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The letter "W" -- the new swastika, or the white man's "X"?

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chookie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-30-04 11:49 PM
Original message
The letter "W" -- the new swastika, or the white man's "X"?
Bush is often represented by the letter W. But it seems to stand for more than just the man himself -- it seems to stand for arrogance, rage, meanness, and duplicity (seen as "settlin' the score!").

I see it in the darnedest places -- often used, around here, to deface Kerry signs, or anything public sign of peace or inclusiveness. It always seems to be scrawled in anger -- that it is a message of hate towards anyone who resists -- hence, my suggestion that it has perhaps become the new "swastika."

But something else I was wondering about -- remember in the early 90s, when there was a certain craze for black people wearing items of clothing, most notably hats, with the letter X, in homage of Malcolm X, about whom a Spike Lee film had been produced.

I remember that there was a reaction of outrage from the right wing over this phenomenon -- they were outraged that someone would wish to wear a symbol which represented a man, who, in their view, hated white people and disrespected white culture. Rush Limbaugh was on tv at the time, and he had a segment on his show about it, in which he mockingly wore a hat that said "Y". The same year, a "White Student's Union" was formed on our campus. It was all kinda ugly and retrogressively racist -- although it cast its racism in the guise of "we must respect ALL people" when they really mean, "Whites RULE!".

I have not been able to find any evidence of this googling, but the pieces seem to fit. George W Bush represents the militant White Man, the angry White Man, the Endangered Rich White Man -- the kind of hero these raging Americans have been yearning for. The symbol of White Power is now the letter "W", I think....

They might have loved Ronnie, but Ronnie was WAY too nice and genial to really be one of them -- they really wanted someone cruel and ruthless and hypocritical, and they get it in Bush and his circle. Notice how no one even mentions Ronnie anymore...and that's not a good thing; things have gotten much worse....

Note how they use the language of the civil rights movement to ram wacko judges on us, or justify their foreign or economic policy. See how they use minorities as window-dressing -- Condi and Alberto are nothing but tools for rich white man, period.

I have not seen anything like this in my lifetime, apart from totalitarian movements in the USSR and China, and this is the sort of thing one saw during the rise of fascism.

Maybe, "W" is the new cross for this strange newly medieval brand of millennarian "Christian", too. No one likes to think about the loving Jesus anymore -- they seem to want an avenging Caped Crusader Christ. And I think they get it in George "W" -- the "godly man" who tortures and bombs and lies.
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malatesta1137 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-30-04 11:53 PM
Response to Original message
1. definitely the new swastika
I LOVE that!!
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chookie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:02 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Have you seen examples?
Do you agree that it is embued with a similar amount of emotional energy?

These people had the Confederate Flag and used it for a while -- but "W" can be used in all parts of the country as an inclusive symbol for all of America's wackos and facists. It buys into the rage of the unreconstructed South, and the rage that many people never got over, when the Civil Rights bill was passed....
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lizzieforkerry Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:04 AM
Response to Original message
3. There are definitely churches around here that would gladly
replace the cross with the W.
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Tinoire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:09 AM
Response to Original message
4. The White Man's X or the White Man's Burden?
Edited on Fri Dec-31-04 12:14 AM by Tinoire
Straighten out a few angles in the crosses and what do we have?

W's!



I hate to see the term "White" in this because this eveil isn't a "White" thing but artistically, I catch your drift
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chookie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:29 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. By "White" I meant racist white n/t
.
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UncleSepp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:37 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. So other kinds of white folks, present company excepted? n/t
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Tinoire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 01:31 AM
Response to Reply #8
12. One would certainly hope so! Let's just say present company doesn't
include racist, freeper swine like this:



IS THERE ANYTHING CUTER than two identical twin twelve-year-old girls who have a band together? How about if they dress in matching plaid skirts—that ups the cuteness quotient, right? And what if they perform folky versions of classic racist songs by bands like Skrewdriver and Rahowa? Whoa! Now we are heading into the cute danger zone.

