Regarding the news from the (so-called) reaction of the general Brit public of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi costume to a party..Brittish public basically calling it a cute joke, nothing to fret over..
UH...Someone from across the pond want to get the word out to the rest of the countrymen that EXTERMINATION ISN'T FUNNY??? OR CUTE??

Word was the Palace will release an apology..NO! Why not WAKE UP the little spoiled guy and have him VISIT A MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE? Learn what it was like WHEN THEIR COUNTRY-HIS HOMELAND, WAS BOMBED, and give a nice talk about what he's learned!
Would his MOTHER tolerate this?? I would hope not!
:( :-[
   

It is one thing for him to be so stupid as to consider it, and he is a couple of generations removed, some
of his age don't have a clue about all this.  Where were all the people in his entourage who didn't step forward and say "Hey Harry, no wayyyy!"  ? That makes me wonder.  ???

British public basically calling it a cute joke, nothing to fret over..

You obviously haven't been watching the news over here - I suggest that before you tell us what we're thinking, you actually FIND OUT.

It was an asinine thing for him to wear: the one thing this proves is that he skipped history, and didn't realize the significance.  Well, I guess he will now.


Where were all the people in his entourage who didn't step forward and say "Hey Harry, no wayyyy!" ? That makes me wonder. ???

I was thinking pretty much the same thing

That's almost as bad as the leader of your country joking about finding WMDs under the sofa cushions.

Almost.

I'm in agreement with Philbo. A bit silly of him to pull that kind of a stunt. I'm sure he was after a reaction and he now has one.

That's almost as bad as the leader of your country joking about finding WMDs under the sofa cushions.

Almost.

I agree.
Harry is just doing the kind of tasteless antics the frustrated and degenerate young royals have always done to get attention.

According to Allan Starkie, when Harry was asked if his girlfriend from Zimbabwe was approriate for royalty, he said, "It's OK, she's not Black or anything."
Put that together with the swastika armband and it makes you wonder.  Maybe he is a racist, but then maybe he's just an immature dope who has lived in a bubble all his life.  Maybe both.

A survey done a couple of weeks ago found that most people under 25 do not know what Auschwitz (sp?) is/was.  And they had much general ignorance of the second world war.  Personally I was never taught anything at school about it.

Therefore, just possibly, Harry might not have realised quite the true significance of his costume.  According to someone on Question Time last night the person taking the photos thought the press would be more interested in the photo of Prince William dressed as a lion.  That shows me that some people of his age group did not see a problem with the costume.

However, as Danoota and Philbo say someone should have stopped him before he went out in that costume.

He has already issued a statement apologising for it.  What else do you want him to do?

Harry is just doing the kind of tasteless antics the frustrated and degenerate young royals have always done to get attention.

That's a bit harsh... he spends days helping with the tsunami relief program: column inches?  Zero.  He goes to a private party in a quite remarkably stupid costume and suddenly there's condemnation rolling in from all over the world.  I'd agree that he's probably frustrated - who wouldn't be, in his position?  But "degenerate"?  No.  He's no worse than 90% of boys his age, it's just that most of 'em don't have an arsehole with a camera hanging around somewhere close 24 hours a day.

...and as for "always done to get attention"?  He gets a f*** of a lot more of that than any normal person would be able to deal with.  This wasn't done to get attention: he may be stupid, but he can't be *that* stupid.

A survey done a couple of weeks ago found that most people under 25 do not know what Auschwitz (sp?) is/was.  And they had much general ignorance of the second world war.  Personally I was never taught anything at school about it.


wow, finally a ringing endorsement that American schools aren't the worst in the industrial countries.

Considering he's in his early twenties and has been under a microscope his entire life, I'm sure he's just acting out.  Nothing to be too surprised about really.

Funny this is getting more press than Bush's inability to find WMD in Iraq.  Must be that liberal media conspiracy we keep hearing about, that keeps all the presidental blunders out of the paper.

Did I get in the first parody about this?

