Hitler Fashion Statements Confuse, Offend Tourists In Thailand

[bigbamboo]

Thailand is so increadable,I enjoy the freedom from the wests giant propaganda machine. Purchased a T shirt with the face of Osama bin Laden.You can't buy that at home.

Reading these posts just shows how ingrained your thought patterns are programned by western indoctrination. Nice to know that Thais are free.

Free from thought patterns you mean.

[charmonman]

Thailand was, of course, an member of the Axis during World War II, a fact that has been swept under the rug. The PM of the time Phibulsongkhram was an open admirer of Hitler and the Japanese Empire. This is not to deny the presence of a strong resistance movement to the Japanese, the Seri Thai.

Perhaps the fact that Thailand was technically an ally of Germany in WW2 makes the Hitler fetish a bit more offensive than it would be otherwise. Then again, as others have noted, young Thais are so completely ignorant of the world outside or even what happened in the own country more than a couple of years ago (never mind 70 years ago) that is a moot point. I am more offended by the complete mindlessness, stupidity and ignorance I see every day than this particular example of it.

I'm surprised there isn't some K-Pop styled Thai pop video where they're all dressed up in Nazi outfits and doing a dance move based on the goose-step. To the puny mind of a modern Thai teen, I'm sure it would just look "cute".

[rookball]

its beyond words . . and this is a school event

can you imagine that all these happened in a public school event? unbelievable

[Bwanatickey]

Fashion is in the eye of the beholder. I am in my fifties with beer gut, I look so cool when strutting around Thailand with Yarmulke in rasta colours,(personalised) Khmer Rouge scarf and Chavez Che't T shirt. Would not be seen dead in that Nazi garb though,tasteless.

[endure]

Off topic posts and posts discussing moderation have been deleted. The topic is about Hitler fashion statements in Thailand not conspiracy theories about 9/11.

[thaifkrlim]

What about wearing the Imperial Japanese Army T-shirt, is it offensive to tourists in Thailand?

[driedmango]

Its is an insult to make fun of something. The nazi s were such idiots that sooner or later they would end up as a joke.. I think Thais like to shock westerns with their humour ... I kind of chuckle when one of these shirts go by and everyone starts hissing .. double that if it is some holier than thou type..

You could say the humour isn't in the history its in the reaction.

I think Thais just find it funny to piss of farang and play stupid.

[driedmango]

If one wishes to impress upon the Thais why their admiration of Nazi symbols is stupid, I suggest a simple explanation of the Nazi implementation of eugenics. Under such an application, I would expect that millions of Thais would be subject to termination either in killing centers or in slave labour camps.

Then again, when one considers the exploitation of Burmese and Cambodians in various work centers, such as the fish processing plants where children sit in dark, damp, stinking shacks peeling and deveining shrimp, one wonders if the Thai processors have not applied some of the Nazi's philosophy on the treatment of people considered subhuman. This is one of the reasons I will not purchase processed Thai shrimp. I know right from wrong and until, Thailand introduces and enforces a labour code that prevents the use of child labour in such processing plants, I will not purchase the products.

never heard of irony ?

[driedmango]

PS one time I hung my drying underwear beside a spirit house and a guy flipped out. Other Thais almost shat them self laughing.

[Unkomoncents]

Thailand is so increadable,I enjoy the freedom from the wests giant propaganda machine. Purchased a T shirt with the face of Osama bin Laden.You can't buy that at home.

Reading these posts just shows how ingrained your thought patterns are programned by western indoctrination. Nice to know that Thais are free.

Good one. Because Thailand is known the world over for its press freedoms and quality of media coverage.. If you really want to get away from the West's propaganda machine, I hear North Korea is brisk this time of year. Supposedly they also offer a food stipend to Westerners who want to talk about the great, Imperialist devil America on film. I would tell you to Google James Joseph Dresnock but then it would be hypocritical to talk about the West and then use Western products and support Western companies. Apparently, if you speak Chinese, you can use Badu...

[Unkomoncents]

What do you expect from a country full of over 60 million people who don't know that a world exists beyond their borders and who generally despise non-Thais? Nothing new here for those of us who live here. Let the 2 week tourists be surprised.

Leave out the "us" if you please. I personally think you can shoot that entire post into the loo.