And the best part of it all? These girls have the talent to back it all up. They sing like angels, harmonize like only siblings can, and are more adept at their chosen instruments than most one-hit-wonder crap. "Disco punk," you say? "New wave of necro metal?" Those are passing fancies. Prussian Blue are doing nothing short of trying to change the course of humanity. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Lynx and Lamb, the girls of Prussian Blue.

(snip)

Q. Do you feel the need to tone down your politics when playing for certain crowds?

A. It's not that we're embarrassed about our message or our songs that are more obviously pro-white, it's that we know that if certain people complained about the content of our songs (like if we use the term "Aryan"), we might not be allowed to play again at that venue.



Q. What do you think is the most important social issue facing the white race right now? Do you have any songs that address this issue?

A. Not having enough white babies born to replace ourselves and generally not having good-quality white people being born. It seems like smart white girls who have good eugenics are more interested in making money in a career or partying than getting married and having a family. And yes, we are working on some new songs about this issue.

(snip)

Q. Please tell me the significance of the name Prussian Blue.

A. Part of our heritage is Prussian German. Also our eyes are blue, and Prussian Blue is just a really pretty color. There is also the discussion of the lack of "Prussian Blue" coloring (Zyklon B residue) in the so-called gas chambers in the concentration camps. We think it might make people question some of the inaccuracies of the "Holocaust" myth.


http://www.viceland.com/issues/v11n10/htdocs/hello.php
http://www.nationalvanguard.org/printer.php?id=4330



Prussian Blue is a pro-White singing duo consisting of two twin sisters, Lynx and Lamb. One plays the violin and the other is a guitar player. Over the past year, I have read a number of different articles about them. The girls and their mother have conducted a few interviews as well. In one interview, the mother stated, "At one point in time, the girls were into modeling. Because they have such strong Nordic features, men with Jewish sounding last names were offering them a lot of money to do interracial scenes. So, I pulled them away from modeling even though we could have become quite wealthy."

http://www.prussianblue.net/

Awwww. How precious. The little lambs removed the vile lyrics from their website in the last few days: http://www.prussianblue.net/lyrics.html

I was really hoping to share
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mitchum Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 01:49 AM
Response to Reply #12
13. Absolutely incredible. That would have been hilariously funny...
if it were from the golden age of The National Lampoon. But the fact that it is for real, and not satire, is absolutely mind boggling.
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Tinoire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 02:12 AM
Response to Reply #13
15. What's even scarier
Edited on Fri Dec-31-04 02:12 AM by Tinoire
is that their music is catchy. If you were driving and not paying attention to the lyrics.... Listen to the lyrics of "I will bleed for you". Straight out of a Hitler Youth's repertoire.

Mind boggling indeed

Here are two samples

I Will Bleed For You

Skinhead Boy

Well they need to realize that this is not a game and that it is serious business even though it can also be fun to be around other racially aware people. A lot of young people like to dress in a way that gets them attention because they don’t know any other way to feel proud of themselves and special. Sometimes the way they dress doesn’t make them look as attractive or handsome as they could be. We think that they should work to look as good as possible by working out and dressing nice to show that people who are White Nationalists are not scary, but good people. The way that you look and act is activism in a way because you represent your family your beliefs and your race. You are a walking talking advertisement and our young people are the best advertisement so they need to realize this.

Urgh! :puke:
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UncleSepp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:05 PM
Response to Reply #15
18. Freepers?
I think these folks are a bit further over than freepers. We might have some anarchists here, but that doesn't make any random anarchist a DUer.

I think it's important - particularly when taking on racism - to understand who is who and what is what and not to lump everyone who isn't "like us" into one, uniform group. That kind of thinking follows the same pattern that racism does. Personally, I think that it is that pattern which is the problem. From that pattern comes racism, sexism, religious bigotry, and even the political polarity that causes people to move from fighting bad ideas to fighting the human beings who hold them.