He came in in a Nazi costume ;)

That's a bit harsh... he spends days helping with the tsunami relief program: column inches?  Zero.  He goes to a private party in a quite remarkably stupid costume and suddenly there's condemnation rolling in from all over the world.  I'd agree that he's probably frustrated - who wouldn't be, in his position?  But "degenerate"?  No.  He's no worse than 90% of boys his age, it's just that most of 'em don't have an arsehole with a camera hanging around somewhere close 24 hours a day.

...and as for "always done to get attention"?  He gets a f*** of a lot more of that than any normal person would be able to deal with.  This wasn't done to get attention: he may be stupid, but he can't be *that* stupid.

Hmmm...good points, Philbo.

That's a bit harsh... he spends days helping with the tsunami relief program: column inches?  Zero.  He goes to a private party in a quite remarkably stupid costume and suddenly there's condemnation rolling in from all over the world.  I'd agree that he's probably frustrated - who wouldn't be, in his position?  But "degenerate"?  No.  He's no worse than 90% of boys his age, it's just that most of 'em don't have an arsehole with a camera hanging around somewhere close 24 hours a day.

...and as for "always done to get attention"?  He gets a f*** of a lot more of that than any normal person would be able to deal with.  This wasn't done to get attention: he may be stupid, but he can't be *that* stupid.


Ah, some perspective!  Thanks Philbo.  The headlines and the 'man on the street' expressions of self-righteous outrage have been more than a bit tiresome...  ::)

Ah, some perspective!  Thanks Philbo.  The headlines and the 'man on the street' expressions of self-righteous outrage have been more than a bit tiresome...  ::)

Any way you slice it, a Nazi costume is still in extremely poor taste, not that Harry thought he was going for the "Most Tasteful Costume" commendation.
I have heard the alarming statistics about the number of British kids who know nothing about WWII.  No generation from any country ought to lose sight of the WWII and the holocaust.  I think we're all getting a little fuzzy on the horrors of that war after 60 years. 

Any way you slice it, a Nazi costume is still in extremely poor taste, not that Harry thought he was going for the "Most Tasteful Costume" commendation.

My one regret is that even if it were true (not that I'm saying it is in this case), an explanation of "it was *supposed* to be in bad taste" would not have helped him (I've been to more than one "bad taste" party in my time).  Giving a royal a roasting is newsworthy... so irrespective of what the facts may happen to be, the vast majority of the news media will bias their stories to suit their own or their readers' prejudices.



I have heard the alarming statistics about the number of British kids who know nothing about WWII. No generation from any country ought to lose sight of the WWII and the holocaust. I think we're all getting a little fuzzy on the horrors of that war after 60 years.

Have to admit that I find it hard to credit, too... I blame that damned EU that's kept the peace in Europe for too long ;)

Any way you slice it, a Nazi costume is still in extremely poor taste, not that Harry thought he was going for the "Most Tasteful Costume" commendation.
I have heard the alarming statistics about the number of British kids who know nothing about WWII.  No generation from any country ought to lose sight of the WWII and the holocaust.  I think we're all getting a little fuzzy on the horrors of that war after 60 years. 


I'm not disputing the deplorableness of the Holocaust -- I just find the finger-pointing irritating is all.

As far as education and awareness, I frankly don't remember how much we learned in school about the Holocaust, slavery etc. -- at least in terms of specifics, but it was taught -- and you could at least see a mini-series like 'Roots' and 'Holocaust' on TV back then.  Today, the FCC would find it all too 'offensive'...

Then again, the whole idea of what one person or another might find 'offensive' is frankly quite a mystery.  You had a popular TV show in the 70s that portrayed Nazis as lovable bumbling incompetents, and then there's 'The Producers'...  If Harry dressed up as Colonel Klink, would that have been 'offensive'?

A survey done a couple of weeks ago found that most people under 25 do not know what Auschwitz (sp?) is/was.  And they had much general ignorance of the second world war.  Personally I was never taught anything at school about it.





I have heard the alarming statistics about the number of British kids who know nothing about WWII. No generation from any country ought to lose sight of the WWII and the holocaust. I think we're all getting a little fuzzy on the horrors of that war after 60 years.




Have to admit that I find it hard to credit, too... I blame that darned EU that's kept the peace in Europe for too long ;)


It all has to do with the difference in the way subjects are studied at school.

