Prince Harry's Nazi uniform

Polly

*Back to a good mood after checking plants in living room* 7 of my 11 butterfly orchids have budded, the longest bud measure 12" long. The other orchids are doing well, thanks to moi. Very happy . Here's what they will look like. (click the 6th item on the left-hand column)

I think the guy was just being inexperienced with PC attire. Give him a break.

the number 42

It looks like most people on PF (or at least those who replied) agree that this is a storm in a teacup. However, a CNN poll found that 67% of respondents think that his wearing the uniform is offensive
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/12/harry.nazi/

"Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said... "I think he should join the British delegation that is going to 60th anniversary of the liberation of (the concentration camp) Auschwitz"
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe...act/index.html

I think it would be in poor taste to send Harry to Auschwitz as it gives lends a mindless joke far more gravity than it deserves, and a totally different meaning to that intended, which I am presuming was just a bit of adolescent rebellion.

Kalimaa23

Yeah, it's the same name as the Belgian Royal family. They've kept the name though. I believe Leopold I (first king of Belgium) was Queen Victoria's cousin or nephew...

Just shows what inbreeding can do

tumor

No Way ! They were bigger nazis then nazis themselfs. Guess to whom deputy of A.Hitler Rudolph Hess flew ?

tribdog

I don't offend easily and I've never been called politically correct but c'mon Nazis suck. I'm sick and tired of public figures not being held to higher standards. We had a president cheating on his wife, you've got a prince dressing up like Nazis. Morality isn't a bad thing and it's not that hard to do what's right.
If I can be moral why can't everyone else? Hell, I'm a felon but I'm moral.

Astronuc

Prince Harry (now 20 years old) demonstrated an appalling lack of sensitivity, and I suppose being a somewhat thoughtless immature adult (behaving more like a thoughtless teenager), he did for the shock value. Like or not, Prince Harry has a status, a position in society, that not only yields great privilege, but also carries with it great responsibility. He certainly should have known better.

As for Political Correctness - So what's the big deal about wearing a Nazi uniform?

Well considering that the Nazis slaughtered 6+ million Jews and millions of others throughout Europe only 60-65 years ago, that for a start is pretty significant. Harry's prank would be like a well known celebrity wearing a KKK uniform or Taliban/Al Qaida outfit to a party in Washington D.C. or New York City. Not too many people would think it funny.

But then if that is not enough . . .

Go to Dachau (near München - I spent a day there) or Auschwitz or any other concentration camp.

Visit the barracks where people were warehoused in the most inhumane conditions so that starvation and disease took its toll.

Stand in front of the ovens where the men, women and children were burned.

Stand it the gas chambers where the men, women and children were gassed.

Then think about what those people were thinking while being murdered.

Think about the parents who could not protect their children, or the children who were separated from their parents.

Think about the husbands who could not protect their wives, or the sons and daughters who could not save their elderly parents.

That is the BIG DEAL!

and if one doesn't get it, then one is hopelessly clueless.

tribdog

See, told you Nazi's suck

brewnog

Indeed they do, it's a pity that a tongue in a cheek doesn't show up so well in text.

On the one hand, he's a 20 year old kid who's smoked his fair share of weed, got into his fair share of fisticuffs, and sometimes I feel sorry for him what with him not having chosen to be prince, blah blah. On the other hand, what the fegg are the royal aides and advisors employed for? Oh yeah, I remember. Sniffing around in princess' underwear drawers, that's what.

Anyway, I'm the last person to hold public figures to higher standards than everday folk. Today the mayor of my city got given priviliges to use bus lanes around town any time he likes. That kind of stuff really gets on my goat.

tumor

Here we go with the holocaust again !

Smurf

And here we have the famous western belief that what they believe to be "moral" and "right" should be believed and obeyed by everyone. This belief was responsible for 70% of the conflict during the 19 through 22 centuries pre revolution. This belief was dissented by a great number of people, yet despite higher understanding and reasoning this belief was defeated by the more numerous westerners, plummetting the world into centuries of discourse and struggle.

