# Would you consider a Hitler moustache to be hate speech? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569 "2009-11-22T21:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/21 "2009-11-23T11:04:37Z")
It seems like we direct too much of our condemnation for hateful acts in history to symbols, rather than just the perpetrators themselves. People need a picture or symbol to remind them that Nazi=bad? And those symbols must forever be retired to the “Symbols of Evil” non-usage graveyard? It seems that it would be better to make efforts to decontextualize those symbols rather than keep them like a boogeyman in a box. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/22 "2009-11-23T13:31:01Z")
Do a Google image search on Ron Mael. Nothing like a Nazi, just a very eccentric guy. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/23 "2009-11-23T14:58:44Z")
Maybe he’s trying to reclaim it for normal people. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/24 "2009-11-23T20:12:19Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > It seems like we direct too much of our condemnation for hateful acts in history to symbols, rather than just the perpetrators themselves. People need a picture or symbol to remind them that Nazi=bad? And those symbols must forever be retired to the “Symbols of Evil” non-usage graveyard? It seems that it would be better to make efforts to decontextualize those symbols rather than keep them like a boogeyman in a box. Well said. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/25 "2009-11-23T20:33:43Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > It seems like we direct too much of our condemnation for hateful acts in history to symbols, rather than just the perpetrators themselves. People need a picture or symbol to remind them that Nazi=bad? And those symbols must forever be retired to the “Symbols of Evil” non-usage graveyard? It seems that it would be better to make efforts to decontextualize those symbols rather than keep them like a boogeyman in a box. If we decontexualize symbols, then the terrorists have already won. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/26 "2009-11-24T04:18:26Z")
I have Hitler eyebrows. I’m so ashamed. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/27 "2009-11-24T04:36:56Z")
I remember reading of an American GI in WWII with the last name “Hitler”. An interviewer once asked him if he’d ever considered changing his name, and he replied “No, let that son-of-a-bitch change his!”. I can see someone wearing a toothbrush moustache taking a similar attitude. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/28 "2009-11-24T04:48:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I remember reading of an American GI in WWII with the last name “Hitler”. An interviewer once asked him if he’d ever considered changing his name, and he replied “No, let that son-of-a-bitch change his!”. > > I can see someone wearing a toothbrush moustache taking a similar attitude. Could it have been [Hitler’s own nephew](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Hitler)? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/29 "2009-11-24T05:58:41Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > This is too funny at my gym there is a guy with a “Hitler Mustache,” and I keep thinking to myself, what is this guy thinking. > > Does he think, “That Hitler guy did OK with the babes, I bet it’ll work for me.” Hey, some guys do worse with girls [than Hitler](http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/themrtexperience2703/evenhitlerhadagirlfriend128536.html). I don’t know if I’d think he was clueless or trying to be offensive. I guess I’d have to talk to him a while before deciding. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/30 "2009-11-24T20:55:20Z")
I couldn’t make a judgement about hate speech without some indication of his intent. I would probably wonder if he intended to push buttons, might ask him his intent if I had the opportunity. It all depends on the circumstances. But no, steam would not shoot out of my ears just on seeing someone with a silly little moustache. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/31 "2009-11-25T07:50:27Z")
An English comedian, Richard Herring, had a show earlier this year in which he attempted to recalim the toothbrush moustache for comedy - “It was Chaplin’s first, then Hitler ruined it”. He actually grew one for the show. Indeed, Herring said that he wanted to make the toothbrush moustache an _anti_-fascist symbol. His routine included lots of obviously ironic stuff about racists which, predictably, were completely misinterpreted by a few morons. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569/32 "2009-11-25T08:33:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I remember reading of an American GI in WWII with the last name “Hitler”. An interviewer once asked him if he’d ever considered changing his name, and he replied “No, let that son-of-a-bitch change his!” All I could hear is Michael Bolton saying “No way! Why should I change? He’s the one who sucks!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-a-hitler-moustache-to-be-hate-speech/518569.md?page=1)