What about Zombie Hitler?
A friend of mine in high school came to class as Hitler fit Halloween once. This was in '93 or '94. No one seemed to see it as a big deal. Of course, the bullet hole he put between his eyes probably helped contextualuze it.
Well, after he invaded the baseball field I’d sign a non-aggression pact, but I’d be secretly building up my air defenses and get the math class to work on breaking his codes.
Without reading any of the replies, I would do it like this…
1. Teacher
I’d pull him aside and point out that no one will have any sympathy for him when the “kid who dressed as a Nazi” gets a beat down. Then I’d encourage him to change.
2. Principal
If he refused that, I’d send him to the principal who I would expect would give the game in-school suspension for the day just to keep him from getting killed. No further punishment would probably be warranted.
3. Parent who had learned about this.
Quoth Mr. Mackey: “What a sick little monkey.” Honestly, besides shaking their heads in disbelief, what else should parents do?
Off to read the rest of the thread…
My thoughts exactly. The Nazis did a lot of fucked up things to people besides the Jews, and people have, generally, responded by making them into the real-life equivalent of Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars (ie, Generic Bad Guys and the punchlines to jokes).
Would people be offended if someone showed up at school dressed as Emperor Hirohito or Tojo? The Japanese did things every bit as nasty as the Germans but that conveniently gets overlooked for some reason.
Anyway, to answer the OP, I’d take no action at all. It’s not a costume in especially good taste, but Hitler really is a “character” at this point IMHO and is seen as the object of humour in many circles.
After reading all of the replies I’ll add that the only way this would be acceptable is if someone dressed as a generic Nazi (not specifically Hitler) and a friend went as Indiana Jones. Make cause a few problems if they don’t have every class together, but I honestly believe there’s no way a kid could come to school dressed as Hitler today and not leave without getting hit a few times (or much, much worse).
Doesn’t it depend on the audience and the timing? Yes, Halloween is about monsters and demons, but there’s context and audience reaction.
Dressing up as one the 9/11 terrorists (not “terrorist” in general but explicitly one of the 9/11 group, perhaps carrying a model of the Trade Towers with a target painted on it ) would not be well-received by a family who lost loved one; probably not in NYC at all; and probably not even by most Americans, I suspect.
Dressing up as one of the Colorado High School murderers would not go over well in Columbine.
Dressing up as Stalin in a neighborhood of Russian emigrants, probably not cool.
So, it’s all context-related. Hitler with a bullet hole between his eyes? zombie Hitler? probably OK. Klu Klux Klan costume, carrying a flaming torch and a noose? Probably not so good, certainly not in heavily black areas.
Not a single person in that classroom was even alive during WW2, and their parents probably don’t remember it either. This should be a complete non-issue.
The reason, as I pointed out a couple of posts back, is that there isn’t a neo-Bushido movement that’s going around beating people up and occasionally killing them because they’re of the “wrong” race/colour/creed. Not here in the west, and not in Japan.
There are plenty of neo-Nazis. Hitler-worship isn’t a thing of the distant past, it happens here and now. Stupid racist thugs love swastikas, and wearing a swastika (even as a “joke”) identifies you with them. That’s why it isn’t funny.
Try getting threatened in the street by a couple of swastika-wearing neo-Nazi thugs - which has happened to me - and see how funny you think Nazis are afterwards.
Not at all. This is one of those times when a typo completely changes the meaning of the phrase. There is a huge difference between “some kind demon” and “some kind of demon.”
Later thought: Halloween is NOT just about monsters and demons. It’s also about heroes. Plenty of kids dressed as Superman, Batman, etc. So, a Hitler costume or a Klu Klux Klan costume is ambiguous: is the kid being respectful of Hitler/KKK or disrespectful? If the costume becomes fantasy or the anti- becomes clear, that can be different.
And, Gustav, one didn’t need to be ALIVE during WWII to have lost family to Nazi extermination camps. Or to have known someone who had. Or to feel horrible anguish and anger over it. People have drawn analogies to Che, or Hirohito, but I think the best analogy is a Klu Klux Klan outfit. Is it funny? Maybe, in some circumstances, but generally: no. Fantasy monsters are one thing, real monsters leave deep, lasting, hurts – hurts that last for generations.
That is probably true, but it is a sad commentary on American education if a class of 14-year old kids doesn’t know what an evil man Hitler was and thinks it is “cool” to dress up like him.
I had a grade school show and tell day in the late 60’s where I brought lots of my dad’s WWII memorabilia to class that he had “liberated” from German officers during the war. These were an approx 6’x8’ Nazi flag, German officers’ dress swords, and a few related items. No one batted an eye re “offensiveness” but it was more a “Here’s some German war stuff my dad has” vs being Nazi centric.
But times have changed and Hitler is more than just a generic bad guy these days. In 2009 no kid is going as Hitler because he thinks it’s “cool”. It’s an overt and cunning double dog dare to be an offended, upset old man or woman and chase him off your carefully manicured lawn of cultural relativism. If you take the bait he’s won. If you don’t take the bait he’s still won because he knows he’s being offensive, but you’re too scared or conflicted to say anything. The only route where he loses is if you drag his parents into it, and if they defend him out of stupidity or well… gross stupidity there’s not much more you can do.
I see many kids dressed up as pirates for Halloween and they’re not exactly nice guys, despite the glorification by Hollywood.
If I recall correctly, the OP is posting from a town in Saskatchewan, Canada.
The costume is just a costume, but it’s true that WHY the kid is wearing it is important. If he really regards Hitler as a hero instead of a villain then that’s obviously something that needs to be adressed. But it’s just as likely that, to a 14 year old kid in 2009, Hitler is just one of thousands of evil historical figures (and a pretty funny one, from what I understand). It’s been 60 years. As taboos go, that’s a hell of a run, but it’s pretty much over at this point.
I suppose step one would be to ASK the kid why he choose to dress up as Hitler?
Is there a Sexy Hitler costume for the girls?
I can sort of understand why a Hitler costume might work for Halloween, but I would never allow a student to wear a swastika in school. I don’t even care if it’s worn as an Indian symbol of good luck, with the direction reversed. I don’t like hearing myself say this, but it’s true: if you don’t understand why it is incredibly offensive to wear a swastika, even if it’s “just a design”, you never will.
Over time Hitler has become a meme for “real” hardcore true evil especially by those in industrialized Western cultures who deem themselves sophisticated enough to laugh at costumes of Satan, or Vlad the Impaler, or Che Guevara. Hitler is not subject to the usual cultural relativism lens well educated people like to use to view the world because he impacted *their *world. The hipness of evil only works if it’s once or twice removed from your own personal historical experience.
Teacher or principal: I’d tell the kid that it wasn’t an appropriate costume for school and he should wipe the mustache off and remove the swastikas, but wouldn’t make a big deal of it. Teenagers have been pushing the envelope and trying to shock their elders since time immemorial; this strikes me as pretty standard fourteen-year-old boy stuff. And honestly, my brother rigged up a pretty good Saddam Hussein costume, with the permission and cooperation of our parents, when he was ten (admittedly, this was the first Gulf War, pre-9/11 era); I’m not sure Hitler is objectively that much worse, although the potential to offend people and disrupt the learning environment is obviously greater.
Parent (of another child): Meh. Not my problem to deal with.