Use of the term Nazi.

[christy]

My FIL lived in Holland and his house had holes where bullets went when he was hiding in it during the 40's. (he had children late in life and is no longer with us). He was horrified when the Seinfeld episode came out and the term "Nazi" was used in jest. I think we really need to understand that real people died, and real people were forced to do things they wouldn't want to do but had to in order to survive. Its horrible.

[Indadhanu]

I don't really get why people use the word Nazi to describe themselves... a breastfeeding Nazi? So... you'll bash, rape, torture people who don't agree with you or your decision to breastfeed??? I wouldn't want to associate myself with a Nazi, or people to think I'm anything like that. I don't personally find the word offensive, but I can see why others do. I do find it a silly thing to say, why would you want to be thought of as a Nazi? Everyone knows what kinds of things they did...

Arcadia... just a different perspective. Google buddhist cross. There is a Buddhist cross that look similar to the Nazi swastika. Most people get them confused because the only difference is the orientation - it's flipped upside down.

[meow]

I know this question as been directed at Jewish members and I can understand why you're specifically seeking their views but I also wanted to contribute my own though I'm not Jewish.

I think the term nazi is commonly used in place of fascist. Its as though people treat them as interchangable terms and I don't think most people using "nazi" are actually referring to the political party and their actions, but rather fascism.

Personally, to bandy around the term "nazi" shows a lack of respect for the acts that occured under nazi leadership and a sense of "forgetting"- which I feel is a very dangerous thing to do. We need to remember and look for signs of this ever happening again so we don't let it occur.

And as an aside, I generally find the term nazi, even in the context of fascist to be quite insulting. So if the term was "breastfeeding fascist" for example then that's still a really harsh way to describe a person. I don't know of anyone who would actually be so extreme in their actions regardless of how passionate they were about a cause such as breastfeeding or environmentalism.

[Schmickers]

I don't use the word in every daqy conversation. I have seen the term "breastfeeding nazi" and I hate it as much for the failure to remember the atrocities the Nazi regime committed as I do for the insinuation that people who are passionate about supporting breastfeeding must be labelled.

[mrsmac]

Same here Michael!! It REALLY annoys me when used to describe pro breast feeders.

[LimeSlice]

meow -the thing that ticks me off about that is a simple lack of education of people - the Nazis (by definition itself, along with policy) were NOT fascists - they were socialists.

[*Beema*]

I don't use it, I don't like what it stands for, and after spending considerable time at high school and university learning about the atrocities that took place by the N, I feel that it is disrespective to those who have suffered and still do suffer at the hands of the N.

Perhaps those that use it without any thought or understanding of the meaning of the word and what it entails should be taken for a visit to feel the horror that is still present within the grounds of Auschwitz....

I was really surpsied leasha when I learnt that about the origin of the swastika.....

[Yeddi]

I think the term nazi is commonly used in place of fascist. Its as though people treat them as interchangable terms and I don't think most people using "nazi" are actually referring to the political party and their actions, but rather fascism.

I'm actually Jewish (Polish and German Jews in fact) and our forefathers/mothers only just got out of those of countries by the skin of their teeth (their sisters and brothers were not so lucky) - and I have to admit I use "Nazi" occasionally. While I agree that most people most probably see it as representing fascism, I see it more as representing the attitude that something or someone is superior to something or someone else to the point of ridiculousness. The reason why I use it occasionally would be to belittle it (not the circumstances but that moronic attitude behind it). If I got all offended and upset by the term I would be continuing to give it power, which I refuse to do. So I use it as part of satire, to make fun of it, to reduce it in a sort of "F-you" kind of way. I guess that might not make a whole lot of sense to some people... Someone pointed out its use in Seinfeld, this could come from a similar logic seeing that Jerry is also a Jew and he wrote it, who knows. I think its use really depends upon the person, their reasons for using it and the situation.