Am I the only one who thinks the Prince Harry/Nazi outfit thing is silly?

[UdoKier]

It was a costume party. You could dress up as Hitler himself, goose-stepping, so what - it's not a statement of admiration any more than dressing up like hannibal Lecter means you admire serial killers.

It just seems blown out of proportion.

BTW, I noticed Faux News' crawl while talking about the "controversy" was citing various links between the "royal" family and the Nazis. It's funny that there was no mention of Prescott Bush and the Trading With the Enemy Act...

Anyway, I really dislike the "royal" family - I think they should be cut loose, have all their property confiscated and should have to fend for themselves off the public teat like everyone else - but this flap seems ludicrous.

[Shrek]

1. I agree that it has been overblown

But it was still in poor taste.

[imax2268]

2. well...

hey...what do you expect from the MSM...to them...this is more important...

forget about WMD search being called off, the paying of people to promote their agendas...etc...this and the CBS/Rather story are all that's important to them...they have to protect Dim-son...

[MisterP]

3. Steve Bell had an appropriate toon today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/archive/0,14955,1284265,00.html

[katinmn]

54. It showed very poor judgement by someone with all the

advantages one could possibly have. If he had been listening to the headmasters he would have known better.

I think sending him to Auschwitz for an education is a very good idea.

[Maple]

4. That's what

this is likely about. There are anti-monarchists in the UK, who have worked for years to get rid of the royal family.

Not much luck with the 'Queen Mum' around, as she was very popular, but they said they would intensify their effort after she was gone.

I've noted the rise in anti-monarchy stories since her death.

[ThorsHammer]

7. Good

I'm no fan of royalty, and the sooner it's gone the better.

[dolo amber]

5. What if he'd dressed up as the devil?

The very incarnation of pure evil? (or would that be Reagan...:think: :D) That would've been ok, I expect nothing at all would've been said. I can see how maybe people would shake their heads at this, but the uproar over it is indeed silly. And before anyone goes all flamey on me, I am Jewish and as such am no great Hitler fan...I just think the magnitude of the incident is WAY over the top.

[onecent]

60. What if he dressed up as Bush??? Oh Wait, he did....n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Would you feel the same if Jenna Bush donned a sheet and hood?

Although, I think it is also overblown and a media "celebrity" event, it is beyond bad taste.

[Karenina]

8. Good analogy!

:toast:

[physioex]

13. Bad analogy...

Jenna is a public figure. Harry is a figure head.....

[Maple]

15. Jenna will never be president

Harry could well become King

[physioex]

19. King....Schming....

No one takes the Crown seriously. It's just there for pagentry and sell tabloids....... I hope there will soon come a day when England has the sense to get rid of this nonsense altogethor.....

[Maple]

21. Lots of people

take the Crown seriously. That's why it's endured for so long.

The crown and the state are inseparable, and provide stable government, no matter what politicians get up to.

[physioex]

26. Fine by me.....

I just don't share that opinion.

[Maple]

29. Well, you're American

[Karenina]

58. And COMPLETELY oblivious

to others' sensibilities. (Grab dem orphans and give 'em a proper X-tian upbringin'.) :eyes:

[ChairOne]

43. And King-of-Britain is *nothing* like being POTUS....

... so what's the point of *that* analogy again?

[JanMichael]

17. You are correct, it's worse

nt

[Minstrel Boy]

9. "You could," but so long as there is a royal family,

this ought to be a definite no no for them.

It's one thing to think them silly. They are. But disgust at an heir wearing Nazi regalia is not silly.

[Ready4Change]

10. It's a sign of internal politicing.

It getting this much negative media indicates someone important is displeased with Harry. Otherwise it would have been viewed as "impudently rascally" and faded overnight.

[youngred]

11. not tasteful certainly, but definitelyoverblown

the kid is 20 (and speaking from the vaunted age of 21) and is bound to make mistakes and poor judgements.

[physioex]

12. I agree.....

This belongs in the Enquirer and does not deserve the international spotlight. I come here to DU to get away from this sensational nonsense...

[adigal]

14. It kept us from Armstrong and WMDs

None of this is coincidence. This keeps the focus off Iraq, Armstrong, torture and the lack of WMDs. I never thought I would think like this, but I do now.

[Bonobo]

16. I would bet $1,000,000 that you are not Jewish. Nuff said.

[adigal]

22. I hope you don't think I was condoning this

I teach this subject and what the Nazis did sickens me. My not very well explained point was that, while deplorable, the MSM has also used it to take the focus off other things, like they did with the Petersen case.

My apologies.

[Bonobo]

28. I was responding to the original poster, not you. Apology accepted.

But I am deeply concerned with others' attitudes.

On TV, we have US soldiers using the Nazi defense of "I was just following orders" and even the TV pundits make no mention of how that same defense was used during the Nurenburg Trials.

