Does this offend you?

[vocaltest]

i giggled a bit when i saw it, i don't find it offensive at all.

personally, even though it doesn't offend me, i probably wouldn't put it up because i know how the internet is and you're bound to find people who are offended by it. but to me, it shows how hitler was brought down, and how now, we should realise that WE won against him and now, we see pictures of him with make up on (like the picture). that sentence doesn't really make sense but yeah.

personally, i'm very interested in nazi germany history (in a non sadistic way), and i know that so many people will probably be offended by this, but even though hitler's face is iconic in the way that you instantly think of the holocaust, WWII etc, but replace that picture with a picture of Josef Mengele and everybody would be like 'who's that?' I'm just saying, there are many faces of evil out there, and the majority of people don't realise this. Tshirts are sold on the internet with Charles Manson's face on but we don't see the websites being shut down?

anyway, the point of this is, i'm not offended, but i can understand why people are offended. if you don't like the harassment, then take it down.

 

[prosthetichead]

i am not offended. i can understand why a person can be offended, but i dont agree.

 

[lanslady]

My husband is Jewish and when he saw it he said "i'm not offeneded as long as she isn't idolizing him, but it is tasteless nontheless.". We both feel you have to think about all that he was responsible for, the life's he changed forever, the families he changed, like my husband's. Regardless if it's funny or not, a lot of people are not gonna see that and will say something.

But hopefully people won't draw conclusions when they see it, about you. Let me give you an example: we had a neighbor move in who had a huge swastika (sp?) tattooed on his arm. I refused to talk to him because I loathe white supremacist/Neo-Natzi's etc, I get very worked up about what they stand for. But my husband, who's Jewish and should of been offended, went and talked to him and come to find out, he was reformed. He no longer believed in any of what those groups taught and he was going to cover the tattoo up. He even apologized to my husband for how he treated all Jews in the past. He turned out to be a good neighbor and I wouldn't of known that if my husband hadn't talked to him. So just be ready for that, people may say something to you that will hurt your feelings.

 

[bgajon]

If I were to see this picture on youtube or myspace I would only wonder of what is the ideology of this person, if they are really not aware of what the picture of this man is an emblem of or what kind of attention does that person want to bring to their site? Did you really think that that picture wouldn't get you a lot of attention in a negative way? I really can't believe you were so naive or that you really haven't known anyone who had a loved one that suffered in the holocaust or even fought in that war? It's tasteless and it just tells you that we need to really learn from our world history so we don't step in the same footsteps of the past. There is a quote that says. "In the present we have to look at our past in order to not make the same mistakes in the future"
If we start seeing this kind of pictures as OK or cute we'll certainly forget the horrors lived and we'll let them happen again.
I don't mean to be mean to you but that pic and this post opens up a lot of opinions and I hope you start viewing history as something very real and that can be repeated if not taken with the appropriate seriousness not to mention with consideration to the people who have suffered by it.
Hope you are OK and please post the picture or take it off only if you your consciousness is OK with it.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I'm not offended by it, but I also haven't been directly affected by WWII to my knowledge. I do question why you'd think it would be funny or cool or whatever your motivation was to post that. While I realize it's still offensive to people, the motivation is much clearer on something like South Park or Family Guy. The picture may be funny to you, but I honestly didn't know what to think of it beyond it portraying Hitler in makeup.

When a figure's presence can still affect those who are living, you have to be prepared for upsetting people.

I have a question, though, for everyone who is offended or finds it distasteful. What's your opinion of people who casually refer to a strict person as a Nazi? Talk about a difficult test "raping" them? It's something I've been thinking about a lot. I don't use those words, but I notice they show up frequently in language.

 

[astronaut]

I find it amusing because out of all the satirical images and illustrations I've seen that include Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, and Kim Jung Ill, this one had something to do with makeup. So my reaction was, "Haha someone put makeup on Hitler".

Now I've read some posts calling me ignorant and naive for being insensitive to the image of Hitler, but what about the cosmetic company that actually made it and posted it in the art section of their website? I believe they are a pretty popular brand in Asia. Any comments on the consciousness of the company? And I'm pretty sure they are a SOUTH Korean brand.

 

[eye_pr0mise]

when i saw your icon when it was on youtube, my first reaction was that your channel is mainly makeup..soo theres hitler in makeup. i didnt find it offensive nor did i think it was a good thing to have up.

but people saying rude things to you is uncalled for, i think. ya they might have judged you, but they dont have to say anything about it. just close the window and leave it be.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by astronaut I find it amusing because out of all the satirical images and illustrations I've seen that include Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, and Kim Jung Ill, this one had something to do with makeup. So my reaction was, "Haha someone put makeup on Hitler". Now I've read some posts calling me ignorant and naive for being insensitive to the image of Hitler, but what about the cosmetic company that actually made it and posted it in the art section of their website? I believe they are a pretty popular brand in Asia. Any comments on the consciousness of the company? And I'm pretty sure they are a SOUTH Korean brand.

Given the text of your original post, I think everyone was more inclined to comment on your actions, not the actions of the company.

I think that regardless of what country made it, it's pretty distasteful and wrong. An equally amusing and eye catching photo of someone who's seen as being very masculine, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, would've worked.

