Dressing in Nazi Drag OK? On Losing the Ability to Cringe
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Last week, in my column about New York City's Naked Cowboy and his run for the presidency under the tea party banner, I mentioned that members of America's newest political movement were probably muttering "Don't let him be one of ours, don't let him be one of ours ..."
Turns out I was wrong. A lot of local TPers enthusiastically endorsed the idea of handing the leadership of the greatest country on Earth (including the codes to its nuclear weapons) to a guy whose chief claim to fame is playing songs on a public street in his underwear.
It was then I realized: These people have lost the ability to cringe.
By "cringe," I mean in the dictionary sense of "to recoil in distaste," especially from something that's over the top or downright embarrassing. The cringe reflex can be especially pronounced when that embarrassing act is perpetrated by someone with whom you might feel an affinity.
You cringe, for example, when a relative regales the guests at your dinner party with the gory details of his bladder problems. Celebrities often do things that make even their fans cringe, like Tom Cruise leaping up and down on Oprah's couch, Kanye West grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift, or John Travolta making "Battlefield Earth."
People and organizations of all political stripes often do things that are cringe-worthy. Jon Stewart once memorably commemorated a particularly over-the-top ad by MoveOn.org by congratulating the group who'd "spent 10 years making even people who agree with you cringe."
But tea partiers? No cringe reflex whatsoever. Rick Perry suggests that Texas might secede if things don't go the Republicans' way? Not a problem! Christine O'Donnell says American companies are making mice with human brains? Hey, the media should quit picking on her by quoting things she actually said! Sarah Palin blatantly lies about "death panels" during the health care debate? Sa-rah! Sa-rah! Sa-rah!
The most recent demonstration of the cringe-free tea party occurred in Ohio's 9th District, where the TP candidate is a fellow named Rod Iott. A recent story in The Atlantic magazine talked about Iott's, shall we say, unusual hobby.
It seems that Iott belongs to a group of World War II re-enactors who like to dress up as the bad guys. Specifically, they like to don the uniforms of the 5th SS Panzer, or "Wiking" division, an elite Nazi force which, among their other activities, rounded up and murdered Jews in Ukraine, Austria and Hungary. The Atlantic story featured photos of Iott in full SS drag.
Imagine for a moment if a Democratic candidate, or any candidate for that matter, was photographed wearing the uniform of one of our country's enemies. Heck, right-wingers like Michelle Malkin flipped out over what they called "'jihadi chic" when Rachael Ray wore a black-and-white checked scarf in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial.
Imagine what they'd do if a picture surfaced of, say, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Joe Sestak dressed in a '50s-era Soviet commissar's uniform. Or, more to the point, imagine what Pennsylvania Democrats would do. They'd cringe. They might even start thinking, "We're sunk."
But not your TPers. While some conservative Republicans like Minority Whip Eric Cantor have repudiated Iott, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has removed him from its list of "contenders" on its website, Iott's county GOP chief still backs him, calling the story "political mudslinging."
Iott, for his part, insists that there's nothing odd or untoward in dressing up like an SS trooper and running around the woods pretending to slaughter enemies of the Reich. After all, as the Wiking re-enactor group says, "no matter how unsavory the Nazi government was, the front-line soldiers of the Waffen-SS (in particular the foreign volunteers) gave their lives for their loved ones and a basic desire to be free."
Right. It was everyone else they wanted to oppress, except the Jews, whom they wanted to exterminate. I guess it's that kind of shamelessness, that ability to rattle off specious claptrap that makes venerating a band of murdering fascists seem like a reasonable thing to do, that gave Iott his training for politics in general and the tea party in particular.
And it's the TP's inability or unwillingness to realize just how cringe-worthy that is that makes them so ridiculous.
Dusty Rhoades lives, writes and practices law in Carthage. Contact him at dustyr@nc.rr.com.
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Comments
sgmartin 2 years, 7 months ago
This is one chilling election year. My biggest concern is that thoughtful people are so disgusted they won't vote. Which of course then leaves us with the less than thoughtful who just vote against... Need more fact checking going on. We need more Jon Stewarts...Dusty I think you will have to take on that role here.
bigD 2 years, 7 months ago
Sgmartin- Jon Stewart is a comediam. The fact you get your news from him is a joke.
nothingspecial 2 years, 7 months ago
If thoughtful people vote and the immature or ill-informed stay home this time, there will be a Republican and Tea Party landslide.
OldPilot 2 years, 7 months ago
Nothing better than when people are skewered with their own actions or words. Well done Dusty!
sgmartin 2 years, 7 months ago
Actually I expect a Republican - and maybe a TP landslide. Because a lot of people are voting based on raw emotion vs. rational mind.
nothingspecial 2 years, 7 months ago
SG, you're right about there being real anger and emotion going on with this upcoming election. Much like the election of 2008 where hatred for Republicans and skapegoating of Bush clearly helped lead to a landslide for a guy who clearly had very little political experience. Hope and change just for the sake of getting rid of the last bums is not a good thing. I'm not saying that's all that elected our president. But don't underestimate this time the numbers of rational, well informed folks with well founded concern about the effect many of this administration's actions and attitudes are having on our country.
P.S. In another post you asked for reasoned debate on the issues. You don't really expect to always or even seldom find reasonable debate from the comments section of a newspaper do you?
