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Right-Wing German Extremists Tricked By Trojan Shirts
gzipped_tar writes "Fans at a recent right-wing extremist rock festival in Germany thought they were getting free T-shirts that reflected their nationalistic worldview. But after the garment's first wash they discovered otherwise. The original image rinsed away to reveal a hidden message from an activist group. It reads: 'If your T-shirt can do it, so can you. We'll help to free you from right-wing extremism.'"
This isn't going to work.
As long as there's one, there's at least one too many.
I guess it depends on what you'd count towards "Neo Nazis". Just those that actually believe the bull, or generally everyone who enjoys freezing their brains and beating up people who look different?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
That is one of the most awesome ideas I've read about. I especially liked the part where they acknowledged that it probably won't do any good now, but it plants the name in their heads for when they're ready to get out of their extremist organization.
Say, anyone want to chip in for some t-shirts to give away at the next Tea Party convention?
Too bad they didn't have cameras to record the nazi-rage reaction face.
Actually, since they're probably children, it would end up being their mom's reaction face when she is doing the laundry. Ah well.
While this is probably the most probable scenario, It does give the parents an eye on what their kids are doing and will thus cause them to consider intervening in their development. If it causes at least one parent to positively change a kids direction in life, then it was well worth the money spent.
Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
according to a pre-release of the 2010 statement of the Verfassungsschutz (German domestic intelligence service) we have a headcount of 5600 neo nazis.
Take this with a grain of salt, like most government agencies the Verfassungsschutz has a political agenda - every publication is announced by the far-(left||right) wing* with "the data is biased"
*) and everyone else...
Yeah. As in: Awesomely dumb. (Hear me out. I'm speaking anonymously because I always do out of principle. Not because I'm interested in acting like a dick.)
Why do people always think, they could change the minds of those who think differently (even when dumbly), by treating them like they are worse people? (Even when they actually act like that.)
That's not how that works. In fact that's quite the opposite of how that works. And to make things even worse, it's exactly the thing the Nazis do to other "races". So it's quite stunningly stupid, to tell someone to lay off the pipe by blowing smoke in his face.
Humans, and I'm speaking from the standpoint of someone who knows his psychology, always have to keep their self-respect. No exceptions.
So the way to go about actually changing their views, requires you to keep that. Period.
Which means you do not say "You bad! Become normal! I know way." ("normal" is a very egocentric word anyway), but you do say "You normal. You know way to become better! You just didn't know you knew." Then you make them imagine how much better life is that way. There is hardly a soul on the planet who, when in a shitty situation and being offered something with huge benefits they can personally relate to, chooses not to take it.
And if you can't... then sorry mate, but GTFO, since you're not helping, other than proving they have good reason not to choose something that even you can't make look better. (Ok, I know I always could make non-racism look better. Because it is better.)
Besides: I had contact to may Nazis from today (as a brown-ish actual Aryan who has lived in Germany's more backwards countrysides), and they just became racist because of the shitty situation/life they were in and the Nazi mindset/people offering them some hope / "way out". Just like many people become religious when they have to live through a war. They drink a lot. And if they are off alcohol and their life becomes better, they nearly all just become normal people who love their family and are often better citizens than many of us. I think if some people would actually try to understand the reasons Nazis become Nazis, instead of being just as ignorant dicks as the Nazis themselves, this whole problem would be long gone by now.
(That's why I found the "Nazis need love too" campaign much better.)
The original T-Shirt had "Hardcore Rebellen, National und Frei" on it. Unless you already know who "Hardcore Rebellen" is, it's hard to figure out that this is a right-wing extremist group.
Well, maybe the word "National" may tip somebody off, but so many other things which have nothing to do with right-wing extremism have "national" in their name too, so you really have to already be looking for tell-tale signs to spot this. And the "tough" logo with skull and flags would look like generic rocker/biker wear to the uninitiated.
However, after the wash, the "We'll help to free you from right-wing extremism." is pretty obvious...
I watched Inglorious Basterds in a Berlin cinema, and in one shot where a swastika flag filled the screen, there was an audible gasp from the audience. So I can tell from first hand experience that Nazi symbols are allowed in the right context (i.e. not glorifying Nazism), and that Germans are still very uncomfortable around them.