this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2024
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Lefty Memes
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Once, years ago, went out to a restaurant with some friends and had a couple drinks. Wasn't paying close enough attention to my intake, and ended up a little too tipsy to drive (not, like, belligerent drunk or anything, just not safe to drive). Hung out sitting on the hood of my car watching videos on my phone for a while with a friend until he had to leave. Before he left, this super cute guy started talking to us. We hit it off, and dude and I started getting flirty. Went back to his place because it was walking distance, did the deed, and when we were done I went to get some water from his kitchen.
Wherein I see not one, not two, but no less than a dozen coffee mugs, posters, fucking rugs, and all manner of paraphernalia with right wing nonsense. We're talking he had a fucking swastika area rug. I begin the heavy breathing of a scared little gay boy (6'3 and nearly 300lbs/190cm 135kg), and he notices my discomfort. He acts like this is nothing unusual and says he's just a collector of WWII shit.
Yeah, bro, maybe you are. But that doesn't explain the don't tread on me poster, the trump 2016 merch, and fucking birth of a nation movie poster!
I got the fuck outta there before his lawyers had a chance to try out a gay panic defense.
Isn't is funny how nobody collects the stuff from the Allies?
Only my grandparents stuff from when they kicked Nazi ass. They’d be horrified at todays bullshit.
I have WWII stuff from the allies, but it isn't even from the European parts of the war. From my grandfather. His father earned US citizenship by fighting in WWI.
You have inherited stuff, but do you collect and display it?
There actually is a pretty large WW2 Allied collector and reenactor community. I know a guy with a Jeep with a mounted quad MG.
Just don't ask too many questions about the other team.
To be fair, it is more intriguing to collect the stuff of the objectively bad guy. A lot of it is like, it feels almost unbelievable, so nazi memorabilia helps ground that reality that, yes, it actually happened (and how it might have happened)
Of course there is nuance to this, though
Everyone loves an unterhund?
Probably just Axis being the driver of history at the moment.
It started there, and what Allies did is they put this down.
People tend to be more interested in what started the fire and what has let it burn; what has left a dent in history. Doesn't mean they lean to Nazi ideology.
(Disclaimer: I collect neither and am not interested in war history, or war in general)
I don't want to nitpick but plenty of historical gun owners love both sides weaponry and display both. Personally, I know a friend that owns a STG 44 and a ppsh and a tommy.
Collecting multiple kinds of guns is a bit different than collecting all of the other things that are clearly nazi branded propaganda. Having one or two guns isn't really collecting in the same way as having a bunch of nazi branded everyday use items with the red black and white swastika flag.
I'm not disagreeing that was my point. However the people who are in that hobby normally get other kit than just guns. What matters is how it's displayed.
Nazi rug in the bathroom is OK with me
Long as it’s in the toilet (and the bathtub has a big drain)
Anyone displaying a swatstika anything that's a reproduction or new production item needs to get their head checked IMHO. I'm only ok with actual historic pieces from the era.
Holy shit I died
Thank you, I'll be here for the foreseeable future... As I can't afford to leave
Wait, are you a gay man or a female? This story's context changes drastically with your answer.
Gay man
Nice. I feel bad for these fundies that have to pretend to be conservative but are actually pretty liberal sexually.
Ugh, gay guy here, totally relate. Hate it when the cute gay guy is a fascist. Has happened multiple times for me.
Seriously? Because out of 20 years of homoing professionally this is my sole example. I hope to God I don't run into it again lol
Sadly yeah, flirting with guys online, lots of them turn out to be far-right. Luckily, I’m no longer single, so I don’t have to deal with it anymore. But at least 3 guys I’ve been kinda interested in turned out that way. Found out before sleeping with any of them, thankfully
That sucks! My only other kinda close example is a dude I used to blow back in my "falling for straight guys" phase ended up going ancap, but that was a while after we were hooking up.