Dressing vaguely like a Nazi =/= being a Nazi, supporting the Nazi party's ideals or methods, or supporting the Holocaust.
Incidentally, is this person familiar with Hetalia? What's her opinion on depictions of Germany and/or Prussia in Nazi regalia? I understand that the historical connection provides a clear reason for them to be shown in Nazi-wear, where as there is no clear reason for Gackt (or any other person who isn't cosplaying Hetalia or an actual Neo-Nazi) to be wearing an outfit modeled after Nazi uniforms, but does she think that fanart and cosplay depicting characters as Nazis means that the artist/cosplayer must be advocating the Nazi party?
In other words, does she have the attitude of "if you draw fanart of it/cosplay it, you must like it and want other people to like it." Which is bullshit because I drew (unposted and unfinished) fanart of Russia shooting himself in the head, and I most certainly don't think Russia should die, nor do I recommend shooting yourself in the head.
"I am aware that they do not learn the full horrors of what happened during the Hitlers rain in their school system but it is still not ok to dress like them.”
Is she saying that Japanese students don't learn everything about the Holocaust/WW2? I've never heard anything like that before so I'm confused.
If they don't know as much about the Nazis as - I guess - everyone else seems to (which I find hard to believe), then I don't see why she's complaining. I'm sure Westerners with tattoos have gone to Japan and received negative attention because of the "tattoo = yakuza" association. Tattoos aren't a big deal in most places, so you wouldn't expect a Westerner to know that it's a (somewhat old-fashioned) taboo in Japan. And even though it's old-fashioned, that doesn't mean you won't get crap from people about it; My grammar school principal once yelled at some boys in my class to stop walking around with their hands in their pockets because they "looked like gangsters." She was in her 70's at the time, and this was maybe 6-8 years ago.
And I know for a fact that the younger generations in Germany really don't get all that worked up about Nazis - it's only the older people who were alive to witness WW2 that get offended about things like this. In my German class, I heard a girl talking to the TA (who was born and raised in Germany) about her high school German teacher and how she was "a total Nazi" about some grammar rule that we were learning at the time. The TA didn't bat an eye. If the Germans don't give a shit about Nazis anymore, then why the fuck do people of other nationalities get so worked up about it all the time? I remember seeing some picture of that British Prince what's-his-face who wore a Nazi uniform as a Halloween costume a couple years ago. People were all in a tizzy because it was "offensive" and "in bad taste" but I still don't get why no one seemed to notice that IT WAS FOR HALLOWEEN. I don't hear anyone saying that the "demon clown who spits up the blood of innocent children" costume is "offensive" or "in bad taste," but as soon as you bust out the Nazi uniform the shit immediately starts flying.
TL;DR... Gackt's costumes do not make him a Nazi any more than they make him a Gundam pilot. (From the "Metamorphoze" video.) Everybody needs to stop talking about Nazis unless they're discussing Hetalia. The Germans don't give a shit anymore and neither should we.
Germany is disappoint.
Incidentally, is this person familiar with Hetalia? What's her opinion on depictions of Germany and/or Prussia in Nazi regalia? I understand that the historical connection provides a clear reason for them to be shown in Nazi-wear, where as there is no clear reason for Gackt (or any other person who isn't cosplaying Hetalia or an actual Neo-Nazi) to be wearing an outfit modeled after Nazi uniforms, but does she think that fanart and cosplay depicting characters as Nazis means that the artist/cosplayer must be advocating the Nazi party?
In other words, does she have the attitude of "if you draw fanart of it/cosplay it, you must like it and want other people to like it." Which is bullshit because I drew (unposted and unfinished) fanart of Russia shooting himself in the head, and I most certainly don't think Russia should die, nor do I recommend shooting yourself in the head.
"I am aware that they do not learn the full horrors of what happened during the Hitlers rain in their school system but it is still not ok to dress like them.”
Is she saying that Japanese students don't learn everything about the Holocaust/WW2? I've never heard anything like that before so I'm confused.
If they don't know as much about the Nazis as - I guess - everyone else seems to (which I find hard to believe), then I don't see why she's complaining. I'm sure Westerners with tattoos have gone to Japan and received negative attention because of the "tattoo = yakuza" association. Tattoos aren't a big deal in most places, so you wouldn't expect a Westerner to know that it's a (somewhat old-fashioned) taboo in Japan. And even though it's old-fashioned, that doesn't mean you won't get crap from people about it; My grammar school principal once yelled at some boys in my class to stop walking around with their hands in their pockets because they "looked like gangsters." She was in her 70's at the time, and this was maybe 6-8 years ago.
And I know for a fact that the younger generations in Germany really don't get all that worked up about Nazis - it's only the older people who were alive to witness WW2 that get offended about things like this. In my German class, I heard a girl talking to the TA (who was born and raised in Germany) about her high school German teacher and how she was "a total Nazi" about some grammar rule that we were learning at the time. The TA didn't bat an eye. If the Germans don't give a shit about Nazis anymore, then why the fuck do people of other nationalities get so worked up about it all the time? I remember seeing some picture of that British Prince what's-his-face who wore a Nazi uniform as a Halloween costume a couple years ago. People were all in a tizzy because it was "offensive" and "in bad taste" but I still don't get why no one seemed to notice that IT WAS FOR HALLOWEEN. I don't hear anyone saying that the "demon clown who spits up the blood of innocent children" costume is "offensive" or "in bad taste," but as soon as you bust out the Nazi uniform the shit immediately starts flying.
TL;DR... Gackt's costumes do not make him a Nazi any more than they make him a Gundam pilot. (From the "Metamorphoze" video.) Everybody needs to stop talking about Nazis unless they're discussing Hetalia. The Germans don't give a shit anymore and neither should we.
/obscenely long rant OTL