# POLL- Is it OK to dress as Hitler for Halloween? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224 "2015-10-31T00:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Evil_Prince_Zorte)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/1 "2015-10-31T00:42:34Z")
I’ve seen threads in various places with people arguing both side, but I’m curious what the actual numbers are, which is hard to determine just reading through posts. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Evil_Prince_Zorte)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/2 "2015-10-31T00:49:40Z")
My inclination is that Halloween is for dressing as scary monsters, and Hitler counts. From some people’s reactions it would seem that fantasy monsters are ok, but real life monsters are too scary. If your gut reaction is to kick Kid Hitler out of school for the day, would you do the same to Kid Stalin? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/3 "2015-10-31T01:00:14Z")
What do you mean by “should be punished?” That sounds too much like censorship. Yeah, Nazi uniforms on Hallowe’en are tastelesss and crass. But so is the whole modern “dress like a zombie” thing. It’s ugly and celebrates death. So effin’ what? Who gets to write these rules, anyway? You? Me? Donald Trump? ---
**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:** [October 31, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/4 "2015-10-31T01:22:35Z")
Hell no! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/5 "2015-10-31T01:33:39Z")
No, it isn’t, IMO. The horrors of W.W. II are still fresh in the minds of millions of people. Hitler was the driving force behind terror and genocide and is not a fantasy monster like a zombie or ghoul. I wouldn’t punish a kid for dressing like Hitler, but I’d send him home to change into an acceptable costume or no costume. And yes, I’d send Kid Stalin, or Kid Osama, or Kid Amin home, too. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/6 "2015-10-31T02:19:48Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Hell no! You misspelled “Heil.” ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/7 "2015-10-31T02:51:40Z")
It depends. Nothing is going to be ok if you start off as a douchebag. I guess that could apply both to the person wearing the costume or the person seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/8 "2015-10-31T03:22:02Z")
I’d say dressing as Hitler would be okay as long as you don’t try to use that as an excuse to act like a jackass. Dressing as a member of the SS would be out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/9 "2015-10-31T04:22:19Z")
Utterly tasteless, but no one should be “punished” for it unless there was some other harassment associated with act. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/10 "2015-10-31T05:00:44Z")
Fuck no it’s not cool. Zombie Hitler, or Hitler with a bullet in his head I could see – but not for kids. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/11 "2015-10-31T05:21:40Z")
In the spirit of Halloween and roleplaying, Ive shaved my public regions into a hitler mustache and I plan to regale her with a few ummm hitler salutes tomorrow night. Im hoping she wont respond with a night of long knives. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/12 "2015-10-31T13:46:28Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Utterly tasteless, but no one should be “punished” for it unless there was some other harassment associated with act. Yeah, I’m not sure I’d want to live in a country that punished people for tastelessness. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/13 "2015-10-31T13:56:03Z")
Not kids, absolutely not kids. No-one should allow a kid to dress as Hitler. Adults? Okay for a themed party, like “Greatest Disasters of the 20th Century”. Random going to work, out on the town, or even a non-themed party? I can’t say it’s wrong, but I wouldn’t talk to you. I’d avoid being introduced to you. I’d probably leave early. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/14 "2015-10-31T14:17:58Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > No, it isn’t, IMO. The horrors of W.W. II are still fresh in the minds of millions of people. In a school? There are nobody in the school (kids, teachers, or parents) who were alive during WW-II. Very few kids would even have grandparents who were alive then for that matter. If it’s fresh in the mind then its because they’ve been taught to keep it fresh. ---
**Author:** ![May\_20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/15 "2015-10-31T14:23:52Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Utterly tasteless, but no one should be “punished” for it unless there was some other harassment associated with act. ^This. Some costumes are simply a very bad idea for multiple reasons. Hitler is one of those choices. I wouldn’t allow my kids to dress as Hitler, nor would I condone my Hubs doing so. But, punishment over a costume choice? No, that’s too harsh. Now, if the person in the costume is acting the part - doing cruel or inhumane or illegal acts - then punishment for actions is appropriate within the limits of the wrong actions. And, I also do not understand the zombie fascination. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/16 "2015-10-31T14:34:16Z")
> [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](#): > > My inclination is that Halloween is for dressing as scary monsters, and Hitler counts. From some people’s reactions it would seem that fantasy monsters are ok, but real life monsters are too scary. If your gut reaction is to kick Kid Hitler out of school for the day, would you do the same to Kid Stalin? This is retarded. I mean really, really retarded. Hitler was not a monster at all never mind in some kids idea of Buffy fantasy monsters. He really isn’t a fantasy figure who notionally live in the local graveyard and comes out to spook little children who don’t eat their greens. FFS. Hitler was a man. More importantly he represents a lesson in life, or several. He belongs in classrooms, only. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/17 "2015-10-31T14:52:47Z")
I’d wait a few hundred years before bringing that costume out. ---
**Author:** ![tadtooornamental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@tadtooornamental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadtooornamental)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/18 "2015-10-31T17:05:57Z")
I don’t think a child should be allowed to dress as Hitler, but age is a huge factor when it comes to how to deal with it, should it happen. I don’t think a Kindergartener should really even know who he is, and at that point it would be the parent’s decision to dress like that. Don’t punish the kid, but certainly have a conversation with the parents about why they thought that would be appropriate. 8-preteen, kid should probably have an idea who he is at that point, and if he wants to dress as Hitler, I think it’s a parent’s duty to discuss with that child why the child would think that is an appropriate costume. Teenagers definitely know, and are specifically choosing that costume to be an asshat, and I think there should be some punishment at that point- either change or receive an in school suspension (day long detention, separate from the other students). Adults still only do it to be an asshat, and I think they’re probably punished by being ostracized by a large amount of polite society. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/19 "2015-10-31T17:26:01Z")
Imagine the uproar if one of the British Royal Family were to dress up in Nazi regalia! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224/20 "2015-10-31T17:31:02Z")
Vlad the Impaler is ok, Satan is ok, Hitler is never ok because… well something, just ask anyone. I’ve been Castro on Halloween, I could do a Stalin, I doubt those would raise an eyebrow. Hitler is just a hot button. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-ok-to-dress-as-hitler-for-halloween/736224.md?page=2)