Is this not a form of racism?

Originally Posted by TamSV

I'm not sure where you get the suggestion of racism from. Unless there was an Idi Amin lookalike at the bakery counter and a Papa Doc Duvalier in wines and spirits who remained unmolested I can't see that he's been mistreated due to his race.

I suspect any person in Nazi uniform would have elicited a similar response regardless of the colour of their skin. Asda were well within their rights to put him out of their private property for no other reason than he's a **** who, it seems, wasn't even buying anything.



But you're not sure? To put it another way, do you think it might have been tasteful?

Valid Point - Yes of course it was distasteful -

The point I was making to a degree was if someone went in dressed as Abu Qatada or Ossama bin Ladin and was confronted to leave do you think the person asking would be seen as racist? or would it kick up more of a stink.

in this day and age why does the SS uniform still mean so much?

[Fallout]

I agree with Spank. It's private property, Asda weren't happy about the image the guy was portraying so they asked him to leave. Perfectly reasonable. He could've been wearing a mankini and the same would've happened no doubt and it wouldn't have been newsworthy. If you wear anything on private properly, or in public for that matter, that could be offensive to a reasonable proportion of people, then I think it's reasonable for the owner or police to ask you to get changed.

We live in a society where we're supposed to be considerate of each other. I think people have a right to wear whatever they want, but if it offends a lot of people and someone asks you to change, even if they're not in a position of power, YOU SHOULD DO SO, otherwise you're a ****. If you're a woman and you go to an Arab country and get your jugs out and are asked to cover up, YOU SHOULD DO SO. It doesn't matter what your values are. You're in a community where it isn't acceptable, so do the right thing and dress appropriately.

Having said that, as for wearing the uniform, assuming he doesn't stand up for Nazism, then it's just a tasteless joke. I personally like tasteless jokes. I wouldn't have taken offence because I choose not to draw a link between a cheap knock up SS uniform worn on Halloween to the atrocities committed by the Nazis. If he was rattling off Nazi rhetoric then I would've taken offence. Obviously some people are offended more easily, especially the OAPs in there who may've had first hand experience of the events of WW2. Fair play to them.

Wear what you like, but if it offends people, do the right thing and put a Mr Blobby Suit on instead. Nobody is offended by Mr Blobby.

Originally Posted by Bibio

yes it still carries the same stigma. yes it's distasteful, but so was the bloody WWII war.

on a side note, i'm sick and tired of all the glory documentary's, marches, remembrances etc.etc. i realy wish people would put WWII to rest it's over 60 years ago but people are still banging on about it, it wasnt glory it was a damned stupid war that people got killed because some nutter wanted to rule the world, why would you want to remember and glorify such a horrific event is beyond me.

a Hitler post.. lol

I completely disagree with this, the remembrance parades are to remember our fallen countrymen from ALL conflicts not just WW2. The 2mins silence on 11th Nov actually marks the end of the Frist world war.

I for one attend the remembrance parade every year as I believe these men and women deserve recognition for what is the ultimate sacrifice, weather the war is right or wrong these people put their lives on the line in the name of their country, how many of us here can say we would to if it came to it?

The world cannot be allowed to forget what happened in WW2, you may be fed up of documentaries etc but I for one want my children to know what happened and that we as a nation stood up against that and I am damn well proud of what my grandparents did in WW2.

I say 'L'est we forget'

[Red Herring]

I have no problem with Asda throwing him out, after all it's their shop and they can do what they want. I do have an issue with the customers who complained to the management about it. What gives them the right to do that?

[TamSV]

Originally Posted by Fallout

If you wear anything ... in public .... that could be offensive to a reasonable proportion of people, then I think it's reasonable ... police to ask you to get changed.

Apologies for the outrageous amount of clipping there but just to make the point I think that would actually be too far.

There needs to be some genuine fear and alarm before the police should be getting involved in fancy dress based disputes.

Getting lobbed out of Asda was appropriate to the seriousness of the offence IMO.

I got lobbed out for wearing a balaclava after removing my helmet and I fail to see the difference between that a certain Oriental dress that is permitted

[Fallout]

I agree the police getting involved is probably going too far, I just wanted to make the point that a lot of people have the "I can do what I want. It's a free country." attitude and completely disregard how other people feel about it. I think we need a national "be considerate" day.

[tonyk]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

I have no problem with Asda throwing him out, after all it's their shop and they can do what they want. I do have an issue with the customers who complained to the management about it. What gives them the right to do that?

just saw in the papers
"Speaking to the Cambridge News, Rosina Rusin, whose father was Polish and mother was of Dutch-Jewish descent, said: “I wanted to make sure he was evicted. My grandmother's family were annihilated in the gas chambers and I thought here is this bloke parading about.... One lady was very upset - she was close to crying.”

The 60-year-old added: "I was waiting in a queue when a lady came up and she was really quite distressed about it... People's mouths were falling open."
but your right, what gives them the right to complain?..... a few more years and noone will be around from thoes days left to complain or get upset by it, never know it may well be ok to wear that uniform.

Then it will be whats the point of poppies ? such a long time ago...
IMOHO we should remember.

[maviczap]

The Poppy fund still looks after our injured servicemen, and that goes back to WW1.

You couldn't dispense with the Poppy as a symbol or brand

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by tonyk

but your right, what gives them the right to complain?..... a few more years and noone will be around from thoes days left to complain or get upset by it, never know it may well be ok to wear that uniform.

Then it will be whats the point of poppies ? such a long time ago...
IMOHO we should remember.

I think you're missing my point by only seeing one side of the argument. I don't doubt that seeing someone dressed like that upset some of the customers, and their grief may well have been legitimate in that they either suffered themselves or lost close family in the hands of the SS, or even just that the sight reminded them of the loss suffered by so many others. If they wanted to tell the individual their view and ask him not to dress like that then there's nothing to stop them doing that, or they could walk the other way and ignore him, but what makes them think they are any more entitled to walk around Asda than he is? What they are in effect doing is saying that their view that he shouldn't dress like that is more worthy than his view that he can, and not only are they thinking that but they are also telling others (Asda) to act on their view.

I personally think the bloke is an inconsiderate idiot and I certainly don't for one moment support any of his views, but I recognize that he is entitled to his view and he is allowed to live his life.