King Harry of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

X-ray wrote:
This is an interesting one. I see two sides to this coin:

1) He wore the Nazi uniform to a fancy-dress party. When the uniform is viewed in that context, no offense should be taken as the wearer does not necessarily endorse the ideals of the uniform, as recorded historically.

2) The prince is a permanent ambassador of the royal family and is always in the public eye, not just locally but internationally. That is the price of royalty. As such he has no immunity from acts of embarrassment, even when such immunity would usually have been afforded Joe Public at a fancy-dress.

Now, speaking for myself, I wasn't offended by it. I could have worn that uniform and there would have been no hoo-haa about it. It doesn't mean either one of us is a Nazi. But the prince should have recognised that it MAY have offended someone, and should have spared the royals this embarrassment. Unfortunately not everyone is easy-going about these matters (see the Israeli response) and the prince, in his position, has less lattitude to get away with a stunt like that than we do.

The boy didn't ask to be born, and he can't abdicate from being a royal either.  He's doing a great job of ruining the monarchy, hopefully one day he'll finish them off.

Oh, and Prince Phillip has done far worse than this, and he really should know better. "Slitty Eyed Chinks" and other such racist remarks from him over the years have shown him up to be the bigoted racist arse that he is.  Harry is no Nazi, but Phillip more than likely is.

[X-ray]

Ja, I appreciate the difference between a perceived insult (the Israeli response) and an ACTUAL insult. I'm sure he didn't mean to offend anyone by wearing that uniform. And I'm sure there are times when he wishes he could just be Joe Public and do everything a regular 20-year-old does. But unfortunately he cannot. It may not seem fair, but that is the price of being a royal.

[Damion]

I knew a fellow who dressed up as a "vampiric" Hitler at a Halloween costume party a few years back, we all thought it was hilarious, even my Jewish friend got a kick out of it and didn't take any offence.

So to me, this seems pretty contrived. I think most normal people understand the difference between "joke" and "reality". Hitler was paraded about in a Mercedes, so that must mean that anyone driving a Mercedes is an anti-semetic nazi sympathizer? It's along the same ridiculous lines. Uniforms and symbols are meaningless in themselves, actions however are the same regardless of the attire.

Another thing to consider, is that *most* of the individuals who wore those unifiorms during WW2 had nothing to do with killing Jews. Many of them fought and died bravely for their country, and I don't think it's fair to demonize and punish _all_ of them due to the heinous actions of a select few.

If I were Harry, I'd tell anyone asking for an apology to kiss my a*s.  

[PMC]

blobrana wrote:

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Perhaps he just normally dresses that way?
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"Sprrrrrringtime for Hit-ler and Germany....."

If Mel Brooks can habitually poke fun at Nazism with things like the Producers (I was howling with laughter when the Nazis launched into a Busby Berkely-esq music routine and the woman fainted when the curtain went up) and Blazing Saddles when a lorry load of Wermacht soldiers appear along with an actor dressed as Hitler saying "I think I'm written out in the bunker scene", then I feel maybe the matter has been blown out of proportion somewhat, but it was a pretty dumb thing for anyone in the public eye to do.

I found it a trifle tasteless and crass, and can well understand why anyone would be offended by it.  It won't have done Anglo-German relations any good either.

However, we in Britain have yet to get over the Nazi jibes and I speak as a Briton who's endured several after revealing the origins of may rather distinctive surname (no, I'm not a von-anything!).  Seeing as great, great grandad was from Koblenz and his son married a girl who's parents were also from Germany probably makes me more "German" than Prince Harry - although if the rumours of his paternal genes are true he's about as German as Nelson Mandela, right ;-) ?

[blobrana]

Yeah,
Though I wouldn’t personally take any more offence to seeing a Nazi uniform than to a union jack.  But, I think the context, was that he didn’t really mean to cause any offence, nor do I think anyone actually was offended by that very reason.
But as a matter of course, and as a possible future king, he should (or been advised not to) have know better; in a purely `international` sense.
It just reflects badly on the UK.

As for "Sprrrrrringtime for Hit-ler and Germany....."
I still feel uneasy with Mel Brooks play.
It’s like throwing a big lunch do for starving mid west farmers.

For a farcical play it’s a bit decadent, in my opinion, though, that may be just due to Mels directing.

Not in the same vein as `dads army`, `black adders` (the last command) or `Oh what a lovely war`...

Sure, we should be reminded of the crass folly of the first/second war. The horrors stories of the maimed, burned and torn should be told.
But I prefer that the story is told as it was and not hidden behind `entertaining subplots`.

[Cyberus]

A storm in a teacup IMHO

[cecilia]

harry is just a stupid kid and i couldn't care less what the heck he does.

just for laughs, here's Prince Harry's rejected costume ideas.

it's a page-load of pics so for those with dial-up it will be difficult. but trust me, this stuff is funny. :lol:


---
and for the record,  Mel Brooks film, The Producers is one of THE funniest films in history. period. The timing is perfect, I've watched it a hundred times and it never gets old.
When someone as horrible as hitler exists, it's the sacred responibility of artists to poke fun. these creatures must always be deflated.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

from Cecilia's link:




:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

one can hear him shouting: "OI!"