The Ethics of Collecting

**BrodieBartfast** · 06-22-2018, 11:03 AM

Hello folks.

Stumbled across this article while surfing the net this morning, and I'd be interesting to hear what others think about it.

Getting Rid of Nazi Memorabilia Is Harder Than It Sounds - VICE

It seems to be centred around the idea - once again - that all collectors of Third Reich militaria must be ideologically motivated. Not may be, but 'must' be.

Why else would someone want to collect things related to the Nazis, after all? Historical interest? Don't be silly! We're all skinheads and neo-Nazi nutters!

This sort of logic really gets to me, mainly because it's attacking me - and by extension all of us - on a personal level. How can someone who's never met a militaria collector in their life make such massive judgements on their motivations and ethics? How can they possibly justify tarring everyone with the same dirty brush? Can they read minds? Are the Thought Police watching us through our telescreens?

The alarming thing is that this dogmatic, reactionary school of thought seems to be getting to the point of being commonplace. People don't judge others on their personal merits anymore. They don't care about the facts or about reality. They simply accept the logic they're spoonfed and leave it at that. No time for individual thought or common sense.

This worries me deeply. If this kind of thinking becomes ingrained in society, how will the physical remnants of the past survive? How much of it will be destroyed because it makes people uncomfortable?

The past is unpleasant, horrific even. But that's no excuse to try to censor it.

Rant over. Thoughts, everyone?

Regards, B.B.

**Chopperman** · 06-22-2018, 11:46 AM

This is just my opinion but --
At 22 years old, I would think that you would understand this problem more than most of us.

I see it as a generational thing. I think that a lot of us older collectors came from families
that did not have a lot and as we got older, collecting stuff somehow filled a void. It was also
a time where we knew people who fought in ww1 and ww2 and listened to their stories and read the books
and saw the movies. By collecting the items it gave us more of a personal connection to those that we knew
who actually took part in making the history.

Too much time has passed. Today's youth do not have any connection to that time. They have never met
anyone who was there and have never heard first hand accounts of what it was like. All they have is
the really poor information that they can pull up on their cell phones.

I think it is great that in today's would of instant information, that you enjoy history.
We need more young people like you.

**BrodieBartfast** · 06-22-2018, 11:58 AM

I never met either of my great grandfathers, and yet I feel a deep connection to them that I cannot explain. Both passed before I was born, and I will only ever know them by their faces in old photographs, and yet I feel that I owe it to both of them to preserve the past. My paternal great grandfather brought several things home with him, so the collecting bug is clearly lurking in the family genes somewhere.

I was fortunate to have been able to talk to my great grandmother, an ATS girl, before she passed away a few years ago. I never asked her about the war, as it was an interest I only picked up after she was gone. Once, many years ago, she gave me a polished 20mm shell case from a Hispano cannon. I have it to this day, with a poppy placed in the top of it.

I'm far from the usual product of my time. I don't understand the appeal of selfies or social media, and am much happier at home with my own company. I suppose it's my eccentricity that gives me this interest, but if it is, so be it. I enjoy this hobby, and interacting with the people who share my passion.

I cannot, even for a moment, rationalise or understand this reactionary, emotive way of thinking. Logic, not emotions, should dictate common sense. If we go about reacting to everything and everyone that provokes and offends us, where does that leave us?

To the best of my knowledge, offence has never hurt or killed anyone. You get offended, you move on. Why make a big deal out of it? What do you stand to gain from making a fuss, apart from the obvious attention? It seems that this recent trend of taking offence to everything is nothing more than a narcissistic fad.

I'll continue to collect both Allied and German items, because that's a balanced representation of the conflict. There was not only one side, nor were the Nazis the only evil that permeated that war. I will not overreact to harmless relics of the past, or hide them away, just because some virtue-signalling busybody has decided it is 'problematic'.

What is 'problematic', is hiding from the past, and refusing to learn anything from it. In the words of the venerable FB, *pfui*

B.B.

**Jetthead** · 08-24-2018, 05:28 AM

[QUOTE=
I'm far from the usual product of my time. I don't understand the appeal of selfies or social media, and am much happier at home with my own company. I suppose it's my eccentricity that gives me this interest, but if it is, so be it. I enjoy this hobby, and interacting with the people who share my passion. [/QUOTE]

I'm pretty much the same way, I left social media behind a couple of years ago and haven't looked back since. My interest in history began at an early age starting with the RMS Titanic and I still remember reading an American History textbook like it was a novel during my bus rides to and from school. I became interested in collecting when I saw a documentary about the Nuremberg Rallies. It wasn't until years later that I finally started to collect and I don't regret my decision for a minute!

**Jb4046** · 08-24-2018, 06:21 AM

Online most people hate vice. Especially “meme” culture on instagram since everyone can acknowledge they pander to what’s trending. And that in America is anti nazi, anti trump, anti racism, anti gun, weed culture, all the utter nonsense about 64 genders, black lives matter (who are basically the new KKK in disguise), veganism. All things the new generation “like”. I dont take vice seriously so i am not worried about what they have to say. Although its a shame they are bias and don’t understand the other sides argument.

But I cannot hate social media. It has helped me get in futher in a relationship and broke the ice faster. Me and my friends sends images and videos back and forth on Instagram and discuss things. Snapchat groupchats are pretty funny. I think with the internet if you choose to see what you hate to Hear about. Maybe just avoid doing that.