Proud Displays

[c9]

Some bullets:

• Added: Sometimes we think about leaving Kitchener for Waterloo, the trendier, younger, richer, prettier, more prosperous, more dentally-attended sibling of Kitchener. leapfish sent me a link to this house today, not because it's anything great, but because of the description. Highly recommended reading.
• I've seen more people without sleeves on their shirts in Kitchener than in any other city in which I've lived.
• Added: Kitchener used to be called Berlin.
• I've seen more swastikas and iron crosses tattooed on sleeveless and shirtless individuals in Kitchener than in any other city in which I've lived.
• A boring grey sedan drove by me the other day with a 50ish man driving. It was decorated with those hubcaps that spin independently from the wheel rim, typically meaning they actually stay still. They were Iron Crosses.
• There's a town in northern Ontario called Swastika*.

Sometimes I feel so disconnected from other people around me and I just can't make that leap to understand where they're coming from. As a trainer I feel bad when I can't empathize with my students.

I definitely don't feel bad about it when it's some Nazi sympathizers.

* Swastika, Ontario was not named in honour of Nazism, it's older.

Comments

[disasternat.livejournal.com]

Well you know to the swastika is also represented in various religions and is only associated primarily with the nazis party and thier crimes.

However, you shouldn't judge people on merely a tattoo. I know a guy I went to high school from who had one tattooed on his forehead - it was merely a religious symbol - however, when he moved to Canada he was harrassed because we only associate it with Nazi's.

The Iron Cross, well is't that also part of a logo for a biker line of clothing? I highly doubt that Kitchener is a hotbed of Nazi/Skinhead activity

I dont know, just threw that out for thought.

[c9.livejournal.com]

You're right, and that's why I linked swastika with a wikipedia entry that details all those other non-Nazi connections.

A guy you went to high school from? :-)

I think a cross similar to the Iron Cross is used for biker stuff, and other things. Kitchener certainly is popular with the bikers, but south-western Ontario is also extremely popular with the racist, and right-wing, and religious groups in Canada. So I don't doubt it nearly as much as you.