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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: jg18 on February 11, 2012, 05:22:22 am

Title: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: jg18 on February 11, 2012, 05:22:22 am
(http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0209_naziflag/11715506-1-eng-US/0209_NaziFlag_full_600.jpg)

Here's the original article. (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0209/Marines-Nazi-flag-was-mistaken-for-their-own)

Spoiler:
My working hypothesis is that whichever Marine owned the flag was either a Nazi sympathizer or quite possibly a total idiot who didn't know what the flag meant (although if that were true, you'd wonder how he got it in the first place). He then either didn't tell the others what it meant or didn't know. But that the entire unit was full of Nazi sympathizers seems implausible to me -- or maybe I'm just naïve.

FWIW, I didn't recognize it, although it does have a chilling look to it IMO.

EDIT: Poll question and thread title are slightly adjusted in response to comments.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: watsisname on February 11, 2012, 05:31:27 am
Ah, the double Sig rune, based off of Sowilo from the Elder Futhark.  Silly Nazis and their rune lore.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 07:15:01 am
Here's what you get for sleeping through history lessons.
Also, those wacky Nazis ruined so many good symbols. To think Swastika was once a good luck symbol. And this was most likely an ordinary rune from some ancient rune alphabet, until somebody at SS noticed it'd make a good logo.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Flipside on February 11, 2012, 08:10:37 am
Actually, the term 'SS' is not a German one, and the symbols are actually just two stylized lightning bolts to represent the 'Storm' of the Stormtroopers.

And I struggle a little to believe that these guys didn't know what the flag meant, and thought it was one for their own unit. As far as I'm aware any military unit absolutely grinds its history and its symbols into the troops serving for it, they tend to be extremely traditionalist in that respect.

Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 08:48:38 am
I don't think it was a flag of their unit. If it was, then there should be no problem at all, as long as it's older than SS itself (which is plausible). Something like the Canadian town of Swastika, which refused to change it's name because some loon in Germany decided to make swastika his symbol. On the other hand, they don't know where did they got this flag, so it's most likely just a random piece of cloth acquired by one of the Marines who thought something like "Hey, this looks cool, let's make this our flag". Considering that it was in Afghanistan, I think it's just a honest mistake, history isn't something you think about much when in a warzone (unless you're a history buff, that is).
Also, IIRC, "SS" was a German term, an acronym (well, sort of) for Schutzstaffel.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Flipside on February 11, 2012, 08:53:09 am
Well, that was one of the excuses for using the flag, that they thought it meant 'Sniper Scouts', which I find to be a bit of a stretch ;) It does make you wonder where the flag came from in the first place though (meaning that specific piece of cloth, not the history of the symbols).

Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Mika on February 11, 2012, 09:26:41 am
That could be social commentary from Marines or from those they bought flag from. The most likely explanation is still ignorance.

Here is a snap of USAF pilots from 1970s:

(http://www.f-16.net/attachments/c-flight.jpg)

Times have changed.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 09:32:54 am
That's indeed curious, I don't see any reason why a Marine would bring such thing on a mission. I don't think it's plausible to own something with this kind of symbol without somebody pointing it out, and a Marine would have to either be a real gomer* or an actual Nazi sympathizer to get it from some WWII-related place and not know what it is.
*Marine slang for an idiot.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Nuke on February 11, 2012, 10:01:56 am
Quote from: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 07:15:01 am
Here's what you get for sleeping through history lessons.
Also, those wacky Nazis ruined so many good symbols. To think Swastika was once a good luck symbol. And this was most likely an ordinary rune from some ancient rune alphabet, until somebody at SS noticed it'd make a good logo.

