Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 8:27pm

Kitler Kitties

 

Hattip to commenter Stephen E. Dalton who brought my attention to the phenomenon of cats that look like Hitler.  I love this!  Too often Hitler, murderous little jumped up thug, is elevated into being some sort of grand demonic personification of evil.  This is precisely the wrong way to remember the psychopath and the movement he led.  Far better to make him into a clownish figure and condemn him throughout history with laughter and ridicule. 

The late Werner Klemperer, who portrayed Colonel Klink on the old sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, was a German Jewish refugee to America from the Third Reich, who served in the US Army during World War II.  He was once asked how he could play a Nazi.  He replied that he would go to his grave happy knowing that he helped make the Nazis look ridiculous.  Precisely!  That is why I love the Hitler Downfall parodies, and why I have always appreciated this little ditty.

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Big Tex
Big Tex
Sunday, May 29, AD 2011 9:42am

Hooooogaaaaan!

Foxfier
Sunday, May 29, AD 2011 10:02am

First time I really realized that Nazis had been humans was when some uncles started talking about my grandfather’s job in the military– he’d been a prison guard after WWII. One of the prisoners was an amazing artist is how it came up, I think. (I get the impression that the Nazis he’d been set to guard were the lowbies that had been forced in, and were just waiting for it to be proven; who knows how much that was cleaned up for young ears.)

Before that, they were The Big Major Villains. The only live action thing I saw that made fun of them was Indiana Jones. Everything else, they were POWERFUL. Not a really good thing to emphasize when they also had some very impressive uniforms, you know? Mockery is much better; I remember one book made fun of their stupid looking marching style.

The Downfall parodies are the shrieking Hitler with subtitles that people use for “Hitler hears about the new video game patch” stuff, yes?

Stephen E Dalton
Stephen E Dalton
Sunday, May 29, AD 2011 2:56pm

Don, I’m glad I brought some heilarity into your life with Der Kitlers! The Producers is one of my favorite movies too. I also get a bang out of all those Downfall parodies. My favorite is the Bin Laden one.

Joe Green
Joe Green
Monday, May 30, AD 2011 11:19am

In the “did-you-know-department,” Werner’s father, Otto, the famous German conductor, was born Jewish, converted to Catholicism and then back to Judaism toward the end of his life. Don, this belies your notion “once a Catholic always a Catholic.”

Joe Green
Joe Green
Monday, May 30, AD 2011 12:34pm

OK, Don, try these on for size”

Tim Pawlenty — Raised Catholic, now evangelical.
Sarah Palin — converted as young child to non-denominational Protestant.
Steve Allen, George Carlin, Omar Sharif, Joyce Carol Oates — all become agnostic or atheist after raised as Catholics.
And, many, many more…perhaps the most famous being, of course:
MARTIN LUTHER.

Well?

Foxfier
Monday, May 30, AD 2011 1:12pm

…why are you letting this guy derail the comments?

Joe Green
Joe Green
Monday, May 30, AD 2011 1:14pm

Sorry, didn’t mean to threadjack if you were referring to me. Don opened the door a crack on Klemperer. Mea culpa, fox.

Joe Green
Joe Green
Monday, May 30, AD 2011 3:05pm

Don, your ability to thrust and parry is unrivaled. Joe the Agnostic; nice ring, almost as good as Joe the Plumber ; )

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