Had never seen one of these before, until this morning. A young guy parked his truck in front of our apartment building and I noticed the Iron Cross emblem on the bottom of his bumper and then noticed the words Iron Cross right above it. Don't know if they are related, but this young guy was helping our upstairs neighbor move. The upstairs neighbor isn't very "observing" at all, but he is very Christian. I just wonder if he knows about the bumper of the guy that is helping him move. I research it and found the bumper is sold right here in the U.S.. I just wonder why anyone would want a Nazi German Iron Cross at all, but then again, I don't wonder.
Again, don’t jump to conclusions Cody. You’ll see that emblem associated with the Knights Templar and even King Frederick of Prussia used the emblem as a medal during the Napoleonic wars. It was later when the Germans picked up the symbol and even that was before Nazi Germany. Some of the Bikers also use the symbol for shock value and rebellion but isn’t really associated with the same beliefs as Nazi Germany. In order to find out what that symbol means to someone when they display it, you have to ask them. Assumptions lead us all to some very embarrassing moments.
Just like people wear crossses that aren't christian it's possible that the guy with the bumper thing doesn't know antyhting about it's history.
Well, every time I see one of these Crosses, it's a tv show or movie with a German Officer wearing it. Perhaps I've seen a biker or someone else wearing it, but I sure don't recall. Hate symbol or not, many people here would still relate it to the Hitler era. For wife and I, it was most definitely a "shock" value. Heck, the German Iron Cross Medal is even sold on e-Bay!
The Iron Cross was Prussian long before it was German, and it was German long before the Nazi Party came into power. Very similar, the Maltese Cross had its origins in the ancient Celts in A.D. 510, and was used by the Knights Hospitaller at the time of the Crusades, and it was used by several countries, including Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK, and probably still is. The Boy Scouts used the Maltese Cross, as well.
And, then, this: Iron Cross | Hate Symbols Database | ADL IOW, if no Swastika is on the Cross, in America isn't not considered a "hate" item.
IOW, it's like the skulls of today appearing everywhere, baseball cap backwards on the younger generations head and whatever else young folks use to so-called "express" themselves...............it's simply "ok".
Are you on another “hate” rant? I sometimes wear my baseball cap on backwards especially if the bill is in the way. I was looking to buy a coffee mug with a skull and crossbones on it so I guess those two items simply condemn me to some serious judgements right? Life is MUCH easier if folks would simply stop hating on so many things. It’s stuff, just stuff and will never be anything but stuff.
Bobby, I totally understand what you are saying, BUT, what 20+ years ago, I didn't see anyone, except the catcher in a baseball game, wear their had backwards. Actually, if you do some research on opinions of wearing a baseball cap backwards, it's not totally liked or even accepted. One guy, who wrote and article about it, and I read the article, said "it looks so stupid". His opinion, but he sure had enough "likes" to his article. The skull is just another modern-day thing, or at least I haven't see much-to-any in the past. But, we simply don't like how much, in tattoos and window and bumper stickers it shows up today. Then again, there are those that think Raider fans look very weird in what they will wear to a game. Just like the "Cheeseheads" of Green Bay Packers. There are also those young guys that think wearing their baseball cap frontward indicates some type of Redneck or NASCAR driver. Guess wearing it backwards, to young guys, can mean "machoism". I turned by baseball cap backwards once and my wife said (semi-loudly) "turn it back around, please turn it back around!!".
I don't care if people wear their hats frontward, backward, sideways, or inside-out, and when I was in the Boy Scouts, one of the available patrol emblems to use was a Maltese Cross, so that's fine with me, too. In at least one of the World War II books that I have, I read that it was the regular German Army, not the Nazis, who wanted to continue using the Iron Cross, and they had to argue for it. Maybe they should make people quit speaking German because the Nazis spoke German.
@Cody Fousnaugh If you look closely at the enclosed picture you'll see that the Iron Cross is still the emblem of the German Air Force
I used to have what we called a Surfer's Cross when I was 12 or so. I also had one of those temporary tattoos you got in a pack of bubble gum.
I could put up with the cross, @John Brunner, but I may have to ban you for the tattoo. We have to maintain some standards here, you know. By the way, @Cody Fousnaugh, we might be having some fun with it, but I don't at all mind your thread. There are things that annoy me too, but 80% of you do them, and 30% of you would want to force me to do them, too.