How "Nazi" must a tattoo be

[sarisataka]

To be called a Nazi tattoo?

For people to deem a tattoo a Nazi symbol-

Must the tattoo exactly match a Nazi symbol?
Must the tattoo be substantially similar to a Nazi symbol?
Must the tattoo be designed in such a way it conjures images of a relationship to a Nazi symbol?
If a Republican and a Democrat had the same tattoo, would we judge their "Nazi-ness" equally?

[RandySF]

1. The tattoo was a symbol used by the SS.

[sop]

2. Platner's tattoo:

https://themainemonitor.org/platner-tattoo-nazi-totenkopf/

Platner's tattoo resembled (he says he has since covered it up with another tattoo) a symbol of Hitler’s paramilitary Schutzstaffel, or SS:

[yardwork]

6. Honestly, I wouldn't have recognized that as a Nazi tattoo.

Last edited Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

I think this is a non-issue.

Edited to add that after learning more, I've changed my mind. He knew what it was all along. He's just trolling the Democratic Party. He needs to be repudiated.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. You wouldn't but a white supremacist would, and they would thank you

For giving it a pass. I don’t believe that’s a place you would be comfortable with yourself in. Maybe I’m wrong about that but I hope not.

[sarisataka]

14. Getting it MAY have been a mistake of ignorance

Continuing to wear the symbol of concentration camp guards once aware of the meaning is definitely an issue IMO

[MatthewStLouis]

67. I would say look to the intentions. I have changed my thoughts on this as well.

At first I figured, "Ok, so the guy got a bad ass tatoo that others in his unit were getting. It's not overtly NAZI."
I get that a lot of younger people immediately recognize these NAZI symbols, but to many of us-we just haven't spent that much time studying up on this stuff. Remember the Gadsen flag? As a kid I thought it was cool, then it got coopted by tea baggers. Symbols and their meanings evolve over time. I think it's how you use the symbol that matters. The intention.

That said. It seems he knew about the symbol quite a while ago. Why did he keep it?

He's probably not a NAZI. He didn't go all in like a Pete Hegseth. BUT knowing/learning about the symbolism as a grown adult should have prompted more than a shrug. It's hard to defend.

If I were a Mainer I'd (of course) vote for him over Collins, but you never know what kind of Dem you're getting. Maybe another crappy one.

[thought crime]

70. Your's is the most thoughtful post I've read on this topic.

People's sensitivity toward symbols varies a lot, and let's face it; military folks are not among the most sensitive in this regard. The Finnish Air Force used swastikas until about 2020. The rationalization was that their swastikas were going in a different direction, and that they started using them well before the Nazi's gained power. The poet Gary Snyder also expressed some passing appreciation for non-Nazi swastikas. I am guessing Platner didn't personally associate his tattoo with Nazi's but only as a souvenir of his military service, and he was naive enough to think something like that could remain personal after entering a political campaign.

My concern is that we have developed very high ethical standards for candidates while the other side is running criminals who sometimes win. Like Joe Biden said, "Don't compare me with the Almighty...". We may be purifying ourselves into non-existence.

And mea culpa: Yeah, I cut this guy some slack because he's a lefty.

[jaymac]

31. thank you for a sensible mind!

[yardwork]

32. I changed my mind. Read the rest of this thread.

[rogue emissary]

33. Recognized that image immediately even from a way blurrier picture.

I'm African American and recognizing hate symbols and phrases is how I survive.

More I think about it. It means he never saw any movie with Nazis in it. Like the Indiana Jones franchise, inglourious bastards, or this sketch.

[yardwork]

35. Well, I've changed my mind after reading this thread.

He k ew what it was. He's a troll who thinks he's cute.

[rogue emissary]

37. Saw your post and that is honestly big of you to do.

[yardwork]

57. I never mind saying that I was wrong or changed my mind.

I learn a lot here on DU, and it's not uncommon for me to learn things that change my mind.

[Mz Pip]

34. The military didn't either.

The military forbids racist and Nazi tattoos.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

43. It's a non-issue for MAGAt Republicans

It's a HUGE ISSUE for Democrats.

As always.

[Mysterian]

66. Then you are not well educated regarding World War II

Anyone reasonably educated at a high school level regarding WWII would recognize that symbol easily as an SS insignia.

I'm so tired of this bullshit.

[yardwork]

68. You're right. I don't know much about WWII.

My rural high school history classes never got into the 20th century. In college I majored in history (!!!) but I focused mostly on the transatlantic slave trade, African and European history, and WWI and the labor movement.

I've learned a lot just reading this thread.

[lame54]

17. It's a blur...

Looks more like Darth Vader to me

[sop]

21. It's a very poor image, a still frame from a bad video. In the flesh it was probably more clear.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. "Are we the baddies?"