At the age of 14 I had to choose which subjects to study for my O levels.  I dropped History as a subject then.  Since History is taught in a time line I got as far as the Elizabethans/Sir Wlater Raleigh and all that and then stopped.  Therefore I am very hazy about the more recent history.  Picking up most of it from films and documentaries on the telly. 

My parents were both born in 1940 so have very little, if any, memories of the war.  Both my grandfathers worked in a protected industry.  Their factory just swapped to making tanks etc. so they have little actual 'action' to tell either.

Who gives a rats' as* about the royal family?

Who gives a rats' as* about the royal family?

I tend to agree... but obviously lots of people round the world do, from the amount of sheesh that's been stirred up.  We live in a world that loves celebrity for celebrity's sake - you don't have to earn your fame.  Sigh.

Of course this wouldn't matter as much if his great Uncle hadn't been a Nazi.. sorry Nazi Sympathiser ::)... You think that if he wasn't such a little facist they wouldn't have found a way from him to marry that ugly american woman and keep the throne.. of course they would. #

Harry is a buffoon, most of the Royal family is made up of such people, they live in a bubble and aren't aware of the outside world.

As Philbo said.. he may be stupid but he can't be that stupid. However, nearly 50% of people in the country knew what Auschwitz was.. only 75% had even heard of it. This says something about the state of Education in this country. Now let's turn this around.. what were Bliars three main policys.. Education.. Education & what else.. ah yes Education. Having spent most of my life being Educated under a Labour government i can tell you this. I never went to a school that had enough money in the budget (and I have been to 5) i never went to a school that hadn't employed at least one dodgy git (I once punched a teacher because he grabbed me by my shirt and ripped it down the front.. he was fired.. they recognised he was a Phedo) And from talking to friends a few years older than me GCSE results have got worse whilst the tests have got easy... yeah sure you still get the straight A students.. i don't know one.. i don't know one single person who got straight A's.. or even 3-4 A's.

Granted Harry was educated privatley, let's take him out of this... Education in this country is awful and i can see who we have to blame. The Holocaust was and will be the single most awful time in history. I'm sorry but i can't really see anything that compares, yes there have been mass exterminations.. there have been larger scale exterminations however The Final Solution was just like a machine. In most cases wide spread extermination is due to some sort of deep set fued.. not so in the case of the Nazi's they just needed a scapegoat and then exterminated them.

People need to remember that this happened so that it cannot happen again.. talk to your friends ask them if they know about Kristalnacht, ask them if they know about 'The Angel of Death' ask them simply if they have heard of Auschwitz.

What Harry did was incredibly stupid how he could think that impersonating one of the people that killed Thousands of English soldiers could be 'a larf' is beyond me all i can say is maybe we should consider that this 'boys' brother will one day by King.

That's a bit harsh... he spends days helping with the tsunami relief program: column inches?  Zero.  He goes to a private party in a quite remarkably stupid costume and suddenly there's condemnation rolling in from all over the world.  I'd agree that he's probably frustrated - who wouldn't be, in his position?  But "degenerate"?  No.  He's no worse than 90% of boys his age, it's just that most of 'em don't have an arsehole with a camera hanging around somewhere close 24 hours a day.

...and as for "always done to get attention"?  He gets a f*** of a lot more of that than any normal person would be able to deal with.  This wasn't done to get attention: he may be stupid, but he can't be *that* stupid.


Well said, and I agree completely. He's only a teenager and he already has more tremendous responsibility than most people have at any age in their life. Not only does he have to live up to the Windsor name, but also to the memory of his mother. If that isn't enough to live up to already, he must also deal with the fact that he just might be the (symbolic) head of state for several nations one day. I don't know how I'd deal with the thought that perhaps, one day in a cruel twist of fate, my grandmother, father and brother are all deads and now I must step up as King of Britain, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zeland, several African and West Indian states... I don't feel sorry for him at all, he's well taken care of and doesn't have any survivalist worries, but I do understand. Teenagers have an intrinsic urge to see what happens when they shake up the standards which govern their lives. It's healthy and it's part of becoming an adult. He isn't exempt from that just for being born into government.