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Tinoire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:42 PM
Response to Reply #18
19. Yep freepers
Edited on Fri Dec-31-04 12:45 PM by Tinoire
You make an excellent point in this sentence

From that pattern comes racism, sexism, religious bigotry, and even the political polarity that causes people to move from fighting bad ideas to fighting the human beings who hold them.


but I'm afraid we're already there.

And even the Freepers know this. I'm a very observant person Auntie Jem, and I have noticed the splintering of the Republican party. Free Repuplic has become so racist that many of its old more moderate posters have stopped posting there- totally disgusted by what the callousness and bigotry they've seen over the last years.

Some Freepers are still clinging to the consoling thought that they have a dark friend or two, that there's a dark person or two posting on their board, but the racism and bigotry is preserved in thread after thread- there for all the world to see.

So yes- Freepers. Fresno, California Freepers for this California racist group.
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Tinoire Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 01:15 AM
Response to Reply #5
10. I understood... Just know how offensive that could be to those who
may not take the time to read closely.

Very good post regardless.
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pen dragon Donating Member (287 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:34 AM
Response to Original message
6. W has been the symbol of greed, stupidity
and the worst in human nature for sometime now in this mad, mad, mad, mad world. Only fitting it should pertain to Bush


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UncleSepp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:36 AM
Response to Original message
7. I don't know if your pink, blue or plaid, but I am white
I do not see anything particularly white about Bush, about his W, about the whole thing. His brand certainly doesn't represent me or any of my white friends. It's money. It's class. It's privilege. Bush hasn't done poor or even middle class white folks any favors.

"The symbol of White Power is now the letter "W", I think..."

If you want to find out what the symbols of White Power are, don't guess. Go to Stormfront and check out the graphics section. If what you meant wasn't White Power of the 88/14 kind but white power as in the power and privilege of whites in America, then tone down the swastika talk.
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chookie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 01:16 AM
Response to Reply #7
11. They are more subtle than you think
One of the hallmarks of this adminstration is that they aren't quite upfront about what they are about. If they were -- people would reject them. So they have to pretend to be other sorts of things. Doublespeak -- you can hear everything you know when you listen to them -- as one can with any totalitarian demogogue -- if you know how to decode them.

I am not discussing the Stormfront Volken, or the utter extreme wackos. They are in an all together different category....

"W" is the swastika of the Radical Right who think they represent "normality" in America. They live and function within society, whereas the utter wackos live at the very margins of society, or reject it.

I am not addressing reality -- but myths. Of COURSE Bush does nothing for "whites" -- except the utterly rich ones. But he has succeeded in getting poor whites to vote for him, against their economic interests, by manipulating their latent racism and sexism.

I would certainly agree its all REALLY about "class".

Bush flying the banners you describe you never make it on the mainstream stage -- BUT he seems to have advanced at least big parts of this extreme agenda by fooling many who are not quite so extreme, n'est ce pas?
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UncleSepp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 01:19 PM
Response to Reply #11
21. They're nationalists
When I listen to the various speeches and radio broadcasts, I hear cultural, rather than racial, forms of manipulation. I think this is smart and effective on the part of the Bushist movement, as it has attracted the Black and Hispanic support that helped to put Bush over the top. The Bushists aren't white nationalists, they're just nationalists. Even as nationalists, they're dishonest.

The PNAC plan seems to me to be as good an example of a non-isolationist nationalist foreign policy as any yet devised. So far, it seems that the Bushists are following the PNAC plan. The Bushist foreign policy is extremely nationalistic on its surface in that its purpose is to increase American dominance through economic leverage or at the point of a bayonet.

Bushist domestic cultural policy seems to be to reduce the distinctions between states and regions by pushing the culture of the midwestern states onto the rest of the states. "Real American Values" live in the heartland. New York City is fine for providing stirring images of heroic firefighters, but Northeastern liberal ideas are pollution in the national stream. In a clever if utterly hypocritical twist, the Bushists used state referenda on same sex marriage to combat state-level legal decisions to allow same sex marriage. The state referenda, however, started in Washington with the proposed Constitutional amendment.