🙃

[QueerDuck]

12. That came to my mind as well. 😂🤣

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. gosh what's that on his hat, never seen anything like it before

[Fla_Democrat]

41. I thought I saw one before,

but I'm told it was just a blur.

[Solly Mack]

4. Nazi is Nazi. There are no degrees.

[yardwork]

7. He says he didn't realize it was associated with Nazis.

I wouldn't have associated that image with Nazis.

[Solly Mack]

10. I don't know what he did and did not know. I couldn't swear to it in a court of law anyway.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. An acquaintance apparently said he knew in 2012

But according to a person who socialized with Platner when he was living in Washington, D.C., more than a decade ago, Platner had specifically acknowledged that the tattoo was a Totenkopf, the “death’s head” symbol adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit that guarded concentration camps in World War II.

“He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” the former acquaintance told Jewish Insider recently, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive issue. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”

The exchange occurred in 2012 at Tune Inn, a popular dive on Capitol Hill where Platner later worked as a bartender and was a frequent patron while he attended The George Washington University on the G.I. bill, according to the former acquaintance. He would often take his shirt off drinking with friends late at night at the bar, and on at least one occasion had stated he knew what the tattoo represented, the former acquaintance recalled.

Platner gave varying accounts of the image during this time, saying at one point he was aware it was a Totenkopf when he had first gotten the tattoo several years prior and at another time claiming he had not known, according to the former acquaintance.

https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/

[yardwork]

22. Well, that sounds very bad.

[Maru Kitteh]

25. Yikes. So at the very LEAST, thirteen years ago he knew he had a NAZI tattoo and

Wasn’t very bothered by it. Okay then. Done.

Thanks for the link.

[W_HAMILTON]

23. A lot of other questionable stuff has come up with this guy as well.

Surely if progressivism is as popular as some say, it shouldn't be that hard to find a "Sanders-approved" progressive candidate without all the baggage this guy has, right?

I've said that we progressives need to do a much better job of vetting our candidates, and this guy is yet another reason why. How does he even get this far in the primary process to begin with? I believe he has no history of being an elected official, so what is Sanders and the like even basing their endorsements off of? Clearly, they weren't looking into his background at all.

[yardwork]

24. Just reading this thread is raising more alarms.

He needs to drop out.

[betsuni]

39. According to the conspiracy theories, the Democratic Establishment only allows ancient centrists to run for office.

Guess they've been slacking off, not enough rigging and putting thumbs on scales, anointing and so on.

Apparently, endorsement comes from saying "billionaires" in every sentence and Medicare for All (club password).

[EdmondDantes_]

5. I think it's complicated by knowledge of the origin

Sure it's hard to find someone who doesn't recognize a swastika or the stylized SS. But I have a degree in history and wouldn't have recognized the tattoo as the same as the nazi group. Barring other evidence that he subscribes to nazi beliefs, I can see plausibly that in his mind it wasn't a nazi tattoo. But given the origin, it needed to be removed/covered which he says he's done. So I can say the tattoo is a nazi tattoo but I don't have enough evidence to say if he was aware.

There's some difference in how I would interpret it by partisanship, but the modern Republican party has embraced racism and things like the group chat that are excused make the denial less convincing. But that need to be firmly against nazism means he can get credit for covering it, coupled with other problematic things, would make it very hard for me to support him in a primary if I was a Maine voter.

[sarisataka]

16. I don't have a history degree and recognize a Totenkopf immediately

But I am very interested in WW2 and would recognize many other SS related symbols.

That said, the Totenkopf is arguably the third most recognized Nazi symbol after the Swastika and the SS runes

[EdmondDantes_]

20. The military medical personnel didn't flag it as problematic

The military is at least supposed to not allow racist tattoos. Seems like someone might have raised a flag.

And at least the image I just saw, it looks like a blob, but that might be an old camera issue. But did anyone at the wedding where he was shirtless raise it as an issue then? I'd have opinions if I saw someone with a swastika tattoo and if the Platner's tattoo is so similar and the totenkopf is so well known, wouldn't someone have said something?

I think at this point he should probably drop out because of all of his baggage, but I am trying to comment on the tattoo in isolation.

[EX500rider]

28. I'd say Africa Corp palm tree for top 3 myself, but the SS skull close to tied

[Cha]

38. Yeah, just because I wouldn't have known what

it was doesn't mean I can' learn something new.

Thing about DU.. we learn so much over the years.

