# People defending Graham Platner are pathetic and intellectually bankrupt **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839 "2026-06-12T02:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/141 "2026-06-30T22:37:36Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So, if a person had once had a Totenkopf tattoo, everything they say from that point is a lie. Not everything; only until they give me some reason to think otherwise. So, again, what reason has he given to think otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/142 "2026-06-30T22:38:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not everything; only until they give me some reason to think otherwise. In other words, “yes”. “Yes until they give me a reason to think otherwise” is exactly the same as “yes”. Which is, again, completely irrational. Then again, full disclosure. When I was 7 years old, I saw a novel my dad had with a swastika on the cover. (It was some thriller with Nazi bad guys in it.) I had no idea what the symbol meant but found it intriguing. Because, again, I was 7. So, at school I drew the symbol on some artwork. My teacher sat me down and explained, in very simple terms, what it meant. That it was a symbol for bad people who did bad things to innocent people. I never drew it again. But, you know, I did draw it, so clearly you can’t trust me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/143 "2026-06-30T22:46:48Z")
Here’s another way to look at it. I doubt it will be compelling at all, because rational thought clearly doesn’t matter. He got that tattoo many years ago. Maybe he knew just what it was and he’s secretly a Nazi. But in all the years since, there is no evidence of him expressing pro-Nazi or other extreme right-wing sentiment. Yes, an absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. But if you follow that logic, then you can’t say the lack of evidence that he’s honest shows that he’s dishonest. The lack of evidence that he follows through with liberal policies is somehow evidence that he doesn’t actually believe in or will act on those policies. You can’t have it both ways. Unless, of course, fuck logic and thinking and being rational and actually using your brain, because it’s better to rant about a tattoo, and that’s all that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/144 "2026-06-30T23:23:41Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So, if a person had once had a Totenkopf tattoo, everything they say from that point is a lie. I mean, yes? Do _you_ trust people with Nazi tattoos? I generally write them off, unless they give me a _really, really, **really** _ good reason not to. > [@Atamasama](#): > > You’ve clearly decided that rationality has no place in politics. No, he has clearly decided that people with Nazi tattoos have no place in politics. And he’s right about that. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/145 "2026-06-30T23:30:22Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > No, he has clearly decided that people with Nazi tattoos have no place in politics. And he’s right about that. So, you are under the mistaken impression that Graham Platner is covered in Nazi tattoos. I understand your confusion. To make it clear, he is not. He did get a Nazi tattoo once. Which is enough to make him **suspicious** , if you are a rational person. Did he know what it was? Has he shown any other indications of supporting any Nazi ideals? You can judge him on the decision to get a tattoo, or the stupidity of permanently marking yourself with a tattoo without knowing what it stood for. And I do. He’s an idiot. My very first post in this thread said it was a taint on him. It’s absolutely not good. Saying that a picture on a person, and nothing else, disqualifies a person from holding public office is stupid. He is wrong, and you are wrong. You hate the image, you hate Nazis, just as I hate the symbol and Nazis. But that hatred is bringing you to draw the wrong conclusion and clouds your judgement, and makes you unable to make any kind of reasonable determination about this, which is sad, but people make mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/146 "2026-06-30T23:33:58Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So, you are under the mistaken impression that Graham Platner is covered in Nazi tattoos Huh? No, he had a single Totenkopf that he since covered up. Had I said “people with _ **a** _ Nazi tattoo” would you have pointed out that he is not in fact one of a collection of people who each possess a small portion of a single large Nazi tattoo? What point do you imagine you are making here? > [@Atamasama](#): > > Saying that a picture on a person, and nothing else, disqualifies a person from holding public office is stupid. He is wrong, and you are wrong. Whereas I think that trusting people with Nazi tattoos (the plural is inherited from ‘people’, I am speaking of a number of people each of whom has a single Nazi tattoo, since that’s been a point of confusion for you) is stupid and wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/147 "2026-06-30T23:43:47Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Huh? No, he had a single Totenkopf that he since covered up. Had I said “people with _ **a** _ Nazi tattoo” would you have pointed out that he is not in fact one of a collection of people who each possess a small portion of a single large Nazi tattoo? What point do you imagine you are making here? My point is that you are painting a disingenuous picture of a person proudly sporting an allegiance to the Nazi party, rather than a person who received a single tattoo many years ago, since covered up. > [@Babale](#): > > Whereas I think that trusting people with Nazi tattoos (the plural is inherited from ‘people’, I am speaking of a number of people each of whom has a single Nazi tattoo, since that’s been a point of confusion for you) is stupid and wrong. You are putting way too much emphasis on an image, as if it magically transforms a person. You’re employing magical thinking. Literal magical thinking. He got a tattoo. There are two possibilities. 1. He didn’t know that it was a Totenkopf. In which case he’s an idiot for getting a tattoo without figuring out what it meant first. It is _not_ a universally understood image of the Nazis, like the swastika or the _Parteiadler_ (Nazi eagle) logo. It’s plausible that he thought it was a generic skull and crossbones. I might have even thought so before this controversy came up. I had never even heard of the word “totenkopf” before. 2. He knew exactly what it was, and got it because he’s a Nazi, or has sympathy toward them, or likes their aesthetic. Regardless, he thought having a Nazi symbol was fine to have. We don’t have any evidence of exactly what he knew at the time he got it. All we can do is judge whether or not he has shown any other signs that he supports the Nazis, and so far there are none. So, the only reason to disqualify him is if you think that the actual picture is _literally magical_ and turns a person into an evil person, regardless of their intent in getting it in the first place. But, you know, a magic picture makes him untrustworthy. Okay. Go join the Susan Collins campaign. For that matter, since he is running as a Democrat, to counter that picture’s magic powers you better become a Republican. We’ve left the realm of rational thought behind, and have entered the world of occultism and mysticism, so it makes as much sense as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/148 "2026-06-30T23:50:10Z")