I am afraid that America at large has lost its sense of decency and can no longer recognize evil. The apologists for Prince Harry are obviously not aware of how far they have themselves slipped down the slippery slope.

[adigal]

33. I agree n/t

[UdoKier]

31. I'm an atheist from atheist parents

But almost all my friends growing up were Jewish. And I'm pretty sure none of them would be in an uproar over this either.

It may be tacky, but doesn't merit this media blitz.

[Bonobo]

35. Guess I won the bet. What a surprise.

[UdoKier]

36. And what a surprise that you think you can judge people by their religion

and ethnicity.

I'm glad for you that you feel you won something.

[Bonobo]

40. I judged you by your insensitivity. It was easy, believe me.

[UdoKier]

41. Keep on judging. Apparently it's your forte.

nt

[Bluebear]

18. What if Jenna wore a KKK hood to a costume party?

After all, she is part of "America's royal family". It really was not a well thought-out stunt on Harry's part.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

20. He's just a kid and kids don't always know the ramifications of things.

He probably just thought the uniform looked kind of cool or something and didn't understand that it would create hurt feelings. Kids do dumb things....

[Maple]

23. He's 20

How old are your soldiers?

[Karenina]

24. The Cat has STAFF.

'nuff said.

[theboss]

55. He is NOT a kid

He's a 20-year-old who has been raised since birth to behave in a certain way. If his grandmother, father, and brother were blown up in an IRA bomb or died in a planer crash or something, he would be the fucking King right now.

But I agree that this whole thing just points out how ludicrous the entire concept of a royal family is. But, I'm not sure I would advocate a change either.

[Kathryn7]

56. 20 and not on his own is still a kid.

It's not his normal attire, it was a costume party. Not politically correct, but not racism either. Stupid at the most.

[stray cat]

25. Britains were repeatedly airbombed by the Germans

Unlike Americans, that small country was fighting for its life. It might be like wearing an Osama Bin Laden costume to a 9-11 commeration.

[Bridget Burke]

27. It's not evidence of any sinister plot but tasteless ...

...for somebody in his position. There's the family business to consider. At least some in the older generation realize they've got a few obligations along with their many privileges.

I'd suggest he be spanked. But he might enjoy it.

[greyfox]

30. ABSOLUTELY!!!!

What a farce!!! It was a costume part already.. get over it! Geez... the Shrub should wear one daily as a regular suit anyway!

[mr blur]

32. He's not a "kid"!

He's 20. Certainly old enough to be in the army and get killed if they ever let him near anything more dangerous than a bottle of champagne. All members of our royal family are congenitally stupid. They have people to think FOR them. They are allowed to say whatever they want so long as it's dumb enough to label them "eccentric" (ie harmless). He's just a chip off the old block - his father is a humourless, arrogant, selfish halfwit. His grandfather is a racist idiot. They're bred that way.

[MsTryska]

34. Nope - do to, but it's a slow news week i guess.

status quo on the tsunamis, there's flooding all over, but how many floating cars can you show all day? and of course we don't want anything like controversy to overshadow the inauguration, soo.....there you have it.

dude it's either Prince Harry or Brad and jen.

[bobbyboucher]

37. Dressing as a Nazi isn't so terrible, in and of itself, if you are an

average Joe. But a Prince, of a country that was damn near innihilated by Nazis, that's real bad taste.

But he did apologize, as he should have, and it should be over.

[JerseygirlCT]

38. I don't find it silly or overblown at all

I find his actions almost unforgiveably offensive. He's not just some stupid average kid... he's a representative of the UK. And, apparently, an ignorant one.

His apology was half-assed ("if I offended"... ). He needs to act like the adult he is and not only apologize sincerely, but act to make restitution for the damage. I'm glad to read his dad is making both him and his brother take a little educational journey to Auchwitz. Obviously, something was terribly lacking in their education. Or perhaps they've been influenced by some of the extended family, who thought the Nazis were just dandy...

[UdoKier]

42. He had no choice in the matter of being a "representative of the UK"

And as far as I'm concerned, his position shouldn't even exist anymore.

I wonder how wonder you'd handle the pressure of being in his position, how well you'd hold up under 24/7 media scrutiny. I wonder how perfectly you've behaved.

I'd hate it if the things I did at age 20 were on display for the world to see...

And lots of people were enamored of the nazis before the war - Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, etc. They were wrong, but there is no evidence that they knew of the genocide at that time.

[JerseygirlCT]

59. I understand that he was born into his position

and that it can suck to be in the public eye all the time. It also sucks for the folks born into poverty, wondering where their next meal will come from all the time -- that's one thing he'll live without. To some extent, we all have to play with the cards we're dealt.

That said, acting responsibly shouldn't be too onerous. Or at the least, keeping the irresponsible behavior to the usual caddish royal things -- drinking too much, dating a variety of women from interesting backgrounds, etc.

Donning Nazi attire is sort of another whole step, I think. It disturbs me most because the fact that he could think it entertaining shows him to have missed something very important in his education.

