IIRC, there was a story a couple of weeks ago about a department store – Target, I think – pulling a line of clothing because of a logo that looked like the number 88. Presumably, the number stands for “Heil Hitler,” the letter H being the eighth in the alphabet.
My first thought was that it was one of the stupidest things I’d ever heard (88 being a neo-Nazi-type symbol, that is), but apparently it is true. Can anyone corroborate it?
Even if it’s true, it has to be one of the most lame-brained symbols I’ve ever heard of. Sounds like an Oldsmobile.
RR
“88” was the nickname for the ubiquitous 88mm anti-tank/anti-aircraft gun put to fearsome use by the German military in World War II. Maybe it’s the association with that?
It does sound a little silly though, particularly in comparison with the current ‘Zyklon’ furore.
FWIW, Adolf Hitler’s initials are the basis for the British neo-Nazi group Combat 18.
I think it is pretty well known that ‘88’ is a neo-nazi slogan. I’m not going to look up any refereces but it has been mentioned on several documentaries I have seen on TV. RiverRunner’s explanation is the one I have always heard. H=8 so 88=HH or Heil Hitler.
Note: This post contains a link to a white power record label’s website. I hate the bastards, but I figured what better evidence than from the neo-nazis themselves?
Did clerk say to the manager “I had two more people ask for some shirts with 88 on them.” Eventually the manager would call corporate and say “We had 100 people this year ask for 88 clothes. Why don’t you print some up.”
More likely it is a normal brand of clothes that some professional complainer decided to get offended by.
What next, complain to the moderator about all the 88s in this topic and get it moved to the Pit. :smack:
It’s fairly simple to see how they got into the store. The buyers get people in all the time pushing “the next big thing” – if one of these merchandise guys has a client who makes this neo-nazi crap, he will tell the buyer that “it’s a youth symbol.” The merchandiser may know (or not) what it really is. Target won’t say who manufactured them.
The clothing in question features an “88” with skulls, and what appears to be a little human figure. The pictures I found aren’t very good.
They have a record label? (Thanks for the link, but I’m not about to go there.) You have got to be kidding me. I’m beginning to think I was transported to a different planet sometime recently. This is still Earth, right? This place gets stranger every day.
Thanks for the info,
RR
It’s actually a well-known (albeit pretty stupid) Neo-Nazi symbol. It even appeared in American History X (allegedly).
Next, be on the lookout for shirts with “13” on them. The 13th letter of the alphabet is “M” which stands for either marijuana or methamphetamine (depending on who you ask) and means the person either uses or deals (depending on who you ask). I’m sure they will be hitting malls near you soon.
This whole scenario is stupid. So far, the Nazis and Neo-Nazis have been able to co-opt:
[ul]
[li]A whole class of variants on the cross, including variants used by Asian religions that have existed into near-prehistory.[/li][li]Anything to do with the runic alphabet used by pre-Roman Celtic and Germanic peoples, including certain Nordic mythologies.[/li][li]A complete fucking subgenre of punk rock, including the originally nonracist skinhead style, something that poisons the whole genre to people who don’t know any better.[/li][li]The number eighty-eight.[/li][/ul]
I think it’s time we retake what’s ours. It’s time we stopped letting them decide what the rest of us can and can’t wear.
I think it’s a pretty grabasstically long reach, much like the “311=KKK band” theory. Shirts with numbers on them are popular because the preppy look is wearing shirts with numbers and fake teams on them. I know a pod of cheerleaders who have matching shirts with 88 on them, maybe they are a front for neo-nazis…
And Derleth, I am also pissed about their co-opting of the anti-racist skinhead movement.
I second that, **brad_d[/]. I had never heard of any connotation - negative or otherwise - relating to the number 88.
Ahh, well, ignorance is bliss. I’m just going to keep on living as if I had never learned of such a thing. Denial? Maybe, but I think it’s a pretty stupid thing to get worked-up over.
I think you win the prize, here. I mean, why believe that “88” was used simply because its a very slick looking, symmetrical number when you can dubiously connect it to Hitler and Neo-Nazis?
It only takes one uninformed reporter to print that this is an example of a popular Neo-Nazi graffito to stir up some faux-offense. Hell, this thread could easily be used as a “source”, and bingo, instant credibility for this.
It’s not always devious, organized racists. In fact, it pretty much never is.