The fun part is that at least one of the people harping on about the tattoo would still not support Platner, even if he never got it, because the tattoo is a red herring to not talk about why they actually do not support him. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/149 "2026-06-30T23:52:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > My point is that you are painting a disingenuous picture of a person proudly sporting an allegiance to the Nazi party, You’re shadow boxing. I’m not painting anything, I’m just pointing out that the fucker has a Nazi tattoo. > [@Atamasama](#): > > You are putting way too much emphasis on an image, as if it magically transforms a person. You’re employing magical thinking. Literal magical thinking. Really? If there was a picture of him in blackface, or a Klan robe, would you be doing this idiotic mental masturbation routine? > [@Atamasama](#): > > So, the only reason to disqualify him is if you think that the actual picture is _literally magical_ and turns a person into an evil person, regardless of their intent in getting it in the first place. It’s got nothing to do with _magic_ and everything to do with the sort of person who is fine with having Nazi imagery on their body. You don’t have to be right wing to be fine with having Nazi imagery on your body. [Nazbols are a thing, unfortunately.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/150 "2026-07-01T00:02:57Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Really? If there was a picture of him in blackface, or a Klan robe, would you be doing this idiotic mental masturbation routine? No, because that’s a symbol anyone would recognize. You’re saying he knew exactly what the symbol was and got a Nazi symbol on purpose based on…? And someone being completely irrational trying to insult my intelligence is adorable. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/151 "2026-07-01T00:08:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I’m just pointing out that the fucker has a Nazi tattoo. _Had_ a tattoo. Past tense. But hey, maybe if you call him “the Boy With the Nazi Tattoo” thirty or forty more times it might actually stick. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/152 "2026-07-01T00:13:43Z")
Yeah. The same people who keep saying he’s an anti-semite without evidence. The rift on the left over support for Palestine is interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/153 "2026-07-01T00:13:53Z")
Did you all know that the band KISS is part of the Nazi party? Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are Jewish, and Gene’s mom survived a concentration camp, but they’re Nazis. Ace Frehley designed the band logo and claims that the S’s were supposed to be lightning bolts and he had no idea it looked like a Nazi symbol, but you can’t trust a Nazi so he must be lying. In Germany they changed the logo to comply with German law against anything that that resembles a Nazi symbol but too late, they’re already Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/154 "2026-07-01T00:26:45Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > You’re saying he knew exactly what the symbol was and got a Nazi symbol on purpose based on…? If I was saying that, it would be me saying that, instead of your strawman. Just a helpful tip. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/155 "2026-07-01T00:31:22Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > If I was saying that, it would be me saying that, instead of your strawman. Oh, so **you** didn’t post this? Who did? Was your computer hacked? > [@Babale](#): > > It’s got nothing to do with _magic_ and everything to do with the sort of person who is fine with having Nazi imagery on their body. You are literally saying that he knew it was Nazi imagery. Don’t lie and claim otherwise here. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/156 "2026-07-01T00:34:30Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Oh, so **you** didn’t post this? Who did? Was your computer hacked? > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > It’s got nothing to do with _magic_ and everything to do with the sort of person who is fine with having Nazi imagery on their body. > > You are literally saying that he knew it was Nazi imagery. Don’t lie and claim otherwise here. Huh? No, I just don’t buy the narrative that he is clinically mentally disabled and never realized it was a Nazi tattoo in the multiple decades during which he had the tattoo. Like I said before, if that was true, we shouldn’t be voting for him, we should be voting for his caretaker. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/157 "2026-07-01T00:35:48Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > No, I just don’t buy the narrative that he is clinically mentally disabled and never realized it was a Nazi tattoo in the multiple decades during which he had the tattoo. So, you’re calling me clinically mentally disabled because I wasn’t aware of what a Totenkopf was prior to this controversy. Your arrogance is astounding. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/158 "2026-07-01T00:36:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So, you’re calling me clinically mentally disabled because I wasn’t aware of what a Totenkopf was prior to this controversy. I am? I didn’t realize you had a Totenkopf inked onto your body for the last 20 years without realizing what it was? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/159 "2026-07-01T00:38:02Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I didn’t realize you had a Totenkopf inked onto your body for the last 20 years without realizing what it was? Does having a symbol give you knowledge of what it is somehow? How does having it on him mean that he somehow knows what it is until someone points it out to him? Is there evidence that someone pointed it out, told him what it was, and he said, “I don’t care that I have a Nazi tattoo, it’s cool anyway.” There’s evidence that he found out at some point and had it covered up, which at least suggests that he is repudiating what it means. It’s also possible that he got it covered up for political purposes too, but there’s no way to know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/160 "2026-07-01T00:40:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Does having a symbol give you knowledge of what it is somehow? Yes? If you have a symbol inked on to your body I am going to assume that you are much more likely to know what it means than a random member of the public. _ **Obviously.** _ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=9)