Now if you'll look to your left...

Moonbear

I do feel sorry for him. It's not like a Hollywood star or elected official who chose their career, and has to accept the added responsibilities that come with living in the public spotlight, he was born into this...that wasn't a choice. When you do have advisors and aides and whoever else running around telling you what to do, how to follow protocol, that you can't just be a normal kid because the world is watching, it's no wonder they do the most outrageous things to rebel. People that age do ocassionally do impulsive things that are completely stupid, and sometimes insensitive and offensive, and that they regret later when they realize they didn't think it through enough before doing it, but they don't have their mistakes televised throughout the world. I know people tend to feel less sorry for him and give him less leeway because he has grown up a child of priviledge, rich, famous, etc, but really, I wouldn't wish that sort of childhood on my worst enemy. I wouldn't be surprised if he is more immature than most because he's been sheltered from normal kids and normal sensitivities, and had thrust upon him protocols and regulations and couldn't just go out and play in mud puddles and be allowed to make little mistakes along the way to learn from them, so now that he has the freedom of young adulthood, he is acting out upon some childish impulses he never got out of his system when younger.

Curious3141

Your feeling sorry for "poor Harry" is all well and good but if he wants to live his own life, why doesn't he renounce his royalty and get a darn job ? He's certainly old enough to make his own decisions and get a job. Yet his extravagant lifestyle continues to be financed by British taxpayers, and he seems fine with it. Sounds like he wants to have his cake and eat it too.

If he's going to wallow in the lap of the comfort that he's been born into, he has a responsibility to act the part. At all times. I'm sick of hearing about royal scandals (Prince Charles and Camilla, Princess Di, and now this) being defended by "oh these poor royal darlings, how repressive their lives must have been to lead to this", etc. etc. - they have a choice to break free, you know.

the number 42

Maybe this was his way of trying to break free? Dunno. But his close relative, the Duke of Windsor, famously turned down the job of King of England in favour of marrying his American partner. Come to think of it, the Duke is said to have had links with nazi Germany, and I don't mean a pair of swastika cufflinks. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...438002,00.html

I don't think you can realistically compare the two. I think Harry is up for a bit of rebellion, and given the pressures on him to be a role model of perfect civility, I don't blame him. He'll grow out of it.

Moonbear

I'm just sick of hearing of royal scandals, especially when it's for stupid things.

He didn't wear the costume out to visit the Jewish women's book club, he wore it to a private costume party where there weren't supposed to be any cameras. For all we know, he was pissed off about learning of the royal family's support for and affiliations with the Nazi party, and was throwing it in his father's face for being told to keep quiet about it. I'm not saying he wasn't stupid and insensitive in his choice of costume, just that turning it into some huge international incident is blowing it way out of proportion.

Okay, on the other hand, yeah, if I was a British citizen supporting these people with my tax money, I'd be pissed that they were squandering it as they do. And if a Brit expresses of indignation over this, that would be quite fair since they're paying his bills. However, I'm not British, so I don't see why those of us who aren't British should give a rat's fiddle about what the British royal family is doing with their spare time. Over here in the US, we already cast them off and stopped paying their bills a couple centuries ago, so why should their behavior be of any importance to us?

If the Brits don't like supporting their lifestyle, they can always go find a harbor and a big boatload of tea...

brewnog

On the one hand, I resent paying out of my taxes for his Eton education and chauffer driven cars.

On the other hand, how much money is generated for my country by tourism from fanatic Americans paying extortionate sums of money to see royal palaces, and travel around London by taxi.... I'm genuinely surprised that this story made the news with you guys.

Smurf

As am I

I don't think there's any argument for getting rid of the King and Queen, the only one anyone ever uses is the money argument but as you just demonstrated that point is moot.

the number 42

Prince Harry in a nazi uniform? That's got to be worth a few quid in tax. Having said that, Sid Vicious did it for free:
http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/punkthe.htm