The not knowing "that a world exists beyond their borders" is spot on. Most Thais know next to nothing about the very people they supposedly revere. I lived in Thailand for years and I met maybe five people who could tell me where HM the King was born or about his cultured musical tastes. As a Test Prep Instructor, I began asking basic biographical questions about Thailand's venerable monarch to students as a litmus test for assessing what type of student I'd be dealing with. It worked well. If the student couldn't tell me basic biographical data about Thailand's Father, he/she usually ended up being fatally ignorant about his/her own country's and hence the world's issues. Knowledge is tied to reading. If there is no knowledge, you can be sure that reading skills are lacking as well. Thailand has an awful school system. This is widely acknowledged even among Thais. It follows logically that the result would be intellectual suffocation. Thailand is Exhibit A of that unfortunate dynamic.

[driedmango]

What do you expect from a country full of over 60 million people who don't know that a world exists beyond their borders and who generally despise non-Thais? Nothing new here for those of us who live here. Let the 2 week tourists be surprised.

Leave out the "us" if you please. I personally think you can shoot that entire post into the loo.

The not knowing "that a world exists beyond their borders" is spot on. Most Thais know next to nothing about the very people they supposedly revere. I lived in Thailand for years and I met maybe five people who could tell me where HM the King was born or about his cultured musical tastes. As a Test Prep Instructor, I began asking basic biographical questions about Thailand's venerable monarch to students as a litmus test for assessing what type of student I'd be dealing with. It worked well. If the student couldn't tell me basic biographical data about Thailand's Father, he/she usually ended up being fatally ignorant about his/her own country's and hence the world's issues. Knowledge is tied to reading. If there is no knowledge, you can be sure that reading skills are lacking as well. Thailand has an awful school system. This is widely acknowledged even among Thais. It follows logically that the result would be intellectual suffocation. Thailand is Exhibit A of that unfortunate dynamic.

reading is overrated , it worked good for the people in cold climates, but verbal history threw song and dance is far better. I bet most Thais can't stand your inspection of them and get a chuckle out of pulling your leg. Thais in Bangkok are exposed to people from all over the world.

[driedmango]

What do you expect from a country full of over 60 million people who don't know that a world exists beyond their borders and who generally despise non-Thais? Nothing new here for those of us who live here. Let the 2 week tourists be surprised.

Leave out the "us" if you please. I personally think you can shoot that entire post into the loo.

The not knowing "that a world exists beyond their borders" is spot on. Most Thais know next to nothing about the very people they supposedly revere. I lived in Thailand for years and I met maybe five people who could tell me where HM the King was born or about his cultured musical tastes. As a Test Prep Instructor, I began asking basic biographical questions about Thailand's venerable monarch to students as a litmus test for assessing what type of student I'd be dealing with. It worked well. If the student couldn't tell me basic biographical data about Thailand's Father, he/she usually ended up being fatally ignorant about his/her own country's and hence the world's issues. Knowledge is tied to reading. If there is no knowledge, you can be sure that reading skills are lacking as well. Thailand has an awful school system. This is widely acknowledged even among Thais. It follows logically that the result would be intellectual suffocation. Thailand is Exhibit A of that unfortunate dynamic.

PS it sounds like your one of those miserable teachersnin pink Floyd the wall.. or daddy is a lazy fat intellectual.

[NongKhaiKid]

Thai don't even know what it is they are wearing can hardly blame the kids if they haven't been educated about the world outside. My niece was wearing a shirt/shorts that appeared to be made with the Union Jack and when I explained to her what it was she was very suprised. She thought it was just a trendy design. When I suggested that she make some clothing out of the Thai flag she was quite disgusted, saying you can't do that as it is disrepectful to Thailand.

My ex-girlfriend told me that during high school education they did not get an lessons on international history, geography, literature etc. She was a sensible, university graduate but had little or no knowledge of the world

[Thai at Heart]

Actually, it begs the question, are the Thais so ignorant, they genuinely don't understand what a swastika means?

You do??? Enlighten me of the history of the swastika

Well I don't wear one, so I can't offend anyone by wearing it.

If you've read the other thread about this subject, the history is all in there.

[SanSaiExPat]

Really! REally!?! Seriously, who gives a sh*t. And don't even think about bringing me the "Thais don't know jack about Western histiry they are just naive and don't know what Hitler did to the Jews" argument. People seem to go out-of-their-way these days to get offende by some crap. The British commmited atrocities under Victoria in SA - should I be (or am I) offended by someone wearing her T-Shirt? No! I could go on, but already feel that Hitler has wasted too much time of my day (and life) already.

Lizzie van Zyl: The British incarcerated her following the refusal of her father, a Boer combatant, to surrender. 6 years old.