the nazis had a good graphics design team :P
i do notice a trend though, the more evil the state, the more badass their ****!
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Flipside on February 11, 2012, 10:18:40 am
It's because you can be a lot freer with the black, and symbols like lightning, wolves and skulls don't have to be considered for political correctness. They are effectively the teenagers who were allowed to paint their rooms any way they wanted ;)
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: NGTM-1R on February 11, 2012, 10:44:12 am
Besides, asking if you recognize the flag isn't any use, since that's closest to the SS collar emblem. The SS used the Nazi flag.
Title: Re: Do you recognize this flag?
Post by: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 10:56:06 am
The question might be better as "D you recognize this symbol.", as the whole discussion is about the symbol (blue and white are among the last colors Nazis would use). But that's a minor detail.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: jg18 on February 11, 2012, 11:22:59 am
Quote from: NGTM-1R on February 11, 2012, 10:44:12 am
Besides, asking if you recognize the flag isn't any use, since that's closest to the SS collar emblem. The SS used the Nazi flag.
Quote from: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 10:56:06 am
The question might be better as "D you recognize this symbol.", as the whole discussion is about the symbol (blue and white are among the last colors Nazis would use). But that's a minor detail.
Thread title and poll question adjusted accordingly. Let me know if that's better.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Nemesis6 on February 11, 2012, 11:27:26 am
Quote from: Nuke on February 11, 2012, 10:01:56 am
Quote from: Dragon on February 11, 2012, 07:15:01 am
Here's what you get for sleeping through history lessons.
Also, those wacky Nazis ruined so many good symbols. To think Swastika was once a good luck symbol. And this was most likely an ordinary rune from some ancient rune alphabet, until somebody at SS noticed it'd make a good logo.

the nazis had a good graphics design team :P

Pff, the Soviets were the masters of shooping. Case in point:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Voroshilov%2C_Molotov%2C_Stalin%2C_with_Nikolai_Yezhov.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/The_Commissar_Vanishes_2.jpg)

Oh what the hell, might as well put this out there. Here's the Soviet photoshop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2PsiJXswiM
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Grizzly on February 11, 2012, 12:01:08 pm
I love how he resembles napoleon.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Nuke on February 11, 2012, 12:27:31 pm
thats pretty impressive
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Flipside on February 11, 2012, 12:32:35 pm
Is it ironic that the original looks faker than the 'shop?
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: watsisname on February 11, 2012, 02:45:47 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/PgH9m.jpg)

I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Mongoose on February 11, 2012, 02:56:21 pm
I honestly wouldn't have recognized the symbol if I hadn't heard the news story about this yesterday. :p
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: deathfun on February 11, 2012, 05:48:17 pm
I knew what it was
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Mika on February 12, 2012, 10:50:15 am
Crap, apparently I could not link the image that way.

In the case somebody wanted to see the original picture, please check: http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-487.html

Black humor military style is not that new.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: jg18 on February 13, 2012, 03:18:45 pm
Given the poll results and the thread view count, I'd say that not a few people looked at the thread and didn't recognize the symbol but didn't vote, leading to skewed poll results. :nono:

Quote from: Mika on February 12, 2012, 10:50:15 am
Crap, apparently I could not link the image that way.

In the case somebody wanted to see the original picture, please check: http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-487.html
Still can't see the image btw, not even on that page.
Title: Re: Do you recognize the symbol on this flag?
Post by: Mika on February 13, 2012, 03:40:05 pm
Quote from: jg18 on February 13, 2012, 03:18:45 pm
Given the poll results and the thread view count, I'd say that not a few people looked at the thread and didn't recognize the symbol but didn't vote, leading to skewed poll results. :nono:

Quote from: Mika on February 12, 2012, 10:50:15 am
Crap, apparently I could not link the image that way.

In the case somebody wanted to see the original picture, please check: http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-487.html
Still can't see the image btw, not even on that page.

Huh? It should be on the first post, black and white picture of USAF members posing with a placate containing some interesting wording.

Some excerpts:
"International good guys
World population control specialists - sea branch" (would this make them Navy pilots then?)

"Death on call 24 hours a day
We kill everything on for 65 c - a month
Small wars won at small price. Large wars slightly higher"

Etc. and so on.

Times have changed. And yes, I did find the black and white picture funny, if somebody wondered. But I'm not sure of my reaction should that happen today.

EDIT.
Yet again the cursed prepositions!