The states having power of their own is not an issue for the Bushists, so long as it is the power of a popular vote and not the power of a judicial decision. One can rally the masses to vote how one wishes, but convincing non-Bushist judges to go along is difficult. Hence, the battle against "activist judges" and the effort to limit the power of the courts in making law through precedent. Generally, a nationalist strategy would be to consolidate lawmaking at the national level and pass power from the states to the federal government. In America, this would be tantamount to revolution, and our history guides against it. Therefore, I do not believe that the lack of consolidation of state power under the Bushist regime constitutes an argument against Bushist nationalism.

Bushist trade policy, however, seems antinationalist. This is where the dishonesty shows the most. A nationalist trade policy would protect jobs in the home country, for example, and the Bushist policy bleeds those jobs away. A nationalist trade policy generally would favor exports and diminish imports, and the Bushist trade policy does not.

This exposes the "hidden agenda", in my opinion, and brings the focus back to the class war. The Bushists enrich those who earn the majority of their money from investment at the expense of those who earn the majority of their money from work, and favor the wealthy of other countries over the middle class and poor of the United States. In my opinion, this is what needs to be exposed to turn the wage-earning class against the Bushists.

Using the language of racism in the course of exposing this hypocrisy will divide the opposition against itself, and that is not what we need. Using the language of Marxism won't help us, either. We, too, must be subtle and very careful about what we say and how we say it if we want to displace the Bushists from power. We need to draw supporters from the Bushists to our side, and we're not going to do that by crying racism and pointing at the swastika. We're sure as hell not going to do it by putting our fingers in our ears and yelling "Freeper! Freeper!" instead of listening to Bush supporters and understanding where they are coming from. We can't make people feel bad and stupid for having made the choices they made in voting for the Bushists - we have to offer them a smarter choice.

I guess that's more than my two cents. :-) I am so late for work it isn't funny.
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proud patriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:55 AM
Response to Original message
9. footprint of a chinkenhawk
:D
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Jim Warren Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 02:06 AM
Response to Original message
14. I dunno
When I was posting around on some BBs prior to the 2000 selection that awol's arm-extended 3 finger W salute on campaign stops was destined to become the next neo-nazi seig heil wave, I remember being seriously poohed.
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tabasco Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 02:19 AM
Response to Original message
16. You can't spell coward without a W.
W is the lowest form of scum. Started an unjustified war and has no compunction about sending others to die. When he had his chance to serve, used family connections to jump ahead of others into a champagne unit. Too bad for those poor bastards on the list whose last name wasn't Bush.
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dbt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 06:53 AM
Response to Original message
17. Excellent post, chookie; it belongs on the home page.
Hundreds of years ago, there was an LP: Eric Burdon Declares "War." The cover featured two disembodied hands raising a three-finger salute--exactly like the "W" that I saw all the (white) people raising at some bu$h campaign event back in 2000.

As a Nam Era Geezer, I immediately associated this modern "W" with war--not too far-fetched an assumption, as things turned out. I remember a brief period when the three-finger-W was used by hardhats as a sort of counter Peace Sign.

Then, there it was again in 2000. Talk about some BAD flashbacks!

Of course, it was used as a sign of support (read: allegiance) for George W. (pronounced DUH-bya) bu$h, but the way it was presented--with the right arm stiff at about a 45-degree angle--was very telling. Now, we have the ubiquitous oval "W" sticker with its flag motif, perfect for posting on office doors and/or SUVs: it really is the New Swastika.

:freak:
dbt
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leftofthedial Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-31-04 12:47 PM
Response to Original message
20. more of a swastika than a white man's "X"
but I haven't seen it used generically or widely as an instrument of hate




yet
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