Article about: At a time when there isn't much to laugh about in the news, this item in todays' London Evening Standard brought a smile to my face.....apparently, a School Charity has promised to 'crack do
At a time when there isn't much to laugh about in the news, this item in todays' London Evening Standard brought a smile to my face.....apparently, a School Charity has promised to 'crack down' on car boot sellers after 'Nazi memorabilia' was put up for sale on a PTA fundraising day.
Items included ( I quote...) 'decorative objects adorned with Swastikas....a Blood Order Medal handed out by the Nazi Government to participants in the failed 1923 Munich Putsch....a Nazi Waffen-SS proficiency medal handed out to the brutal armed wing of the Nazi Party...'.
Well, I've got to say, the stuff in the photo looks pretty good to me. Chiswick is only 20 minutes drive from here, so it looks like I missed out on some great bargains !
Selling Third Reich medals- Its disgusting how depraved people can be. I think the woman in question should have immediately performed a citizens arrest on this individual.
Sadly this sort of hysteria is all too common, and along with it the unchallenged assumption that being interested in The Third Reich is the same thing as being a Neo Nazi. In reality it makes no more sense than suggesting a collector of Roman coins is a supporter of gladiatorial combat or throwing Christians to lions.
The Third Reich has the nearly unique distinction of being regarded in popular culture as so depraved that objects associated with it are inherently evil, and that their mere presence causes corruption. No evidence is ever presented to support this bazaar assumption.
On a serious note, I know the fact that the car boot was held at a school was incidental, but perhaps it could have be seen as an opportunity to engage with history by the parents and children I assume were attending by actually handling and asking questions about the items?
When you really think about this it is a little scary... a school banning items of 20th century history. I bet they wouldn't have done that if it was communist items! When my two girls were at school they often took Nazi (and British) items in for history projects.
When I was in senior school in the mid 70's my history teacher always encouraged me to bring in my "WW2 german stuff" for display at parent evenings for display, never a complaint ! how things have changed. I notice now that in WW2 video games & books about the Nazi era that the swastika has been replaced by the Iron cross on the covers! so now the next generation will think that the EK is a Nazi symbol ! outrageous airbrushing of history ! rant over ,regards Paul
Shock ! Horror ! 'Militaria' in the News........
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by Spitace41
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