Culture and politics forum

This is typical over-reaction. Would everyone have gotten in a twist if they had been dressed as Stalin and members of the NKVD? Are the Travelfishers here outraged at the treatment the Laos and Vietnamese communists have given to their opponents at the end of the war? How about the treatment meated out to the Hmong, the Bru, the Montagnards? How about the fact that those governments are closed, one party states which still to this day imprison without charge dissenters (which is the only way a one party state can survive)? The grotesque Nazi phenomenon was extinguished 70 years ago. Give it a rest. Diplomatic note? Come on. Maybe from the Germans or an actual holocaust survivor, I could understand - but for the rest of us, it was ancient history.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana

"As for you stating Nazism having died out, try living in Britain, or Europe and then make that comment. I think you'll find plenty of 'white power' supporters kicking around."

Well, I left Europe (to move here) in 2007. So unlesss things have changed radically in the last 4 years, it wasn't some sort of serious phenomenon then. Sure, there are fringe groups who harbor nostaligia for the Nazi (even some Russian ones - if that ain't irony I don't know what is), but they are not a serious threat, or even a small threat, to seize control of governments. Racist nutbags will always find an excuse, they don't need insane nazi dogma to power them.

"Hey don't be so serious".

Kind of my point. Don't be so serious. It's some kids playing dress up. If they had dressed up as Ghangis Khan would that be a big deal? How about Caligula? I mean, it's one thing to educate the kids about how the Nazis, Soviets, Maoists and Imperial Japanese (all equally hoffific I might add) but quite another to engage your consular concerning the stunt. It's a bunch of kids playing make up for Christ sakes.

Cultural ignorance thing sounds quite likely to me... my students at Mahidol university hadn't the faintest idea where Germany (or any other European country) was on the map. However cultural ignorance isn't confined to Thailand. How many people in the West know that the swastika symbol wasn't invented by the nazis?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

I've a hunch that the Thais are aware of the Buddhist significance but know very little about what Hitler did during the second world war.

I wasn't interpreting the nazi movement. Just commenting on the fact that every single photo in the link Tilapia posted has swastikas in it. Was just wondering what the children (and teachers) thought the significance of this symbol was. Charlie Chaplin and hello kitty next year.

"Charlie Chaplin and hello kitty next year."

Indeed SBE, indeed. And Hello Kitty will be about as meaningful to those kids - which is both bad and good.

Bedu
I am an American, but I left the US in 1985 and with the exception of a short two plus year stint I have stayed outside the US ever since. I lived for 18 years or so in Germany and another in Bosnia as well as some time in the Middle East and Africa. My son is German and I speak / read German and I suppose while I certainly have that American libertarian outlook on things, my other cultural outlooks have been strongly influenced by my time in both Germany and Africa.