Harry is a buffoon, most of the Royal family is made up of such people, they live in a bubble and aren't aware of the outside world.


I wonder if he is under the buffoonery tutilage of Prince Philip.

You obviously haven't been watching the news over here - I suggest that before you tell us what we're thinking, you actually FIND OUT.

The news that reached the states was a majority of Brits interviewed stated it was no big deal... The too, even in the states some talk shows have receieved the same types of calls UNTIL THEY WERE PUT IN THEIR PLACE!! 1. That it represents something atrocious. 2.It is nothing to joke about..same as if a guy dressed in KKK garb. #. And anyone who thinks it's nothing should be educated as well about the meaning.
We(USA)  are also getting dribbled news that first Prince Charles had reprimanded Harry, then it comes out he did no such thing. So some reports are slow in getting here as to how it will be handled. 

They said William helped pick the costume with him..there goes his support team..
Any day now we'll see Ashton Kutcher show up promoting his UK version of YOU'VE BEEN PUNKED!!
(Or so you wish Harry).

This gives me a great idea for my 2005 halloween costume a coffin that opens and I'm dressed like Di with a steering wheel on my face) ooooooooo..  so badddddd

We(USA)  are also getting dribbled news that first Prince Charles had reprimanded Harry, then it comes out he did no such thing.

Whether Charlie did reprimand his son or not will not be officially released.  What you're getting is speculation and rumour, not news.

With all those offended, they would like to know and maybe use as an example what will happen to some smart aleck who does this.. The written apology just doesn't cut it..

That read like..'if anyone was offended I'm sorry'..IF ANYONE??? Oh, just in case someone may have been!

We'll hear more as it progresses...perhaps if he DID visit Aushwitz ok, but they're right, not with everyone losing the attention of the upcoming ceremony...

You really think that there's more than a very small handful of people who'd be publicly criticised in the same way for the same thing?  "Used as an example"?  The first ten minutes of the news yesterday was full of rentaquotes from Israel, the US, Australia (amongst others... I didn't notice anyone from Germany, though) all saying how dreadful it was that he wasn't apologising to them in person for the personal affront he'd given.  Totally OTT and ridiculous: it's not as though he'd intended to stage a worldwide appearance.

There was a German on 'Newsnight' she said if that was done In Germany he would either be arrested and sent to Prison for three years or given an exceptionally large fine. They ain't keen on that period of History in Germany. Not very good PR.

Who gives a rats' as* about the royal family?


Not me. I'm certainly not a monarchist.  :)

EAT THE RICH
PUT A GUN TO THE SONOFABITCH!

God save etc.. just.. you know.. wanted to let it be known i am no Royal fan

EAT THE RICH
PUT A GUN TO THE SONOFABITCH!

God save etc.. just.. you know.. wanted to let it be known i am no Royal fan


Are you quoting from Aerosmith, Andy. I know they did a song called 'Eat the rich'. Really cool too.  :)

If memory serves tis Motorhead song.. could be origionally Aerosmith but sounds v. lemmy.

I actually just listened to the Fozzy version.. they are playing Nottingham i am so gonna see em.. get Chris Jericho like  :)

If memory serves tis Motorhead song.. could be origionally Aerosmith but sounds v. lemmy.

I actually just listened to the Fozzy version.. they are playing Nottingham i am so gonna see em.. get Chris Jericho like  :)


Very good.  :)

Mr Jericho.. yeeess... can you wrestle in my garden.. suuuuure... cool see you soon.

I imagine it will go like that... anyway get back on subject!

Not that I approve, but there's a chance that maybe he was just wearing the costume as a joke. Heck, Colonel Klink wore a Nazi costume on Hogan's Heroes.

I think that a monarch is a powerful symbol of national unity, so I see no use in abolishing the monarchy. The system isn't broken so there's no need to fix it.