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
Thanks sg and Old Pilot!
recondo 2 years, 7 months ago
i have been a living history buff Since i was young and have reenacted battles for years from the Revolutionary, Civil,WW I ,WW II, and even Vietnam. we do not do this for political reasons or hate reasons we do it to add depth beyond what the average american learns in a history class or a black and white photo and we try to leave them with an appreciation of what the soldiers of both sides had to endure in their day to day life. Hot wool uniforms in mid summer, lacking winter uniforms in the snow, the sheer weight of the gear and weaponry and what a hardship it was for these men of all sides to shave out of a steel pot helmet and then eat soup from the same helmet minutes later. I have worn the uniform of continential line and british redcoats,johnny reb and billy yank, A WW2 Paratrooper and Panzergrenedier.... OMG I am A Registered Democrat and have been since age 18 but even i can recognize Washington we are scared for our political career SPIN. All the talking heads want everyone to hear is NAZI NAZI NAZI. Just like the right only wants you to hear Mooslumm mooslum mooslumm. I pray that americans will wake up one day in the near future and realize we are being treated like mushrooms by both sides... Kept in the dark and fed only BS
melzabeth 2 years, 7 months ago
I agree with recondo... I'm a democrat I guess... I'm more of an unaffiliated...I don't wanna be affiliated with either one. But anyway wearing the uniforms for reenactment means he's a history geek not a nazi. now if he's wearing it to get groceries sure. can't have a reenactment with only the good guys.... someone is in those yankee outfits when you go to the civil war reenactments.
JK 2 years, 7 months ago
Mr. Rhoades, You have outdone yourself with this week’s rubbish. I guess the question that needs to be asked is “do you really believe in what you write or are you just putting random thoughts on paper to meet a deadline”?
bigD 2 years, 7 months ago
Tea Partyers cringed when BO asked for another 50 billion! Get some speed stick Dusty b/c your article smells like BO.
I will bet Dusty cringed when Obama stated "There is no such thing as a shovel ready project".
blessherheart 2 years, 7 months ago
For the most part Dusty I like your column and am glad you are a regular contributor. A majority of the columists here are mostly conservative GOPers so to be able to get the other side of the aisle is very refreshing and very needed. Keep up the good work!
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
"can't have a reenactment with only the good guys.... someone is in those yankee outfits when you go to the civil war reenactments."
Now that's funny.
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
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nothingspecial 2 years, 7 months ago
blessherheart, well said. He's the most beat up person here by far but never, ever wavers. If he sounds a little rough at times, I'm thinking he's probably entitled. ---from a lifelong Republican
lindy888 2 years, 7 months ago
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lindy888 2 years, 7 months ago
I have a math problem I need help with....at the rate Muslins and Latinos are entering our country...How many years will it take them to be able to vote one of their own as President of U S A .???????????? thanks for the help...
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
Lindy, I think math is the least of your problems.
melzabeth 2 years, 7 months ago
this is america.... if the majority of it's citizens are latino or muslin then they are free to vote whomever they would like into office.
I hope it's the muslins, new clothes for everybody
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
I would be surprised if the majority of the country was ever a 17th century cloth, produced from corded cotton yarn..
Ross 2 years, 7 months ago
WOW - the right wingers flock to dusty like moths to a light! He must be doing something right!
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
Play nice, 82soldier.
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
I don't understand how a word used by so many "teapartiers" last year is now unacceptable? It was hysterical when we could use it and those flatearthers had no idea what we were talking about. Those were the days..
blessherheart 2 years, 7 months ago
"especially when you consider the typical teapartier's IQ is substantualy higher than the typical liberal, just my opinion but I'll bet it's true"
Did you mean substantially?
blessherheart 2 years, 7 months ago
No prob... I just thought it was humorous!
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
Bassman, That mine closed in 2003 but why let the facts get in the way of your story..
leftfield 2 years, 7 months ago
"So if I dress up in a Confederate Uniform to re-enact the Civil War, I am a racist?"
Pretty much, yeah...
mcjennis 2 years, 7 months ago
I liked "Battlefield Earth."
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
"I stand corrected it seems leftfields teabagger comment was removed, I apoligise to the pilot for my earlier assumption."
This is the second time you've done this, 82soldier: whined about how unfair the moderation is, then had to retract it. Like I said before, maybe you ought to wait till you get hurt to holler.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
Thanks for reading every week, JK! It's people like you who keep me in the Pilot.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
blessherheart, nothingspecial...thanks!
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
"Contrary to liberal propaganda Tea partiers never used it, They did however used teabags ( as in lipton ) as a symbol"
They actually got tagged with it because they used the slogan, TEABAG THE LIBERAL DEMS BEFORE THEY TEABAG YOU.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-03-18-tea_bag_dems.jpg
it probably started here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2191448/posts
Some of the comments on that Freep thread are quite charming...it's why I call the Right the "Party of Love."
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
82s: when I'm wrong I'll let you know.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
Oh, and 82s?
http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/oct/10/herbert-hoover-barack-obama-and-a-banana-republic/#c20488
"Yes apparently if you have a conservative comment that hits to close to home the comment not only disappears, it's as if it was never written. and of course Prom's comments have all vanished and dusty Rhoades foul mouth marches on, So much for a fair open public forum."
VERY NEXT POST FROM 82S:
"I guess now prometheus is back, I don't know what the site manager is doing but it's confusing."
To you, maybe....but that's what happens when you see evil liberal conspiracies everywhere.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
Typical TPer...when confronted with inconvenient facts, handwave them away by calling them fake.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 7 months ago
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