I don't think he needs to be taken out and shot, don't get me wrong. I think he needs to be educated. And his forthcoming trip to Auchwitz may be a good beginning to that education. I don't think the press needs to continue beating him up over it. But I think it would be a marvelous idea if this were one of those really start learning experiences we all have had from time to time -- the kind that really stick.

[txaslftist]

39. No... There are others who think the contraversy was silly...

I would refer you to "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", its a thick book, but you can read it in a month. Or "The War Against the Jews", a much smaller but well researched book...

There's "The Holocaust" book and movie of same name, "Treblinka", a short and true novel...

It's not silly, sorry.

[mrfrapp]

44. Dictatorship

Harry is a representative of a dictatorial institution who believe that the "genetically superior", ie. those descended from a particular bloodline, are more fit to rule over everyone else, borgeous and proletariat alike. By donning the symbol of another (albeit far worse) dictatorial regime who also believe that the "genetically superior", ie. aryans, are destined to rule the world he is simply reminding me this and as a British citizen, I don't appreciate it.

[leesa]

45. It covers up the attempt by Thatcher to overthrow a country

quite nicely.

[David Zephyr]

46. Not silly at all. Here's just a very few photos of why it is not "silly"

What signal does it send to skinheads and hatemongers around the globe?

When you consider that the Windsor family flirted with Hitler during World War II while British kids were bleeding to death and while British cities were being bombed, this is not silly issue.

When you consider that Harry (he's not a prince) also had recently said that "it's not like she was black or anything like that" regarding concern about a girl he was dating, this is not a silly thing.

And by the way, he is not a "kid".

My uncle fought and survived the Normandy invasion and later trenched through the continent only to return a mental wreck. Our family lived with that part of him until he finally passed away several years ago. Not silly.

[LostinVA]

49. ARRGHH! The Windsors did not flirt with Hitler/Nazism!

Only the Duke and Duchess of Windsor did, and they were safely shunted off to the Bahamas for the duration. The Duke of Kent was an RAF pilot and was killed, Prince Philip was in the Royal Navy, the Queen Mum and her husband had Buckingham Palace bombed around them and did incredible morale-boosting for the British people, and the current Queen became Private Windsor in the ATS when she turned 18. They all stayed and fought in some way, and didn't scurry off to Canada, nor make secret deals with Hitler. To me, this is what makes what he did even worse -- such disrespect for his family, if not for his countrymen.I am 100% anti-monarchist, but I give them kudos. Too bad some in the current generation are oafish Hooray Henrys.

However, I agree with the rest of your post completely. Especially Harry;s recent racist comment.

My great-father landed at Normandy, my one grandfather was badly wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, and my other one fought in the Pacific, and none of us in my family would ever dream of dressing up as a Nazi. He is about to enter Sandhurst, and no future British military officer should be thinking this is cool or funny. He's going into the wrong profession, if he does.

Although I think going to Auschwitz is a good idea, I think Harry and William should instead go into the East End and talk to some senior citizens who lived through the Blitz.

[David Zephyr]

52. You Write "Only the Duke and Duchess of Windsor did" Wow!

You mean the Windsor who was going to be King?

Actually, I was being to kind when I wrote "flirted". Conspired with Hitler's government would be more accurate.

And if the Windsor who was to be King isn't a Windsor, then who is?

By the way, the Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the "Queen Mum" was not a Windsor. And I did admire her.

[dback]

47. Obviously, he's never seen the movie "Liberty Heights"

Exact same scenario, except Ben Foster was an upper-class Jewish kid who decided on a Hitler uniform for Halloween. (Bebe Neuwirth, as his mother: "Kill me now, somebody, just kill me now!") He saw it as a great gag; a phone call from his father convinces him otherwise.

Now, if you could dress up as George W. in a Nazi uniform, so it's a double-parody and then becomes commentary...

[LostinVA]

50. That scene was so funny!

I saw the movie with a Jewish friend, and she was like: my father would murder me!

[DownNotOut]

48. Yes

[theboss]

51. I find the entire royal family silly

But within the context of a world with a royal family, it was a horrifying lapse in judgment.

[TyeDye75]

53. Monty Pythons upper class twits throw a party

Im disgusted that the power structure in my country still favours people who throw a fancy dress party called... 'natives and colonials'.

There was also a less reported incident last year... Harry was asked if his new girlfriend was acceptable for someone third in line to the throne. He said " shes not black or anything".

As far as Im concerned the Royal family should be abolished immediatly. But thats for another time.

[Behind the Aegis]

57. You are not the only one to think it is silly, but I can't agree with you.

Perhaps, it has received more media than it deserves, but the ramifications of his poor choice is resonating in a few places. What I find "silly" is the number of people who claim Holocaust victims should "get over it." Actually, that is not 'silly' it is disgusting! Wouldn't it be outrageous if they told Iraqis to "get over it?"