There's been some talk in Canada about getting rid of the monarchy, which I oppose. The Queen is a symbol of not only our national unity, but also of our history in the British Empire. It would be a shame to lose that. She is a non-partisan icon to whom every citizen can look with patriotic pride. She is also an exemplary Canadian as she speaks perfect French and then of course English. Not to mention the small bit of emergency veto power the Crown posesses is necessary to make sure that the real interests of the people are always being provided for. Said powers lie with the Queen's Governer General, a Canadian citizen who's been appointed by the Queen at the behest of the Prime Minister, an elected official. Besides, most people love her. Whenever there's a royal visit, people go crazy. They like her even more when they have pleny of green pictures of her in their wallets, heh heh ;).

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/graphs/photos/general/2001-04/cjs_20f.gif

I'd agree that Harry should have been aware of the furore his outfit would cause. He is a young man under a lot of pressure, maybe he felt a private party would enable him to "let his hair down" a bit, outside the public glare. Why he chose that outfit is a mystery (other than his German ancestry); according to the Press he was unable to obtain the caveman outfit he originally requested, and (luckily) turned down the offer of a full SS uniform, choosing an Afrika Korps outfit instead; I've been to the shop he hired the outfit from, it does have quite a selection of military outfits, but there are many alternatives he could have chosen. Of the outfit he did choose, all he needed to do was remove the swastika armband, the Press wouldn't have got their controversy shot, BNP offices around the country wouldn't have a lovely picture to pin up on their walls, and we'd probably be discussing Harry's drink & drug predilections rather than this palaver.

The Red Indians were systematically massacred by white invaders, then their land taken. No-one ever seems to get dissed for dressing as a cowboy, I was wondering if there will ever come a time when people will stop bringing up the Holocaust every time WWII is mentioned- the Afrika Korps weren't directly involved in Vernichtung or Endlosung, but it seems history has resulted in them being tarred with the same brush as the Gestapo or SS. I realise Harry, because of his position, made a serious blunder in not calculating the hysteria his choice of outfit could cause, even if he did choose the Afrika Korps outfit as a less controversial option to the SS one. I think the major factor in this palaver is the Press deliberately exciting those who wish the Holocaust to be daily news- the Press then get outraged responses from the Simon Weisenthal types, which make for more easily-written headlines, and the story perpetuates itself. Point being is that the media could have made more of the fact that although Harry was wearing a swastika, he was not wearing a uniform of a Nazi organisation involved in the Holocaust, but that wouldn't have given them quite so many column inches to fill; therefore the Press are, in my view, more culpable than Harry for offence caused to the various parties in the "don't forget the Holocaust" camp. I know that group weren't the only ones to be offended, and rightly so, but they are the group that's pontificating most loudly on the subject; most British people I've spoken to, including people who lost relatives to the Germans in WWII, feel that whilst Harry has made a serious error, the measures taken by the Palace to educate him (visit to Auschwitz, watch Schindlers List, lecture with Rabbi) should prevent any further slide towards Prince Phillip-like antics.

Reading this back, it appears I'm trying to defend Harry. I'm not, he was wrong. I personally think the Royal Family are an intrinsically racist, arrogant bunch of oafs who need to modernise their attitude per se, until that happens, they'll continue to offend people at random, and make people overseas ask "what the heck are that lot on?". I won't hold my breath until that change takes place, though....

Reading this back, it appears I'm trying to defend Harry. I'm not, he was wrong.

You pretty much summed up how I feel, too - I did like the cowboy analogy.

Incidentally, according to the historian that the Today program used, it wasn't a real Afrika Korps uniform, but a "fantasy" (his word, not mine) uniform similar in colour and style.


There was a German on 'Newsnight' she said if that was done In Germany he would either be arrested and sent to Prison for three years or given an exceptionally large fine. They ain't keen on that period of History in Germany. Not very good PR.

The German ambassador was on Today this morning (explaining why he didn't agree with some of his countrymen who want the German law extended to the rest of the EU) - interestingly enough, his fairly precise description of the law as it stands in Germany does not ban displaying/wearing of Nazi uniforms or symbols other than in a public place (with fairly sensible exclusions for museums etc.).  The ambassador was naturally very coy about answering whether Harry would have been arrested, but my guess would be at a private function there would have been no offense committed.

