Why are we so fascinated with things that kill people?

Ted Striker · June 25, 2003, 00:20

We all seem to be fascinated with stuff that kills people.

Guns, tanks, Nazis. I think military hardware is cool stuff but can't explain why. Every kid growing up in school always liked the Nazis. Nazis had cooler equipment, they acted cooler, and they dressed cooler. And Darth Vader was the coolest character in Star Wars.

The most popular thread ever at Apolyton was about which was the best WW2 tank.

So what's the deal? Is it the power that these things have?

Ted Striker · June 25, 2003, 00:21

yo mods can you change the first We to Why?

thanks

Al B. Sure! · June 25, 2003, 00:30

well with the Nazis... they ****ing hired clothing designers to design their uniforms... and their massive rallies were put together by movie producers and directors, as well as my namesake. so they basically made sure that they would always be seen as somewhat glorious.

Az · June 25, 2003, 00:39

Quote:

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Every kid growing up in school always liked the Nazis.

Ted Striker · June 25, 2003, 00:40

no offense azazel i know that doesn't sound very good to jewish people

Urban Ranger · June 25, 2003, 00:45

I am more facinated by sex, you know, that thing that makes people?

Ted Striker · June 25, 2003, 00:48

Yeah I'm in agreement there, I'm a lover, not a fighter

Nubclear · June 25, 2003, 00:49

Quote:

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Yeah I'm in agreement there, I'm a lover, not a fighter

Be one, be both.

Urban Ranger · June 25, 2003, 00:50

I suppose one has to fight at times.

Al B. Sure! · June 25, 2003, 00:50

Ted Striker:

Back in 7th grade (when i first registered on apolyton), me and some of my friends made a little (mostly joking) neo-nazi group. it was two white boys, three black guys, and a puerto rican boy and we basically just goose-stepped around the school playground and did the roman salute, yelling heil hitler, and re-telling jokes that some of our parents had said about jews. none of us knew any jewish kids though so nothing came of it.

though we weren't serious, it's amazing how dislike of jews can unite whites, blacks, and hispanics

Al B. Sure! · June 25, 2003, 00:55

it's a pretty sad state of affairs... i got the feeling sometimes that racial unity will not come through tolerance but through scapegoating history's favourite scapegoats.

as for this fighter/lover bull... i'm a fighter until i got something to love... and then i'll fight for that...

Dis · June 25, 2003, 03:34

I think it has to do with power, and the biological need to be a dominant male.

Dis · June 25, 2003, 03:37

I was never that fascinated by nazis

Now the german military on the other hand. Actually I like the iron cross 100 times better than crappy nazi insignia.

also I liked Japanese planes.

and especially russian military things. I was always fascinated with the soviet union growing up.

darth vader was just cool because he wore all black.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 03:50

Amazing how Nazis are popular among American kids and national socialism is so popular among a majority of American adults. Our poll proved it.

Nevertheless, while we're at it about military equipment, could someone post that battleship pic again?

Dis · June 25, 2003, 03:59

which one? the one with all the guns firing?

that was a bad ass one.

Dis · June 25, 2003, 04:00

of course I've always loved navy ships. I had models of navy ships my brothers and I put together.

not the one we had before- that google link is dead for me.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:03

not the way cool one we had before, but those are great

I like you Diss, you're a bit like me, just older, maybe I'm like you in 10 years

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:04

yeah, bam bam bam, who knows how many of our unworthy subhuman enemies are biting the dust there

Saras · June 25, 2003, 04:06

Iowa class broadside. KABOOM!

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:07

there's video capturing of both Bismarck vs. Hood and the ultimate anti-Bismarck one, what were those names...

Those video recordings however rule. like coloured pics from the front or so. I like those coloured pics from the dodecade, with the banners all in red and not grey, and a Hitler that looks like a real person and not just some dude from history. Makes WWII and all that a lot more real. Also the blitzed cities in colour.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:09

that's the one, yee haw!

once had the link to a B-2 stealthyboy with bombing flaps open and loads of stuff coming out of it, down on some area (might have been a fake pic though). also somewhat fascinating: planes from above while bombing, with a burned black area below them. Or the video rec of the Berlin raid, the city looking like combed

Al B. Sure! · June 25, 2003, 04:10

Quote:

yeah, bam bam bam, who knows how many of our unworthy subhuman enemies are biting the dust there

was i the only one scared by Ecthelion when he said this... created an image for me of a grown german man with the mind of a little boy going bam bam bam!

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:13

Albert, please. See the smilies and get the humour.

Not all of us have grown up in a ghetto

Dis · June 25, 2003, 04:18

It's like when little kids want to play with guns. It's weird that even at such a young age little kids get into that. Like I said above, I believe it has to do with male dominance issues. So the behaviour is not that strange.

Sikander · June 25, 2003, 04:20

Dude, I know what you mean! I can't stop staring at my hands! They're still bloody, though I have washed them every hour for years now. Nothing will wash the stain away, nothing! .......

Oh yea, and tanks are cool.

Ecthy · June 25, 2003, 04:42

why what did you do?

Urban Ranger · June 25, 2003, 04:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
It's like when little kids want to play with guns. It's weird that even at such a young age little kids get into that. Like I said above, I believe it has to do with male dominance issues.

It seems that little kids like stuffed animals more. I think this is just a socialisation issue, because aduits give guns to little boys to play.

Q Classic · June 25, 2003, 12:53

planes are cool.

Japher · June 25, 2003, 13:06

Movie characters that have facinated me when growing up:

Indian Jones: Kick Nazi A$$ then made out with hot chick

James Bond: Kick everyones A$$ while making out with hot chick (sometimes even scored with the bad chick)

I'm a lover and a fighter

Pekka · June 25, 2003, 13:15

I don't know why.. I don't know why I'm fascinated by smaller weapons, nasty stuff like plastic mines and bayonettes etc. The whole concept interests me. Not just weapons, especially tactics, propaganda, military history.. just about everything there is to it.
My mom didn't allow me to play war with other kids, well I did play anyway and it only added to the excitment.

About Nazis.. it is true. I think there are not so many people who actually admired their ideology. They had cool uniforms, parades etc. And like Albert Speer pointed out, they were carefully set up to look like that. Professional propaganda. Even to this day I think no one has been even close to their achievements in that field.
Also Nazis are forbidden area. You are told since you were young lad that Nazis are bad and you must hate them. But when you're young, you see them with cooler equipment and then wonder why are they so bad then? You're too young to realize their ideologies and what it really was about, you focus on the cool stuff. And when it is extremely forbidden, it is way more interesting to kids. Like that forbidden apple. It is forbidden in schools and other places to do the Heil Hitler stuff. So what do you think happens when it's the only forbidden thing?

Though I was more interested in ninjas when I was a kid than war. Every independence day you see all these veterans in television who tells stories about wars, and you see they have gotten these big medals that are cool. You see footage where guy jumps from foxhole, runs to closing tank and destroys it. Now how cool is that?!

But sure, I'm fascinated by bigger weapons as well. I rarely think about the dead people it creates, just the other destruction it would create to let's say forrest or buildings. Naive, I know..

edit: If you want to see the gay side to parades and uniforms, check out http://www.atmo.se/?pageID=4&articleID=399
and the Hitler clip. It's hilarious!