Posting an image taken out of context serves no purpose. The person in the image had typhoid fever. This is what people looked like when they were dying of typhoid fever. There were no antibiotics in that era and this is what happened to people who became ill. The era to which you reference also saw mentally ill people incarcerated under what we consider inhumane conditions today. Medical science was primitive and by today's standards considered inhumane. If such treatment was rendered today, you would be right to protest. However, that is not the case, and tehrein lies the BIG difference. We know what the Nazi period was and we know right from wrong when it comes to a celebration of such a period. You make a judgement using the standards of 2013. Again there is the big difference. The Nazi atrocities when judged against the standards of that period were morally and legally wrong. If you have a grudge against the English and the intervention against the Boers then discuss it within the context of that period. The conduct of the English in South Africa is in no way comparable or applicble to the behaviour of some Thais and their acceptance of Nazi accoutrements.

I'm glad you posted this cogent and articulate response to the posting of this photo and the gratuitous attack on England. This was an attempt by the poster to create a sense of moral relativism between what Hitler did and what England did in the Boer War and I'm glad you called him out on it. with your factual and unemotional response. I spend much of my time on TV defending the United States against similar gratuitous attacks.

[Pimay1]

Really! REally!?! Seriously, who gives a sh*t. And don't even think about bringing me the "Thais don't know jack about Western histiry they are just naive and don't know what Hitler did to the Jews" argument. People seem to go out-of-their-way these days to get offende by some crap. The British commmited atrocities under Victoria in SA - should I be (or am I) offended by someone wearing her T-Shirt? No! I could go on, but already feel that Hitler has wasted too much time of my day (and life) already.

Lizzie van Zyl: The British incarcerated her following the refusal of her father, a Boer combatant, to surrender. 6 years old.

Posting an image taken out of context serves no purpose. The person in the image had typhoid fever. This is what people looked like when they were dying of typhoid fever. There were no antibiotics in that era and this is what happened to people who became ill. The era to which you reference also saw mentally ill people incarcerated under what we consider inhumane conditions today. Medical science was primitive and by today's standards considered inhumane. If such treatment was rendered today, you would be right to protest. However, that is not the case, and tehrein lies the BIG difference. We know what the Nazi period was and we know right from wrong when it comes to a celebration of such a period. You make a judgement using the standards of 2013. Again there is the big difference. The Nazi atrocities when judged against the standards of that period were morally and legally wrong. If you have a grudge against the English and the intervention against the Boers then discuss it within the context of that period. The conduct of the English in South Africa is in no way comparable or applicble to the behaviour of some Thais and their acceptance of Nazi accoutrements.

Excellent post.

[Ticketmaster]

After all, Thailand was allied with Nazi Germany during WII.

One thing I love about Thailand is the simplicity, which leads to no concerns with political correctness. All you people whose sensitivities are offended by things that, at the end of the day, mean absolutely nothing, should just stay home.

I remember a thread filled with angst a couple of years ago over a Thai brand of mop. I think it was called "Black Man Mop," or something like that. There were cries of racism. I thought, "Jesus, for <deleted> sakes, its just a mop."

[chooka]

What about wearing the Imperial Japanese Army T-shirt, is it offensive to tourists in Thailand?

Not Australians as we have moved on from Changi, The death Railway (hell fire pass) Kokoda and Darwin

[Thai at Heart]

After all, Thailand was allied with Nazi Germany during WII.

One thing I love about Thailand is the simplicity, which leads to no concerns with political correctness. All you people whose sensitivities are offended by things that, at the end of the day, mean absolutely nothing, should just stay home.

I remember a thread filled with angst a couple of years ago over a Thai brand of mop. I think it was called "Black Man Mop," or something like that. There were cries of racism. I thought, "Jesus, for <deleted> sakes, its just a mop."

I can handle that people are nazis. Sad, dangerous people.

The shame for me is when people wear it out of ignorance. I doubt so many Thais would wear it, if they understood what it meant.

[SanSaiExPat]

Really! REally!?! Seriously, who gives a sh*t. And don't even think about bringing me the "Thais don't know jack about Western histiry they are just naive and don't know what Hitler did to the Jews" argument. People seem to go out-of-their-way these days to get offende by some crap. The British commmited atrocities under Victoria in SA - should I be (or am I) offended by someone wearing her T-Shirt? No! I could go on, but already feel that Hitler has wasted too much time of my day (and life) already.

Lizzie van Zyl: The British incarcerated her following the refusal of her father, a Boer combatant, to surrender. 6 years old.