The Red Indians were systematically massacred by white invaders, then their land taken. No-one ever seems to get dissed for dressing as a cowboy, I was wondering if there will ever come a time when people will stop bringing up the Holocaust every time WWII is mentioned
"Red Indian" is just a bit dated.  Native American is the one now in general usage, though some Native American" activists, such as Russell Means, prefer "Indian."  The indigenous people's of Canada use the term "First Nations," which I think would be cool for Native Americans to adopt.
Anyway, as Rush Limbaugh said--or as David Frum wrote on behalf of Rush--"There are more Indians alive today than when Columbus arrived."  Don't forget, from the same source, "there are more acres of forest land in North America today than at the time of Columbus."
I don't know that people need to mention the Holocaust every time they mention WWII, but I think the association needs to be inseparable, don't you?

I love Britain. The slang, the music(well at least British invasion-era rock bands), literature..and well, my girlfriend is British.  8)

I love Britain. The slang, the music(well at least British invasion-era rock bands), literature..and well, my girlfriend is British.  8)


Ah. To an Americaphile (correct word anyone?), that's cool to hear, ElDuderino.

Whereabouts does your girlfriend come from?

I believe the latest news on Harry is that, for his punishment, he is mucking out his father's pigs.  ;D

Then again, the whole idea of what one person or another might find 'offensive' is frankly quite a mystery.  You had a popular TV show in the 70s that portrayed Nazis as lovable bumbling incompetents, and then there's 'The Producers'...  If Harry dressed up as Colonel Klink, would that have been 'offensive'?


What? Is no one else intrigued by this phenomenon?  ::)

Ruling elites by defintition are contemptuous of anyone who is not in their close circle .. it's a hierarchical thing ..
it was ever thus and ever will be..
.knowledge of what nasty things other ruling elites have done at other times in history is not a prophylactic ...

the stories about the shop that rented him the costume .. he did first go for the SS trormtrooper  costume but it didn't fit ....and the fact that natives and colonials is a popular theme for such parties shows only too clearly their overwheening  and deeply unattractive arrogance....

what do you expect?????

What? Is no one else intrigued by this phenomenon?   ::)


They could get away with it back then, Leo. There were lot's of British sitcoms that would probably not see the light of day in this era (Mind your language, 'Till death us do part and Love thy neighbour come to mind).

I am guessing that Mel Brooks (The Producers) being a Jew kind of adds a sense of acceptance to The Producers as well.

Then there's Basil Fawlty not mentioning the war as well.  ;D

They could get away with it back then, Leo. There were lot's of British sitcoms that would probably not see the light of day in this era (Mind your language, 'Till death us do part and Love thy neighbour come to mind).

I am guessing that Mel Brooks (The Producers) being a Jew kind of adds a sense of acceptance to The Producers as well.

Then there's Basil Fawlty not mentioning the war as well.  ;D

"Vill you stop talking about ze var?"
"Well you started it!"
"Ve did not!"
"Yes you did, you invaded Poland!"
;D ;D ;D

"Vill you stop talking about ze var?"
"Well you started it!"
"Ve did not!"
"Yes you did, you invaded Poland!"
;D ;D ;D


One of the many reasons why Fawlty Towers is a classic.  :)

Ah. To an Americaphile (correct word anyone?), that's cool to hear, ElDuderino.

Whereabouts does your girlfriend come from?

I believe the latest news on Harry is that, for his punishment, he is mucking out his father's pigs.  ;D




I really do not know, Bobby. She was born and raised here, her family is British though(mostly). She doesn't really speak of her family much though, I think she has some issues there is the reason, her mother died last year.  :\'( Unfortunately I never met her either, it was before I really came along. Our coupling has been rather recent, so where in England her family is from is a detail I cannot provide at this time. But I'll tell you what, next time I see Lindsay I will ask her.

I really do not know, Bobby. She was born and raised here, her family is British though(mostly). She doesn't really speak of her family much though, I think she has some issues there is the reason, her mother died last year.  :\'( Unfortunately I never met her either, it was before I really came along. Our coupling has been rather recent, so where in England her family is from is a detail I cannot provide at this time. But I'll tell you what, next time I see Lindsay I will ask her.


