously have issues which I have not the time nor the want to try and remedy.

Hah, I believe you are not even capable of facing your own issues, such as pride and projections. Just admit you were lazy and stupid, and we can get back on topic, shall we?

Yes. I admit I am stupid and lazy. And the funny thing is - I'm proud of it.

So, back to the Troll-Nazi-hating topic.

[IanForbes]

Every country has their weirdos. Certainly the USA has had more than their share.

[jayjayjayjay]

See so little it's not worth commenting on. I'm not about to call you a troll, but I it appears as though you are overly concerned there is some undercurrent of Nazism in Thailand, which there is not.

[Luxius]

I think it's just a different state of mind due to cultural upbringing. How many Danes do you know would be horribly offended if you put your shoes on the table of lifted them higher than someones head. Now imagine a Thai person explaining to a Danish person (in Denmark) that putting shoes on a table is very bad and very disrespectful.

Thais were unaffected by Nazism during WW2 and got away relatively (heavy emphasis on this word) unscathed from the Japanese Empire as well. As far as it goes here, there isn't much history involving them in that time period so they don't take it seriously. That's why you hear the Nazi jokes all the time, it's not serious to them. Not then, not now, not ever.

Also, I personally think the WW1 helmets look cool.

Ah, finally! A post worth discussing ...

I guess you are right, taking the usual Thai attitude into account, that nothing is really worth worrying about for too long, and you are also right the Thais were barely involved in WW2. One thing that comes to mind, though, is the fact that Siam saw an opportunity to kick out the French, when they were busy with the European invasion, which might have resulted in sympathy for Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. I hadn't thought about this before.

My mother gave me a good upbringing, and hence I have learned to respect strange and foreign cultures and traditions. I use extra caution not to violate these rules in Thailand, and I would expect any visitor of Denmark to do the same (with the exception of those who don't know, when I will then teach them). Of course, I will not try to push my cultural and historical issues onto a Thai person in Thailand, but this encounter involved only two white people, from neighbourging countries in Europe even.

[bkkjames]

I think it's just a different state of mind due to cultural upbringing. How many Danes do you know would be horribly offended if you put your shoes on the table of lifted them higher than someones head. Now imagine a Thai person explaining to a Danish person (in Denmark) that putting shoes on a table is very bad and very disrespectful.

Thais were unaffected by Nazism during WW2 and got away relatively (heavy emphasis on this word) unscathed from the Japanese Empire as well. As far as it goes here, there isn't much history involving them in that time period so they don't take it seriously. That's why you hear the Nazi jokes all the time, it's not serious to them. Not then, not now, not ever.

Also, I personally think the WW1 helmets look cool.

Ah, finally! A post worth discussing ...

I guess you are right, taking the usual Thai attitude into account, that nothing is really worth worrying about for too long, and you are also right the Thais were barely involved in WW2. One thing that comes to mind, though, is the fact that Siam saw an opportunity to kick out the French, when they were busy with the European invasion, which might have resulted in sympathy for Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. I hadn't thought about this before.

My mother gave me a good upbringing, and hence I have learned to respect strange and foreign cultures and traditions. I use extra caution not to violate these rules in Thailand, and I would expect any visitor of Denmark to do the same (with the exception of those who don't know, when I will then teach them). Of course, I will not try to push my cultural and historical issues onto a Thai person in Thailand, but this encounter involved only two white people, from neighbourging countries in Europe even.

The locals were involved in the pacific portion of the same war mate. A bit like the Swiss, but different theatre. Probably more sympathy towards the Japanese one could imagine. But carry on, you are on a roll.

[jayjayjayjay]

Thai people love to play on the Nazi stereotype when it comes to Germans (being one myself), and a good deal of them find a lot of humor in it. You get a lot of 'sieg heils' and 'you know hitler?'. Maybe this old man was trying to play a comedic role, who knows. Would you honestly be shocked if they handed you a helmet like that to get on a motorcycle? I wouldn't be. hel_l, I wouldn't be shocked if they handed me a spiked WW1 helmet to wear.

When I go to get a haircut, I often have to explain, that "skinhead" doesn't mean "short hair", but that it is a group of neo-nazi racists. It is hard to explain to them, that it is not worth a smile nor funny, that a true skinhead would break their face in, only because of their skin colour.

It is not funny. Not ever.

And the WWI helmet is as much a clown hat as those you wear on New Year's Eve, this guy I am referring to is a full-blooded nazi. There is a huge difference.

One village somewhere in Denmark has something missing ....

A single nut!