Scoop: Graham Platner's campaign manager is out

[thesquanderer]

21. re: "It is obviously identifiable to anyone who has any knowledge of the Holocaust at all" - not true.

I asked some friends and family who I felt were the among the more well versed in Judaism and Jewish history.

One is well-steeped in judaism, and is married to someone who escaped the holocaust as a child. Another is not observant, but was brought up in a pretty observant household (fully kosher, etc.). Another worked on the web site for the Anne Frank museum. Another works for Hadassah. I guarantee you, they all have knowledge of the Holocaust. None of them recognized it as a Nazi symbol (or at least not prior to all this news coverage).

Admittedly this is a small sample (5, including myself). But for those saying that pretty much anyone would recognize this as a Nazi symbol, well, it should not be so hard for me to find anyone who recognized it as such, especially among the people I was asking.

I'm not defending Platner, I don't live in Maine and have paid little attention. I'm just saying I'm quite sure it's not as obvious to everyone as you think it is.

re: "It doesn't resemble "a totenkopf (skull and crossbones)" it is the Totenkopf." -- I used the word resemble because the picture was not crystal clear. (Not germane to my point, though.)

re: "The Totenkopf is not just any skull and crossbones, it is specialized" -- actually, it has apparently been used both ways. At least if wikipedia is to be believed. See the images at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totenkopf (though again, just a side point of possible interest.)

Again, not defending Platner! And not referring to anything else you've said. I just think the particular statement of yours I quoted in the subject line (which you originally addressed to me) isn't accurate.