That's fair enough, ElDuderino. I hope that her issues with her family were resolved before her mother's death.  :)

Cool.  8)

I believe the latest news on Harry is that, for his punishment, he is mucking out his father's pigs. ;D



Sounds like a good punishment to me.

I think it was the actions of a stupid kid..plain and simple.  I don't think he was trying to get attention or trying to offend...he just wasn't thinking.  The only reason it is getting so much press is because of who he is.

"Red Indian" is just a bit dated.  Native American is the one now in general usage, though some Native American" activists, such as Russell Means, prefer "Indian."  The indigenous people's of Canada use the term "First Nations," which I think would be cool for Native Americans to adopt.
Anyway, as Rush Limbaugh said--or as David Frum wrote on behalf of Rush--"There are more Indians alive today than when Columbus arrived."  Don't forget, from the same source, "there are more acres of forest land in North America today than at the time of Columbus."
I don't know that people need to mention the Holocaust every time they mention WWII, but I think the association needs to be inseparable, don't you?

Sorry Max, and anyone else I offended by my clumsy phrasing. I think I was a bit 'wound up' when I wrote my original post (I quite often write on here first thing in the morning, I think 'issues' get to me more than I realise, early on). Obviously the term Red Indian is out-of-date, I should have realised, but I do sometimes deliberately use out-moded expressions, just for their shock/ quaintness value.

As for the Holocaust/ WWII thing, I do have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about that. We have quite a strong 'Holocaust remembrance' league in Britain, who bring up the Holocaust every time WWII is mentioned. Whilst I totally recognise the Holocaust was one of the worst events in modern history, and many people will always think of the Holocaust immediately WWII is mentioned, I have an objection to the way that 'Holocaust remembrance' groups jump on any occasion WWII is mentioned to promote their cause. Of these groups, the Jewish factions seem to be the most vocal. It seems that the world gives Israel any leeway it wants, because of what happened to it's people in WWII, and the 'Holocaust reminders' use any given opportunity to tug at the world's heartstrings in order to increase that situation. That's what I was objecting to, really; I was wondering how long it would be before they 'let it lie'. Before long, all the perpetrators, and all the relatives of those directly involved, will be dead through old age- whilst I realise those groups persecuted during the Holocaust would not want their losses forgotten, at the same time, is it really constructive to keep bringing it up at every given opportunity? Most Germans nowadays abhor the Holocaust, and are certainly still aware of it- at a time when we need to be building bridges in Europe & around the world, we don't need these vocal parties in the UK muck-raking & strirring up old ill-feeling, for the sake of improving concessions for modern-day Israel. They even nearly managed to get a law drafted that made it illegal to deny the Holocaust; whilst I think it's appalling that anyone would try to do that (mainly far-Right propagandists, apparently), I object to this sort of interference in public language from pressure groups, and was relieved when it wasn't made law- a law preventing people lying when speaking publicly would have been totally unworkable, particularily for politicians!

To perhaps return to the Native American analogy, one immediately thinks of America when the phrase 'massacre of the Red Indians' is used, whereas most people don't immediately cry 'but they massacred the Red Indians' whenever anyone mentions America.

Prince Harry didn't use a costume of a German army unit involved in the Holocaust, which is why I object to the 'Holocaust reminders' being the most vocal party to show it's disapproval of his recent error. The fact I have German relatives, some of whom were drafted to fight under Hitler, probably makes me more sensitive to the German army all being tarred with the same brush as the SS & Gestapo, the main executors of the Vernichtung program. Perhaps I have a bag of Kartoffel chips on my shoulder!

Sorry Max, and anyone else I offended by my clumsy phrasing. I think I was a bit 'wound up' when I wrote my original post (I quite often write on here first thing in the morning, I think 'issues' get to me more than I realise, early on). Obviously the term Red Indian is out-of-date, I should have realised, but I do sometimes deliberately use out-moded expressions, just for their shock/ quaintness value.


Noooo, you didn't offend me!  I'm only razzing you. 
;)
I do come from a very PC town in which there are many PC people who really would dress you down for "red Indian."