The Nazi swastika as a symbol of hope??

makaha99

Active Member
Before you start trolling, read first:
John Rabe was a Nazi in Nanking during the Rape of Nanking (1937). He saved tens of thousands of Chinese civililans from the incredible atrocities of the Japanese soliders (like cutting open pregnant women and sticking the fetuses on bayonets and parading them on the street, raping 1 year old babies and 80 year old women, mass rapes, and killing)

The most mind boggling thing is that he used the Nazi swastika symbol to SAVE LIVES!! The Japanese respected the swastika as Germany was their ally at the time, so in a bizarre twist, the swastika saved lives in the safety zone Rabe created. OMG!! The irony!!! The swastika saved civilian lives!!

When John Rabe got back to Berlin, he sent a letter to Hitler to have him use his influence as leader of Germany to stop the killings by the Japanese. Unfortunately, the letter was intercepted by the Gestapo and Hitler never got the letter.

Here's an article as an introduction to John Rabe, but there are books written about him if you're interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rabe

When I found out about him a few weeks ago, I just thought it was strange, hell even bizarre, that the Nazi swastika, a symbol that me and pretty much everyone else looks at with contempt, could be used for a GOOD purpose. It took me a while to even comprehend that fact....

What do you guys think about this?
 

makaha99

Active Member
Please don't dump this thread in Politics. Just kill it. cn

You don't think that is an amazing story?
Within the last few weeks, because I found out about John Rabe, I went and watched the German film, "John Rabe", and the Chinese movies "Flowers of War" and "City of Life and Death"
 

spandy

Well-Known Member
The symbol had nothing to do with it. Rabe simply did the right thing from the sounds of it.

I don't understand how so many people all at once can do such terrible things. And why people don't fight to their own deaths and allow such things to happen to them while they are breathing is beyond me as well. Super glue a Ka-Bar in my hand and fade to black.....
 

makaha99

Active Member
The symbol had nothing to do with it. Rabe simply did the right thing from the sounds of it.
.....

There was a scene in the German Film "John Rabe" where Rabe helps unroll a huge Nazi flag while the Japanese planes are strafing them, and uses it to cover the Chinese workers in his business, and the Japanese planes stop attacking them...
That's using the swastika for protection...
 

Steve French

Well-Known Member
There was a scene in the German Film "John Rabe" where Rabe helps unroll a huge Nazi flag while the Japanese planes are strafing them, and uses it to cover the Chinese workers in his business, and the Japanese planes stop attacking them... That's using the swastika for protection
You realize that was a movie right? More than likely a scene simply invited for dramatic effect.
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
You don't think that is an amazing story?
Within the last few weeks, because I found out about John Rabe, I went and watched the German film, "John Rabe", and the Chinese movies "Flowers of War" and "City of Life and Death"
personally, I think you're trolling. I see neither wisdom nor beauty in a blatant attempt to rehabilitate a universal symbol of evil. Trim away the pseudo-humanitarian camouflage, and that's what you're doing. Jmo. cn
 

makaha99

Active Member
personally, I think you're trolling. I see neither wisdom nor beauty in a blatant attempt to rehabilitate a universal symbol of evil. Trim away the pseudo-humanitarian camouflage, and that's what you're doing. Jmo. cn
I had found out about the Nanking massacre about 12 years ago, was shocked, angry (because I'm half Chinese), confused/conflicted/shame (because I'm also a quarter Japanese, my maternal grandfather was japanese, also 1/4 native hawaiian BTW), but I thought I was over it.

Then I found out about John Rabe just a few weeks ago, watched a bunch of movies about the Nanking Massacre and realized I'm not over it, and am learning many things about it that I didn't know....

And I don't know about you, but it gave me chicken skin, knowing a symbol that causes much revulsion today, was used to save thousands of Chinese civilians,

As I mentioned above, Rabe unrolled a huge Nazi flag and got his Chinese workers under the flag because the Japanese wouldn't attack a Nazi flag, that's what I meant by a symbol of hope.
 

ClaytonBigsby

Well-Known Member
And why people don't fight to their own deaths and allow such things to happen to them while they are breathing is beyond me as well. Super glue a Ka-Bar in my hand and fade to black.....

I am with you 100% here. I do not understand how people will allow themselves to be killed without putting up a fight. You know you are going to die, at least try!!!!!
 

makaha99

Active Member
So accurate they invented characters and situations, such as Valerie Dupres and the whole love story sideplot.
What?
I only watched it once through, now I have to go watch it again....
Which love story? The younger German guy and the Chinese girl/photographer, I don't think that was a love story--they hardly interacted in the whole movie....
 

ClaytonBigsby

Well-Known Member
So, one of the nese's was doing horrible things to another nese, and someone used a swastika to scare them into calming things down, because they knew the horrible things they were doing was nothing compared to the sick fucks behind the swastika.....and that makes the swastika good?
 

makaha99

Active Member
So, one of the nese's was doing horrible things to another nese, and someone used a swastika to scare them into calming things down, because they knew the horrible things they were doing was nothing compared to the sick fucks behind the swastika.....and that makes the swastika good?

The Japanese were WORSE than the Nazis!
Have you heard of unit 731?
It was the unit of Japanese doctors and scientists that would do things to Chinese civilians like cut off the left and right arm and reattach it on the opposite side and see the victims response. Freeze an arm in liquid nitrogen and let it thaw out and watch and write notes on the resulting gangrene. Removing a person's stomach and attaching the esophogus directly to the small intestine to see what would happen. All done WITHOUT anesthesia because the doctor's thought anesthesia would affect the results. The Japanese would stick canes and bottles in Chinese women genitals to see how far up it goes. I never heard of Germans doing anything like that. The Japanese also dropped biological weapons on Chinese villages as experiments, and other ridiculous things that I don't know how someone could even think it up....
 

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
There was a scene in the German Film "John Rabe" where Rabe helps unroll a huge Nazi flag while the Japanese planes are strafing them, and uses it to cover the Chinese workers in his business, and the Japanese planes stop attacking them...
That's using the swastika for protection...
No that's using a swastika to protect the beasts of burden they are using. They 'protected' them in concentration camps to you know.

The movie was made using material from John Rabe's diary, among other sources....
It's considered an accurate account....
Well of COURSE It was accurate then! I mean no one lies when they write. We only lie when we talk.

I had found out about the Nanking massacre about 12 years ago, was shocked, angry (because I'm half Chinese), confused/conflicted/shame (because I'm also a quarter Japanese, my maternal grandfather was japanese, also 1/4 native hawaiian BTW), but I thought I was over it......snip.........
Yes and I learned of it 50+ years ago. I'm not asian at all and I'm not over it! One of my uncle's was so pissed over it, that unlike your buddy, John Rabe he flew for the Flying Tigers trying to actually help the Chinese instead of exploit them.
 
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