[Pier777]

Don't know why I'm starting this thread. I guess because I saw a FB post I put up a few years ago that I forgot about. In today's climate with them scurrying out from their holes, I figured I would share my (albeit lackluster) story of when I learned what a Nazi -was-.

Do you remember when you learned about what a Nazi was, or any other hate group?

- Pier

I was in elementary school, don't remember exactly which grade/age exactly. I doodled a lot (too bad I never ended up being able to draw like many of my art friends). One type of doodle were "war" themed (the other was underwater themed). I would draw tanks, planes, submarines (oh I loved subs, for some wacko reason) in "battle" with each other. Lovingly, I would draw horrible sketches of usually WWII war-machines with obvious labels to indicate which side they were on. In this case "Axis" vs "Allies". I then drew a line from a torpedo tube (or whatever) to the target and then scribble over the loser, you know, to indicate *BOOM*.

This was doodled on the margins of my notebooks, tests, etc. Basically whenever I was bored during class, which was most of the time. I would indicate which side they were on by a star for allies, or a swastika for the axis. There was no bias on which side won most of the time, it was random.

So it's only a matter of time before my parents noticed my doodles. They sat me down and asked me about all the... swatstikas... I have labelled all over my stuff. I told them it looked cool. And it did, it was aesthetically pleasing and simple.

"I don't think he knows what it means", my dad mused. My confused look on my face confirmed it. I didn't know anything about the war besides that there were two sides and that it took place half a century in the past. I had no idea what the basic "reason" for the war was. Even though it seemed I was -into- war according to my "art", I never actually thought there was a valid reason FOR war. Then again, I was, like, eight?

Then it was explained to me. About how Nazis were more than just an enemy that was fighting for territory, money, or misunderstandings. How my dad had to be hidden during the occupation of Paris, sent as a kid to a little village in the middle of France and pass off as Catholic since his mom was Jewish. How many of my relatives were sent off to the camps to never return.

That's when I realized what a freakin Nazi was. And so, yes, my doodles stopped, at least on that topic. I also don't have sympathy for Nazis. There's a twinge of it since I realize some were raised by racist parents so they had no chance of breaking out of that cage, but for the most part, none. And yes, perhaps there are better ways to handle a white-supremacist than punching or other violent behavior, but do I feel bad? No. Can't say I do.