Look, I think this premium-format Red Skull figure/statue from Sideshow Collectibles is well-done.
But it's a 20-inch figure of a guy in a friggin' full Nazi uniform. Smiling. Using a cigarette holder.
How do you display this in your house?
Do you group it with your Captain America stuff as to sort of cancel the Nazi elements out?
Do you pose your Cap figure so he's kicking the crap out of the Red Skull figure?
I'm all for proudly displaying your toys in the living room, but this particular one could lead to a faux-pas. Unless tastefully grouped with a bowl of fake fruit, or, say, your Indiana Jones premium format figure kicking the crap out of him.
Only Halloween?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to say centerpiece of the dining room table. That would be a serious conversation starter.
ReplyDeleteDoes it actually have a swastika on it, or did they not put one on there?
I say don't worry about it, put it anywhere. Nazi's existed, we don't have to be scared of them or pictures/toys of them.
I agree. The lady that cleans our house probably already thinks I'm a crazy person. She'd be calling 911 if I suddenly had what looked like Nazi memorabilia on display.
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice looking figure though. Very swank.
The Red Skull Stuff never has a swastika on it.
ReplyDeleteAny collector of high end statue puts them in the same area as other high end collectibles.
Next to other statues. there is more context for him.
This is the thing that bothers me about being "politically correct". It's your friggin' house, it's your friggin' figure. You know that it displays a villain, you know you're not a Nazi.
ReplyDeleteIf someone else it's offended by the figure, it's their problem.
It's like the people that think wrong of Wolfenstein (a computer game) because it displays swastikas and other Nazi paraphernalia. It happens in the World War II, what did you expected?
I think the figure it's awesome. I'm not a Nazi, or fascist,or racist (I'm Mexican, so I'm basically an Indian). I'm an atheist liberal lefty, and if I were a fan of Captain America (which I am not), I would put the figure in my house. Because it's awesome and I would know why I put it for.
Stop worrying about what other people think; that's their problem. Buy the damn thing; it's awesome.
I can imagine I would have a hard time finding the appropriate place for a Red Skull Toy that looked just like Jim Carrey in the Mask.
ReplyDeleteI knew a guy when I used to hang out with the Warhammer 40K people, yeah? & I went over to his apartment once, dragged by dudes into wargames & such. It was filled, filled, with Nazi shit. & I was like-- is he once of these war game obsessed people who totally get into WWII memorabilia, like some war gamers are? Or some NeoNazi jerk? I never figured it out.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I agree with the "put it with the other statues" as context, but not with the "why bother worrying about Nazi memorabilia?"
Yeah, something tells me the first thing people will notice is a red skeleton smiling at them in an evil fashion. That alone suggests this is not a nice person and the whole Nazi theme will fall in line with that.
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ReplyDeleteTry and find him a doily to put him on. Nothing classes up a ruthless dictator like lace!
ReplyDelete(I've always found it kind of weird that the Iron Cross is used by some kind of automobile customisation company- West Coast Choppers, or something? Is there some other meaning to it that I am not aware?)
Hey, maybe my concerns are "PC" -- but I'm just saying that this figure/statue is as creepy as hell.
ReplyDeleteI'm with mordicai. There's still Nazis around, and the ADL'll still nail you to the wall any way they can.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's still people around who were in the camps, or had family in them, or fought the Nazis and/or lost friends and family fighting the Nazis. It's not about being scared of Nazis. It's about showing some respect.
@Val: you never said anything about the figure being creepy; you said "But it's a 20-inch figure of a guy in a friggin' full Nazi uniform. Smiling. Using a cigarette holder." The Nazi part sounded like the deal breaker here.
ReplyDeleteI interpreted your post like "I like the figure, but it bothers me that it's in a Nazi uniform". If you don't like it (for being creepy), why do you ask how to display it in your home? If you don't like it, you don't buy it. Period.
My comment was under the assumption that you liked the figure but you were afraid of offending someone. And that's (IMHO) pure crap.
@Andrew: and why should I worry that something in my house offends anyone else?
I remind you that the United States are hated in a lot of places in the world. In Mexico (and I'm sure a lot of places in the world) in a lot of social circles carrying a US flag or displaying it in notebooks, clothes or cars is frowned upon. Some people would even consider it "offensive".
Should that stop any US citizen of putting a flag of his/her own country in his/her house? Of course not. I'm aware it's a far fetched example; but it shows that the "lets not offend someone" card is bull.
If you buy the figure and put it in your living room, you're not doing it to offend someone or to express support of Nazism. You only love comics and buy a really cool figure.
I repeat; if someone feels offended by it, thats his/her problem. No matter his/her personal experiences: I'm not going to decide how to decorate my own house on the basis of who I can or cannot offend.
And as jaded devil said; the Red Skull is obviously a villain. The Nazi uniform is automatically linked with something evil. I think that's a lot better than try to hide history under the carpet.
Yeah, my mama has this thing for little Indian knicknacks of questionable taste: you know, little papoose dolls with giant eyes, the Nativity scene with a teepee and Three Wise Men in warbonnets? I've tried getting her authentic stuff from our tribe (corn husk dolls, for example) but she just puts them right on the shelf next to the "crying Indian" figurines. Thank God we're not black or she'd have a lawnjockey out in front of the house!
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't think you're concerns are PC at all, OS... By itself, it could sure come off Weird Out Of Place NAZI... With a bunch of other toys.. Comic Book Cartoon Nazi.
ReplyDeleteIn a house such as that described by mordicai? Scary and tasteless beyond belief. And I'm not telling you to pass judgement, mordicai, but yeah... Trust me, those of us who are big war collectors are if anything even more creeped out by people with it all over their houses. (I think my sarcasm came off too flippant up there, as of course I am pretty damn concerned with people's feelings.)
Owesome - After World War Two, a number of Vets in the biker subculture took to using the Iron Crosses they'd picked up fighting in Germany as trophies/emblems, and it's become a "badge" of chopper culture, for good or ill.
ReplyDeleteRestating my clumsily worded original statement: I do find this kind of blackly funny as somebody who's had to deal with "What to do when displaying a very large WW2 militaria collection which contains some actual Nazi items?" Compared to that "What to do with the Red Skull figure?" honestly might not have crossed my mind...
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I remember towards the end of Playmates' Star Trek line, when it was (hopefully jokingly) suggested the only things left to make as figures was Kirk and Spock in Nazi uniforms, from the episode "Patterns of Force." Displayed with other Star Trek figures? Yeah, probably not objectionable. Displayed alone and promiently on your mantelpiece? Might be an issue...
ReplyDeleteForget display options. I've got three words for you - Doggy. Chew. Toy.
ReplyDeleteNothing more hilarious than your dog destroying the Red Skull!
Maybe if you put him with a bunch of other villains? Making sure to include, say, Darth Vader, for those so outside of comics that they don't even recognize Doctor Doom or the Joker?
ReplyDeleteThen you could pass it off as part of your "evil" fetish...
that is a cool lookung statue. unless i misremembered i don't think the nazis had anybody remotely looking like the red skull so most people would know it was fake, unless you had like a whole collection complete with the hate monger's klan like outfit and hitler dolls.
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