Posting an image taken out of context serves no purpose. The person in the image had typhoid fever. This is what people looked like when they were dying of typhoid fever. There were no antibiotics in that era and this is what happened to people who became ill. The era to which you reference also saw mentally ill people incarcerated under what we consider inhumane conditions today. Medical science was primitive and by today's standards considered inhumane. If such treatment was rendered today, you would be right to protest. However, that is not the case, and tehrein lies the BIG difference. We know what the Nazi period was and we know right from wrong when it comes to a celebration of such a period. You make a judgement using the standards of 2013. Again there is the big difference. The Nazi atrocities when judged against the standards of that period were morally and legally wrong. If you have a grudge against the English and the intervention against the Boers then discuss it within the context of that period. The conduct of the English in South Africa is in no way comparable or applicble to the behaviour of some Thais and their acceptance of Nazi accoutrements.

Excellent post.

Agree. Excellent Post. I'm glad you called out the poster of the image for trying to create a sense of moral relativism between Hitler and England's treatment of non combatants in the Boer war.

[Scott]

A number of off-topic posts and replies have been deleted. Please stay on topic and refrain from off-topic arguments with other posters.

[justathought]

Hypocritical how farlang people get so offended. But it is OK for them to burn other people holy books and so on. That is free speech of course.

there must be be a lot of free speech in the muslim world then by number of other countries flags they burn and embassies they bomb , lets have some real perspective on this <deleted>.

so lets agree that there is no freedom of expression particularly by hypocritical westerners

Edited March 10, 2013 by justathought

[macksview]

the only person in my thai family who has some knowledge of history outside thailand is my father in law, and that was not learnt at school, but throughout his adult life.

pol pot, ho chi minh, mao, stalin,come up on history channel every now and then, he dislikes the communists quite passionately, why because of his views on the threat they posed to thailand.

when world war 2 documentaries come on, he is full of questions afterwards, out comes the atlas and then my history lesson for him starts.

i showed him the photos of the young chiang mai girl dressed as hitler, he was not really offended by the image, he only said the girl was baan nog.

i did ask him what would the older generation do if students wore khmer rouge clothing or items honouring pol pot, down in ubon or si sa ket, he believed the teachers and parents should discipline the children.

hitler little feeling about other than he was very cruel, pol pot and bac ho, they are evil personified to him

[Thai at Heart]

Hypocritical how farlang people get so offended. But it is OK for them to burn other people holy books and so on. That is free speech of course.

there must be be a lot of free speech in the muslim world then by number of other countries flags they burn and embassies they bomb , lets have some real perspective on this <deleted>.

so lets agree that there is no freedom of expression particularly by hypocritical westerners

Well, if you are going to be potentially offensive, don't be surprised if people get pissed off.

Unfettered free speech comes with responsibility. Someone will claim they have the right to express their Nazism views.

Why don't I have the right to call them racist, murderous thugs?

[samran]

Hypocritical how farlang people get so offended. But it is OK for them to burn other people holy books and so on. That is free speech of course.

there must be be a lot of free speech in the muslim world then by number of other countries flags they burn and embassies they bomb , lets have some real perspective on this <deleted>.

so lets agree that there is no freedom of expression particularly by hypocritical westerners

Well, if you are going to be potentially offensive, don't be surprised if people get pissed off.

Unfettered free speech comes with responsibility. Someone will claim they have the right to express their Nazism views.

Why don't I have the right to call them racist, murderous thugs?

But we aren't talking about that here are we?

If Thai's knew that they'd be classed as one of the sub-human races under Nazi world dominance then I doubt they'd be wearing this stuff. So it is ignorance, albeit of a slightly disturbing type.

So what is left is Nazi symbols turned into caricature and the butt of humour. If you can't ban the stuff, then that is probably the next best place for it. It is hardly a promotion of the ideals of Nazism and if this was to have happened under the Nazi regime what do you think would have happened to the sellers of this stuff? Would they have been shot or celebrated? I suggest the former.

The thing I find perplexing is, if broadway puts on a show with the song called "Springtime for Hitler" it is comedy. If a bunch of Thai's start selling a seig-heil'ing Ronald McDonald, it is is offensive.

One thing is clear though, there are a bunch of culturally superior biggots in this debate, and one things is for sure, it ain't the Thai's selling or buying this stuff.

[Thai at Heart]

Hypocritical how farlang people get so offended. But it is OK for them to burn other people holy books and so on. That is free speech of course.

there must be be a lot of free speech in the muslim world then by number of other countries flags they burn and embassies they bomb , lets have some real perspective on this <deleted>.

so lets agree that there is no freedom of expression particularly by hypocritical westerners

Well, if you are going to be potentially offensive, don't be surprised if people get pissed off.

Unfettered free speech comes with responsibility. Someone will claim they have the right to express their Nazism views.

Why don't I have the right to call them racist, murderous thugs?

But we aren't talking about that here are we?

If Thai's knew that they'd be classed as one of the sub-human races under Nazi world dominance then I doubt they'd be wearing this stuff. So it is ignorance, albeit of a slightly disturbing type.

