General Discussion

I'd bet money on it. I didn't know the difference myself until the other day, when someone used the word "totenkopf" in a post and I used that word to do some googling,

Aside from that, I didn't and still don't know what the original tattoo actually looked like. All I've seen are photos of the covered tattoo as it looks now. But even if it looked EXACTLY like a Nazi totenkopf, I'm skeptical of how many people would immediately make that association. I would not have, and I'm someone who has read fairly extensively about the holocaust. I remember reading that the SS used a symbol called a "death's head," but no more than that.

This is the kind of thing that if you know it, you KNOW it. I get that. Now that I know, I'll never be able to forget it, but until a few days ago I didn't associate a skull and crossbones with anything other than pirates. I also had no idea that the Nazis used a certain specific style of of skull and crossbones, or that that particular style is supposed to be instantly recognizable as a *GASP* Nazi symbol.

Like I said, if you know, you know, and once you do know, you can't unsee it. But if you don't know, the meaning of that image is far from obvious imo. I can easily believe Platner didn't know what it was when he got the tattoo. I can easily imagine a young man seeing that and thinking, "Oh, that looks badass!"

He found out out what it was somewhere along the way, and he eventually got it covered, so good for him. If he didn't get it covered immediately, it's probably because he liked his "badass" skull and crossbones tattoo and didn't immediately comprehend the seriousness of what it could be taken to stand for, even after someone alerted him to it. When he finally did realize just how much it really mattered, he took care of it. Good for him. I just don't see what the big deal is.

I know some are uneasy about possibly electing another Fetterman, but I think thst was just a weird fluke. The man had a stroke that damaged his brain and changed his whole personality! I know Platner is not perfect, but Mainers seem to REALLY like him. If he has a chance of flipping Collins' seat from red to blue, I say more power to him.