That is some interesting Militaria. You really have to have the right kind of house or Castle to make a display like that work.
I don't usually show people, or display it.
I don't display it, but will show people I know will understand. and find it interesting
I display it, but only in an office or back room.
I display my stuff proudly for all to see.
That is some interesting Militaria. You really have to have the right kind of house or Castle to make a display like that work.
The heating bills are horrendous I can tell ya.....
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
Safe
I recommend a large Gun Safe for those of us that do not have a secure collecting room. To the casual visitor it's a safe for guns-for friends it's WALA!
Nice set of Golden Pheasant hats!
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
Just throw another peasant on the fire...by big ned
The heating bills are horrendous I can tell ya.....
Some people love their right to be offended. For some reason it makes them feel good about themselves when they openly profess their disdain for TR militaria. I'm sure many of you have seen the episode of Pawn Stars where the producers allow a guy to bring in a bunch of nazi plates, just to allow Rick to show off his "ethics" to the viewers by refusing them. It's quite sad really. I don't understand how those who were not alive back then can claim to be offended by Hitler and his minions.
And really what makes Nazi insignia wrong? Is it because it is associated with a murderous regime? If so then why do these people not get offended at the hammer and sickle of Stalin's Regime? Or the Rising Sun of Imperial Japan? Last I checked there are no bans on Japanese militaria.
There is nothing wrong with a flag in reality. But unfortunately because of ignorant people we have to abide by societal trends like hiding our swastika items in dark corners and closets. These artifacts do not represent evil, nor do they glorify the Nazi Party. They are trophies that symbolize a triumph of good over evil. In that regard they should be preserved and celebrated. If for nothing else than to remember our past, and not allow ourselves to repeat it!
In many former East European countries I am sure as many people get offended by the symbols of the Stalinist and subsequent Soviet supported communist regimes as they do by Nazi symbology having been occupied and repressed by both totalitarian regimes. A similar situation may also be true for those countries in the Far East that were under Japanese occupation. I am also sure that the significant majority of the Jewish community in the US and elsewhere are offended by Nazi symbology rather than by Soviet or Japanese symbology. It is all about context.
IMO it is wrong to suggest Nazi symbology in itself does not represent evil outside of the context of past historical events. If that were so then why are so many Jewish graves and holocaust memorials today desecrated with Swastika and SS runes? Are they not daubed because the symbology is imbibed with "evil" and that is why Nazi slogans and symbols are used as expressions of antisemitism to this day.
I am not suggesting that collectors of Nazi memorabilia do so because they are anti-Semites but neither is it through ignorance that others may not understand why anyone would want to collect such memoribila - maybe they actually do understand what "evil" purpose the symbology is still being used for today and are offended by it and those that collect it.
I collect, therefore I am.
Nothing in science can explain how consciousness arose from matter.
Hello,
I also agree, Nazi symbols do represent evil and to deny it is incorrect (we have had students at my school draw swastikas on students notebooks, the reason being is because of race or religion of the other student-we should be able to understand the meaning or intent by this action). As a collector and teacher, I understand the history of the items and the symbolism (as do most of us on these types of forums). It would be similar to displaying KKK items and saying they are just items and no evil is attached to them; of course it is. As a Hispanic, I can see why certain minority groups would become uncomfortable in the presences of such items. That is where the responsible collector comes in who educates and informs, but at the same time acknowledges what they collect has a dark and sinister past.
That is why I do not display Nazi flags (although I own them), because to me at least there can sometimes be a fine line between a well balanced historical display or glorification (I have been to a few homes of collectors and it looked like a political rally was taking place-that is not for me, but to each his own).
As a father with a young son, I do not want him seeing a huge Nazi flag up on the wall of his home and feel that is ok to do so. I teach him that these items belong to a defeated enemy and an evil regime and that you have to be very careful when displaying or showing off such an item or items.
I like this hobby and I have done it for 41 years, but I feel that there is a historical and moral responsibility that goes with it. In my opinion, the reason why this hobby has gotten such a bad rap over the past 20+ years is that some people have gotten too zealous or vocal with the items they collect or display. It is like the man I knew here in town that collected SS cloth and insignia (nothing wrong with that at all). You had to see how he had it displayed, along with some of his cloth and skulls were pictures he had copied of einsatzgruppen and the such. On the wall he had several Nazi banners, and a reproduction of the movie poster Jud Suss (I collect this stuff and I was offended). How would many of us feel about this guy representing our hobby on TV or in printed format. In my opinion, a collector like that has overstepped the boundaries of a historical representation to glorification and idolization-not for me.
Regards,
Jody
Very true Jody. If I have visitors come over that I don't know well or are friends/customers of my wife, (she runs a photographic studio in another area of the apartment) I usually shut the door to my study as (a) my collection is non of their business and (b) I'm not interested in explaining myself should some judgemental soul decide to take the higher ground and question my political views.
Many good, valid and thoughtful observations have been made in a numer of posts since this thread started. I will not be able to add any substantial new insights here, so just allow me to throw in one random observation:
When it comes to collecting Third Reich material, many people automatically equal "interest" with "identification": That guy is interested in Nazi stuff, so he must be a Nazi.
That is flawed reasoning to begin with, but what endlessly puzzles me is that it seems to be applied only - or at least predominately - to that particular period of history / collecting field.
A real-life example: I once read a militaria magazine on the bus while commuting to work. Apparently looking over my shoulder, some teenage lads behind me saw the headline of an article having something to do with the SS, causing one them to actually remark "Nazi!". To which I clearly replied something along the lines of "I'm not a bloody Nazi, I am merely interested in this stuff". (Which was the end of that.)
Now, that same magazine also had articles on subjects from the German Democratic Republic and Imperial Germany. Had I read one of those, would that idiot kid have automatically assumed me to be, respectively, a Communist or a Monarchist? Somehow, I don't think so...
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