TY:cand;e:

[ForgedCrank]

8. I'm gonna

be honest: until this happened , I had no idea what the hell that skull thing was either, and I doubt that most people were the same. That said, I can buy his story, nobody would get that inked on their body if they knew it was a Nazi SS symbol. And even if he did find out some time ago what it really was, he probably figured that few would ever see it because of where it is at. tattoo removal is painful and expensive so I can't blame the guy. Yea, bonehead move (any tattoo if you ask me), but I'm going to give the guy a break.
I just hope to God that no one ever holds me accountable over some of the stupid crap I did when I was 20.

[TheProle]

44. "tattoo removal is painful and expensive so I can't blame the guy"

National organizations

Redemption Ink: This non-profit organization was founded by tattoo artist Dave Cutlip in Maryland. It provides free cover-up services for racist, gang-related, and hate-filled tattoos. Because the service is so popular, there can be a waitlist.

Atlanta Redemption Ink: This nonprofit primarily serves sex-trafficking survivors and former gang members but has also received a recent influx of applications from individuals seeking to cover racist tattoos.

Regional and local efforts

Billy White (Red Rose Tattoo) in Zanesville, Ohio: Featured in an NPR story, White covers up racist tattoos for clients, but only after ensuring their change in ideology is genuine.

Gallery X Art Collective in Murray, Kentucky: Tattoo artists Jeremiah Swift and Ryun King offered free cover-ups of hate symbols to encourage people to change and start fresh. They were flooded with requests for cover-ups of Confederate flags, swastikas, and other symbols.

Trevor Thompson in Orange Park, Florida: A former skinhead himself, Thompson now offers free cover-ups to others who want to abandon their hateful past and remove their racist or hateful tattoos.

Jeremiah Hirsch in Virginia: This artist covers racist tattoos for free to help people on their "path to redemption".

Sickside Tattoo Studio in Horn Lake, Mississippi: In partnership with the "Erase the Hate" campaign started by former white supremacist T.M. Garret, this studio offers free cover-ups for former gang members and white supremacists.

Bicycle Tattoo in Chicago, Illinois: Inspired by the events in Charlottesville in 2017, the staff at this shop began offering free cover-ups for racist tattoos.

Esmailin Sanchez (Shakra Tattoos) in Old Bridge, New Jersey: Sanchez offers to cover up racist and hate-inspired ink for free, creating a judgment-free zone for his clients.

Justin Fleetwood (Queen City Tattoo Company) in Springfield, Missouri: Fleetwood has been featured in news reports for his work in covering up neo-Nazi tattoos for free.

[ForgedCrank]

49. You zeroed

in on the most minor point of my entire post.
I'm already quite aware that tattoo removal businesses exist so I have no idea what your point was.

[TheProle]

53. My point was your statement could be read as trying to diminish his responsibility based on cost.

And it doesn’t.

[ForgedCrank]

55. Yes, I

suppose that could be a fair point if someone ignored everything I wrote except that one sentence.

[TheProle]

58. Sometimes discussions work that way

Perhaps if a point is so minor that you don't want it up for discussion, you leave it out of posts on a discussion forum.

Anyway, pleading poverty on his behalf is a non-starter.

[ForgedCrank]

59. Your point

is invalid because you used the word "pleading". I choose to ignore all of the other content in your post and focus on this one word for the sole purpose of carrying on an argument with you.

[TheProle]

61. Look at you outsmarting folks!

I have neither the time nor the interest in continuing this particular exchange. You're the winner.

&list=RDJRWlnv0_svU&start_radio=1

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Sarisataka wait until you hear about the 1919 on his bicep EDIT: NEW PHOTO, NOT NAZI RELATED

Last edited Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:29 PM - Edit history (2)

And how the coverup tattoo is Norse coded

EDIT: here's the photo of his arm.

https://bsky.app/profile/frishermansfend.bsky.social/post/ 3m3skbzviok2f

ah crap, I can't get it to show up; it's on bluesky

[sarisataka]

11. Maybe it was the year his grandfather was born

But something tells me that probably is not true

I suppose someone with an “88” tattoo could claim it is just a double infinity on its side…

[demmiblue]

42. FWIW:

The tattoo is a reference to Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Trail Crew — informally known as the Trail (Fixing|Fucking) Crew — which was established in 1919, and on which Platner worked in 2002

outsideinradio.org/shows/episod...

— Molly White (@molly.wiki) 2025-10-22T18:54:24.169Z

h/t bsky.app/profile/fooe...

— Molly White (@molly.wiki) 2025-10-22T18:55:12.524Z

[obamanut2012]

26. Folkish Heathen Norse coded

I was like wow when I saw the coverup. Even worse in some ways.

[yardwork]

30. You mean the tattoo he just got?

He covered it up with another white supremacist symbol?

If true, he's just trolling us. Time for the entire Democratic Party to repudiate him.