So what is left is Nazi symbols turned into caricature and the butt of humour. If you can't ban the stuff, then that is probably the next best place for it. It is hardly a promotion of the ideals of Nazism and if this was to have happened under the Nazi regime what do you think would have happened to the sellers of this stuff? Would they have been shot or celebrated? I suggest the former.

The thing I find perplexing is, if broadway puts on a show with the song called "Springtime for Hitler" it is comedy. If a bunch of Thai's start selling a seig-heil'ing Ronald McDonald, it is is offensive.

One thing is clear though, there are a bunch of culturally superior biggots in this debate, and one things is for sure, it ain't the Thai's selling or buying this stuff.

I feel sorry for people who wear this stuff inadvertently. They are just ignorant. Do I find it offensive personally? Not really. If Thais were goose stepping the streets, that would worry me.

However, I am not surprised that some people will be offended and try to explain what it stands for. If my grandparents had been gassed, my reaction would be different.

At the end of the day, people only have the right to offend, if they accept that they may get a reaction back.

If I accidentally wear something offensive, I would hope someone would tell me. Does anyone have to accept someone else's opinion 100% even if it's abhorrent? Don't think so.

No more than someone has the right to play music at 150 decibels at my window at midnight. I reserve the right to complain.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[MaxYakov]

Oh, the hitler thread again. Whoopee. All we need now is a thread full of raging farang complaining about being called farang and our day will be complete.

Yesterday a couple of Thai kids laughed as I went past them and when I asked them why they laughed they replied because you are farang that looks like Hitler. House is on the market, car on the market and I'm leaving and going back to UK.

Well, you gave it your best shot, I would guess stayed here for some time, and in the long run it is not working for you. That is fair. If living in Thailand is no longer improving the quality of each day, why be here? For me, I still love the place. I figure I have to put up with alot of nonsense here. But, by my reckoning, still far less than in the US, which is simply not a pleasant place to live at this point in time. Good fortune to you.

Mike Macarelli

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It's called sarca ah forget it

Jeesh! Just when I was about to recommend that you dump the mustache and get your hair up and off your forehead!

Edited March 10, 2013 by MaxYakov

[chiangmaikelly]

there must be be a lot of free speech in the muslim world then by number of other countries flags they burn and embassies they bomb , lets have some real perspective on this <deleted>.

so lets agree that there is no freedom of expression particularly by hypocritical westerners

Well, if you are going to be potentially offensive, don't be surprised if people get pissed off.

Unfettered free speech comes with responsibility. Someone will claim they have the right to express their Nazism views.

Why don't I have the right to call them racist, murderous thugs?

But we aren't talking about that here are we?

If Thai's knew that they'd be classed as one of the sub-human races under Nazi world dominance then I doubt they'd be wearing this stuff. So it is ignorance, albeit of a slightly disturbing type.

So what is left is Nazi symbols turned into caricature and the butt of humour. If you can't ban the stuff, then that is probably the next best place for it. It is hardly a promotion of the ideals of Nazism and if this was to have happened under the Nazi regime what do you think would have happened to the sellers of this stuff? Would they have been shot or celebrated? I suggest the former.

The thing I find perplexing is, if broadway puts on a show with the song called "Springtime for Hitler" it is comedy. If a bunch of Thai's start selling a seig-heil'ing Ronald McDonald, it is is offensive.

One thing is clear though, there are a bunch of culturally superior biggots in this debate, and one things is for sure, it ain't the Thai's selling or buying this stuff.

The Broadway show you are talking about is, "The Producers." Storyline

Step 1: We find the worst play ever written.

Step 2: We hire the worst director in town.

Step 3: We raise two million dollars. ... One for me, one for you. There's a lot of little old ladies out there!

Step 4: We hire the worst actors in New York and open on Broadway and before you can say

Step 5: We close on Broadway, take our two million, and go to Rio."

I think most will be able to see the difference. Not all, of course.

[samran]

The Broadway show you are talking about is, "The Producers." Storyline

Step 1: We find the worst play ever written.

Step 2: We hire the worst director in town.

Step 3: We raise two million dollars. ... One for me, one for you. There's a lot of little old ladies out there!

Step 4: We hire the worst actors in New York and open on Broadway and before you can say

Step 5: We close on Broadway, take our two million, and go to Rio."

I think most will be able to see the difference. Not all, of course.

So bad that the move version only took $38 million.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=producers.htm

The stage version ran for a couple of years in NY and London, toured the world, won 12 Tony awards. But then again, you really can't trust the views of the liberal elite arty air kissers can you?