# Is the Nazi Era of Stories Almost Over? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664 "2009-07-29T13:36:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/61 "2009-07-31T13:08:05Z")
Leave us not ignore the mass-based right-populist political movement of second-string _Happy Days_ characters: The Potsies! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/62 "2009-07-31T19:28:45Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The Third Reich is dead, but, believe it or not, [fascism is still alive.](http://www.johnreilly.info/fah.htm) Nowhere in power, but alive as a movement. We should always be wary for its resurgence. Yeah, we have to watch out for Sir Roderick Spode and the Brownshorts taking over. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/63 "2009-08-01T18:47:55Z")
The fact is the Nazis were snappy dressers. Yes Stalins mob and Maotze donglers people were totally EVIL but when the representatives of absaloute evil are dressed like your local park bench Meths drinker it lacks a certain “something”. I think that the Nazis as the supreme bad guys will continue right up until the History Channel is consumed by the expanding dying sun and the death of our solar system. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/64 "2009-08-01T21:56:11Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > The fact is the Nazis were snappy dressers. > > Yes Stalins mob and Maotze donglers people were totally EVIL but when the representatives of absaloute evil are dressed like your local park bench Meths drinker it lacks a certain “something”. > > I think that the Nazis as the supreme bad guys will continue right up until the History Channel is consumed by the expanding dying sun and the death of our solar system. Also, they had the whole “Mad Science” thing down pat. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/65 "2009-08-01T23:59:18Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Also, they had the whole “Mad Science” thing down pat. This is so true. No remotely sane person can hear about Mengele and the like and not just feel utter revulsion and fear. The Nazis are still good villains in fiction because they were regrettably good at being bad guys in real life. I did once learn the hard way that if you’re a snotty 14-year-old who resents your parents forcing you to go to Hebrew school, the person to discuss how snappy looking the Nazis were - especially compared to the unavoidable scrappy appearance of the various resistance forces - is not your rabbi. Whose mother survived one of the camps and whose father was in the Polish Resistance and fought in the Warsaw uprising. Regardless of the truth of the initial statement, that’s not a conversation that’ll end well. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/66 "2009-08-02T00:09:46Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > I think that the Nazis as the supreme bad guys will continue right up until the History Channel is consumed by the expanding dying sun and the death of our solar system. A worse fate has already befallen the History Channel: it’s been consumed by theologists, Nostradamus, and Bigfoot. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/67 "2009-08-02T02:28:43Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > A worse fate has already befallen the History Channel: it’s been consumed by theologists, Nostradamus, and Bigfoot. And a small group of Nazis could take them all without even breaking a sweat! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/68 "2009-08-02T02:50:06Z")
You’d think Muslim terrorists could take up the slack, but they always have to spend too much time pointing out how most Muslims are not like that. If they don’t, then they find a car bomb parked outside their door the next morning. On the other hand, I can’t remember the last time, if ever, I saw a film that even hinted that not all Germans in the 1930s and 1940s were Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/69 "2009-08-02T03:16:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …On the other hand, I can’t remember the last time, if ever, I saw a film that even hinted that not all Germans in the 1930s and 1940s were Nazis. Try _Valkyrie_, with Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh etc. The reviews were mixed, but I thought it was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/70 "2009-08-02T03:27:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > On the other hand, I can’t remember the last time, if ever, I saw a film that even hinted that not all Germans in the 1930s and 1940s were Nazis. Try [_Europa._](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(film)) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/71 "2009-08-02T03:45:34Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Try _Valkyrie_, with Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh etc. The reviews were mixed, but I thought it was pretty good. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Try [_Europa._](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(film)) Ah yes, I spoke too soon. We even just saw _Valkyrie_ not too long ago. And I do recall now there being a trend around the 1970s to portray sympathetic Nazis, Germans who were maybe drafted and hated the war and Hitler. But still, these are all very few overall, because let’s face it: Everyone wants to see evil German Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/72 "2009-08-02T20:55:56Z")
I think part of the reason Nazis are still and will continue to be the ultimate evil is that they are being used as a distraction from atrocities that were far worse and just as deliberate, like those of Stalin and Mao, both Communists. > [@dracoi](#): > > the Muslim world still sees the Crusades (700-900 years ago) as a very present and relevant event. And yet their own prior religious wars (jihad as-sayf), beginning with Muhammad, during which they conquered Spain and other vast regions, are somehow no problem to them or anyone else. Odd. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/73 "2009-08-02T21:09:21Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > I think part of the reason Nazis are still and will continue to be the ultimate evil is that they are being used as a distraction from atrocities that were far worse and just as deliberate, like those of Stalin and Mao, both Communists. Come on. It’s not like there haven’t been plenty of movies with Commie villains. You don’t see 'em much since the collapse of the USSR (although, as I mentioned before, there was the recent _Indiana Jones_ movie), but it was a common trope throughout the Cold War. See everything from _The Manchurian Candidate_ to _Red Dawn_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/74 "2009-08-03T04:42:52Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Come on. It’s not like there haven’t been plenty of movies with Commie villains. You don’t see 'em much since the collapse of the USSR (although, as I mentioned before, there was the recent _Indiana Jones_ movie), but it was a common trope throughout the Cold War. See everything from _The Manchurian Candidate_ to _Red Dawn_. From the Arnold Schwarzenegger film [Eraser](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116213/) (1996): **Tony Two Toes: There they are. Commie bastards! Mikey: They’re not communists any more, Tony. They’re a federation of independent liberated states. Tony Two Toes: Don’t make me hurt you, Mikey.** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/75 "2009-08-03T10:55:14Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I do recall now there being a trend around the 1970s to portray sympathetic Nazis, Germans who were maybe drafted and hated the war and Hitler. But still, these are all very few overall, because let’s face it: Everyone wants to see evil German Nazis. Das Boot was a hell of a flick, though. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/76 "2009-08-03T12:01:57Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Are . . . are we the _ **bad guys** _?" It’s actually, “Are we the baddies?” Much funnier. At least to English ears. ---
**Author:** ![bramma23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bramma23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bramma23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/77 "2009-08-03T15:12:40Z")
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Nazis Heinous villains. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/78 "2009-08-03T16:00:37Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Come on. It’s not like there haven’t been plenty of movies with Commie villains. You don’t see 'em much since the collapse of the USSR (although, as I mentioned before, there was the recent _Indiana Jones_ movie), but it was a common trope throughout the Cold War. See everything from _The Manchurian Candidate_ to _Red Dawn_. “Everything” is actually pretty slim pickings. Communists were almost NEVER the villains in Hollywood. Even in the James Bond movies, the Russians were almost never the villains. Oh yes, the Russians were the bad guys in most of Ian Fleming’s books, but in the movies, the Russians were replaced by evil international businessmen. Corporate executives are villains in movies FAR more often than Communists. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/79 "2009-08-03T17:30:53Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I recall a joke : > > SS Officer 1: “Hans ?” > > SS Officer 2 : “Yes ?” > > SS Officer 1: “I just noticed. We are wearing black uniforms, and our hats have skulls on them. Are . . . are we the _ **bad guys** _?” Are we the [baddies](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WelGjjGljHc)? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664/80 "2009-08-03T21:09:04Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Everything” is actually pretty slim pickings. Communists were almost NEVER the villains in Hollywood. That’s not how I remember the 1980s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-nazi-era-of-stories-almost-over/504664.md?page=5)