[Polybius]

48. No

This one:

https://tinyurl.com/2z3uweut

[Polybius]

47. Here ya go:

https://tinyurl.com/2z3uweut

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. This was the insignia worn by guards at NAZI death camps

Link to tweet

[LuvLoogie]

40. Is Ro Khanna supporting this guy, too?

I'm sorry but clinging to this dude is narcissism. Let. It. Go.

Get behind Mills or somebody else.

[mcar]

27. I'm astonished by the excuses being made by some here

He's a grown ass adult who got a Nazi tattoo during a drunken binge and only now, 20 years later and when he's running for Senate, does he realize it's a bad thing? And some here are saying, "yeah, that's cool."

I just can't with this.

[yardwork]

29. I defended him at first.

I'm familiar with a lot of Nazi symbols and I wouldn't have recognized this. However, there's more info coming out that suggests that he's known what it is all along. That changes things.

I think the people defending this were like me - genuinely thought he didn't realize what it was. It's not a super obvious symbol.

[Blue_Adept]

36. It's been incredibly disheartening.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

45. The insignia - death skull - was worn exclusively by SS guards at death camps

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[sarisataka]

52. Not completely exclusive

It was also worn by the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf
The division used the symbol because when it was first formed most of the personnel were drawn from the ranks of concentration camp guards however the division existed until the end of the war

[LetMyPeopleVote]

54. This is still a NAZI tattoo

[sarisataka]

63. Most definitely

Historical nitpicking doesn’t lessen the fact that it is a Nazi symbol associated with the worst atrocities of the Third Reich.

[WarGamer]

69. Every SS cap from 1934 on had the Totenkopf...

It was the opposite of exclusive, it was universal.

What WAS exclusive was putting the Totenkopf on the right collar tabs, the 3rd SS and Death Camp cretins.

[nini]

46. We really need to get better vetting our own..

And when they show everyone who they are out they need to go. No excuses. There should be ZERO tolerance for this Nazi crap.

To see the support he still has from so called leaders makes me want to scream my head off.

[Behind the Aegis]

50. Are you surprised that some are defending this and him?

It's rhetorical. I know you aren't in the least bit surprised. Only two things surprised me and that was a handful of posters who came out against it (and him). There are a few names that shocked me. And two comments that were like a punch in the gut, one was more like a knife to the gut, but that person changed their mind (whew!).

The fact this comes AFTER the "No Kings Rally" which was all about the Antifa, and we have posters and people, in general, supporting someone sporting a tattoo that is LITERALLY a mark of one of the worst fascist governments EVER!

Frankly, I am surprised we haven't heard the musings of another fascist "It is what it is" and "There were very good people on both sides". Will I be surprised when, not if, it comes to that? Nope!

Ignorance: Not knowing
Stupidity: Knowing and still doing it!

If he got that tattoo 20 years ago, then realized what it was and removed it/covered it up upon learning what it REALLY was, it wouldn't have been a huge issue, IMO. However, the fact that he still sports it (until apparently today), and people are putting forth pathetic excuses like "Well, I didn't know what it was (so the fuck what?!)" or "A Jew says it is OK!" just shows how low some will go, and not necessarily to win, but to disregard the feelings of a certain (((minority))).

[sarisataka]

64. Not in the least

Although it is interesting to see some who previously advocated no tolerance for Nazis, e.g. see a Nazi, punch a Nazi or a person having dinner with eleven Nazis is a room with twelve Nazis, suddenly have found a previously undiscovered depth of tolerance.

Perhaps this situation is educational. It has previously been questioned how the US (and USSR) justified bring Nazis, mostly scientists, in after the war despite their unsavory history. This illustrates how quickly something abhorrent can be overlooked when there is a perceived benefit.

[Melon]

51. The symbol is still used today and not by Nazi.

I believe I saw it outside signs with that symbol outside chemical plant bordering a barb wire fenced area in Malaysia. I couldn’t read what it said nor do I remember, but it was a clear to stay out of that area.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

56. If this tattoo is the same as the symbol on Himmler's hat, then it is a NAZI symbol

[iemanja]

60. The tattoo is consistent with his stated beliefs

He chose to keep in until this Tuesday for a reason. He's made disparaging remarks about Blacks, women, and LGBT individuals. That tattoo reveals his views about Jews. When a person tells you who they are, believe them.

[Aristus]

62. The symbol was also used by the Wehrmacht's Panzer Corps, and tank crewmen wore it on their uniforms.

But I don't think that's what he was going for. Who is going to get a tattoo to honor German panzer crews from World War II?

I've been blackout drunk a number of times, most of them in the Army (as a tank crewman, incidentally). I never, ever got a Nazi tattoo as a result. I've never had a tattoo of any kind at all.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

65. The image in the tattoo is a NAZI symbol