 

[ceci]

HAHAHHA!! This is so cute!!! i like the last one~ CLASSIC!

 

[Jinni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark I have a question, though, for everyone who is offended or finds it distasteful. What's your opinion of people who casually refer to a strict person as a Nazi? Talk about a difficult test "raping" them? It's something I've been thinking about a lot. I don't use those words, but I notice they show up frequently in language.

Yes, I do find them offensive to some degree. I don't react or lecture people who say it, but I do notice it. Interestingly enough I lived in the US for 3 years, and it was pretty rare to hear people use those expressions. It seems much more prevalent online. I've never come across anyone saying it in Danish. I think calling someone a nazi here or using the Danish word for "rape" in a situation like you describe would be really offensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by astronaut Now I've read some posts calling me ignorant and naive for being insensitive to the image of Hitler, but what about the cosmetic company that actually made it and posted it in the art section of their website? I believe they are a pretty popular brand in Asia. Any comments on the consciousness of the company? And I'm pretty sure they are a SOUTH Korean brand.

I don't think you are ignorant or naive. I hope I didn't come off as such. I think you just didn't really imagine how people would react.

Personally I won't be buying anything from Clio because of this (which is sad since some of their blushes look fab).

 

[Susanne]

Ok, I will try it...

As a German who has been confrontated my whole life with what this man and his regime had done to the world and our nation I think it is shameless to use his picture in any way.

It is shameless towards all the people who had to suffer unbelievable pain and unbelievable destruction.
There is no excuse or explanation of using a picture of him at all.

 

[aimee]

my grandpa survived WW2 and i heard terrible stories
anyway im not really offended....i dont care if you want this picture as your avatar its your choice ..but i think you dont have the right to complain if someone writes you bad comments etc. if you dont want that...take it down

i dont like the picture and i dont think its funny and i would think a person with this kind of avatar is weird.

as for amusement i dont like southpark or family guy or that stuff its stupid so i think i got a different sense of humor anyway

 

[blindpassion]

Personally, I'm not offended...
I can understand that others would be,
but it's like that with every issue, theres a million different views.

 

[Moxy]

My grandpas were in WW2 as well, fighting on the side that was against Hitler and his horrific ideas and beliefs. I must say I'm lucky that my grandpa on dad's side survived the war because he's a great old chap but wouldn't share anything he's seen during the war because it's too disturbing.
My other grandpa wasn't so lucky i'm affraid. So to me, losing family members that I never got to know because of this lunitic of a Hitler really doesnt seem funny or cute at all.

I guess most European people dislike your avatar picture because Hitler did things that affected the whole continent and even made people migrate to other continents. And as for the people from other parts of the world who dislike the picture - some of them are the ones whose families had to migrate because of him and all the others just know how tasteless it is.

 

[redambition]

Some people will find the picture funny or cute, some will find it tasteless or offensive.

Personally, i don't think that making fun of Hitler is showing any kind of sympathy or acceptance for what he did. Making him a comic character has happened long before south park. I've seen a really old Loony Tunes cartoon that pokes fun at him.

I think Robert A Heinlein said it best in stranger in a strange land: "I've found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much… because it's the only thing that'll make it stop hurting."

In a way, that is very true. It's once we laugh about something that the hurt starts to fade away, that we can start to look to the future with more hope. It doesn't (and shouldn't) trivialise what happened in any way, but it is part of the healing process.

 

[user79]

I come from a German family, and it doesn't offend me at all. It's satire. I don't really get offended by satire.

 

[lexiesupagirl]

i think most of ppl from USA dont find this offensive, but here in Europe, he did horrible stuff, because of him milions of jews were killed.. we still live with damages Germans did in the world war 2.. so no, i do not think hitler with makeup on is funny, but it doesnt offend me THAT much.

 

[ratmist]

Strange parallel here from what used to be on Banksy's website as his manifesto:

It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived. This was not at all what we men wanted, we were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don't know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity.- diary extract from Lieutenant Colonel Mervin Willett Gonin DSO, who was among the first British soldiers to liberate Bergen-Belsen in 1945

Some people would call Banksy's Holocaust Lipstick motif really distasteful. It's certainly disturbing to look at it. But given that he had Gonin's diary extract and the picture under his 'manifesto' page for years, relating it to his graffiti becomes more understandable.

I am comfortable assuming the South Korean cosmetic company meant the pictures of Hitler to be satire - not glorification or somehow lessening the struggles and horrors of WWII. They probably think they're being edgy and cool. But without something like the extract from Lt Col. Gonin's diary to explain the image, it's all up to us to decide how we feel about it as women who are consumers of makeup.

That being said, to the OP I would like to say that I think it's incredibly naive and wrong to say that someone else viewing that image, who finds it offensive for personal or political reasons, should just get the fuck over it. They're entitled to the opinion that it's offensive and wrong, just as you're entitled to the opinion that it's funny and a valid expression of satire.

 

[vocaltest]

i'm from europe and i don't find it offensive.

 

[Susanne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vocaltest i'm from europe and i don't find it offensive.

Sure, from Europe, but not from Germany. That is a difference!