Why the Hell Are These Wisconsin Kids Throwing Up a Nazi Salute at Prom?
It's hard to dispute anymore that the culture of cruelty, shamelessness, and provocation for its own sake that now dominates our political culture is trickling down to the kids. The trolls have broken out of your computer, and they're smirking through the halls of high schools across this country. The latest example comes to us from Baraboo, Wisconsin, where a group of 50-plus white kids decided to throw up Nazi salutes for a junior prom picture. It blew up Sunday night, and the controversy continued into well into Monday:
If anybody from Baraboo High School in Wisconsin can clue me in on why it appears the entire male class of 2018 is throwing up a Sig Heil during their prom photos - that would be great.
h/t @CarlySidey pic.twitter.com/BL8lDVLMA4
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
According to the journalist who shared the original photo, Jules Suzdaltsev, the students are actually members of the class of 2019 , meaning they're seniors this year. The incident sits on the troubling line between the rise of a genuine ethno-nationalist movement in this country and the tendency for teenagers—especially teenage boys—to do things just to get a rise out of people. But in our current context—it's a year and change after neo-Nazis and other white supremacists marched the streets of Charlottesville , and one of them murdered a counter-protester, Heather Heyer, with his car—the rapid normalization of hate speech and right-wing extremism is dangerous no matter what the original motive.
The Auschwitz Memorial said as much in a response Monday:
It is so hard to find words...
This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred. https://t.co/13AzZaMGJR
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018
Kids did a lot of stupid shit at my high school, but nobody would have thought it was funny—or conscionable—to engage in Nazi symbolism with a smile twisted across your face. That wasn't very long ago. Remember kids: the Nazis are the bad guys. We all used to agree that the United States was on the right side of World War II. Now you can find neo-Nazis marching armed through the streets of an American city, chanting the president's name.
Suzdaltsev has already started to compile stories from other students who attended the Baraboo school. If those are anything to go on, then loud, vicious racism is a longstanding problem in the system because the administration does nothing to combat it. But the real problem with these kinds of demonstrations is that not everyone needs to be a True Believer to become part of a serious problem. It's enough for this big group of kids to just all be doing this.
Like in that famous photo from a Nazi shipyard in 1936 , not everyone mindlessly followed the group. Here's an account from Jordan Blue, the kid in the top right of the photo who isn't grinning and Sieg Heiling like a complete moron.
I spoke with the only student who is visibly not comfortable with the “salute”, he provided this statement. pic.twitter.com/HbNBc8xLOK
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
You've got to be taught to hate, and it seems the Baraboo school system might be allowing a few too many to get lessons. But this is now a larger cultural problem. The gap between trollism and Trumpism online is increasingly hard to distinguish, particularly among the kind of young people who joined the movement through 4chan or Reddit. But when the president speaks, the kids are listening.
Soon after Donald Trump won election to the presidency, reports surfaced of white high schoolers using "Build the Wall!" as invective against students from a rival school with a large Hispanic population. In another case, the kids simply shouted "Trump!" So, you might remember, did the marchers in Charlottesville. The president might deny that when he calls himself a "nationalist," the adjective that goes in front of it is understood. But it seems plenty of people are getting the message. Tax cuts might not trickle down, but the hate does.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a25017095/baraboo-wisconsin-nazi-salute-high-school/
“You also had some very fine people on both sides,”
Donald Trump
Yaaayyy!!! America is great again!!! /s.
News about Baraboo High School Nazi
High school students appear to give Nazi salute in photo
An investigation is underway after a shocking image created a firestorm on social media, appearing to show dozens of students from Baraboo High School in Wisc…
Wisconsin high school students appear to make Nazi salute in prom photo
NOVEMBER 12, 2018A Wisconsin school district is investigating a photo showing a group of high school boys apparently making the Nazi salute. A school official denounced the image on Twitter — and said it would pursue legal actions if necessary.
Baraboo Superintendent Dr. Lori Mueller said she became aware of the photo, which shows over 60 male students dressed in suits with their right arms extended upward, on Monday after it was posted on social media and received immediate backlash.
"The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo," she said in a statement. "The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address."
Mueller said the photo appears to have been taken last spring and wasn't on school grounds. Baraboo police are also investigating.
She added, "the Baraboo School District a hate-free school environment where all people...are celebrated and respected."
A photographer with Wheel Memories took responsibility for taking the controversial snapshot at a prom event and offered an apology.
"It is too bad that there are those in society who can and do take the time to be jerks; knowingly and willingly to be jerks!" the post on the the company's website read. "To anyone that was hurt I sincerely apologize."
CBS News has reached out for further comment.
The Auschwitz Memorial tweeted about the photo, "This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred."
Baraboo is a town of about 12,000 residents, about 115 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Geez, this is disturbing. Hopefully, this was just a joke in poor taste. According to Wiki, the town is 94% white, so maybe these kids don't get the implications of what they appear to be doing.
It was less than that:
"One of the students, however, did not take part in the apparent salute. Jordan Blue, an 18-year-old seen pictured in the top right corner, said in a text message to CBS News: "The photographer took the photos telling us to make the sign, I knew what my morals were and it was not to salute something I firmly didn't believe in."
Actually several kids didnt. I listened to the kid on CNN, he said they were told to just raise their hand like one of the boys did in the front row but he said a group of them decided to do the Nazi salute a the last minute and the rest joined in.....what I want to know is why the @#$% did the photographer take the damn picture!
So, I guess the question is why the photographer wanted them to raise their hands like that, then posted the thing......oh, wait I know!
Attention & notoriety? Not the best advertising 'gimmick'...
They're so KKKlassy. Of course that's all it was!
Whatever the reason was, it's disturbing.
No shit Sherlock.
I am betting that they do know but just don't care. They feel that they are now free to show their racism as they have been classified as "fine people." Are you and yours still safe here in So Cal?
Yeah! Although, we did have fire erupt this morning on Mt. Boney, which is pretty nearby. The air drops mostly knocked it down in a few hours. It looked pretty dramatic for a while, but only made it over the top of the ridge in a couple of places. I was just outside and you can still see some smoke coming up, but it's not too bad and I think it's probably blowing toward mostly uninhabited areas.
Ah yes the same old derogatory comments about Natives. Hasn't changed since I was growing up....''Timber Nigger'' is the go to word for the racist assholes.
Add in the Nazi salute and we have the newest crop of scum.
Wow you can say that on NT? I know I couldn't without a ticket but I'm surprised even you can use the N word.
Can you use racist white slurs to with impunity?
It's in the article and it's a slur against natives.
Seem like you're whining again about favoritism on NT....Take it up with Perrie
No it isn't. I seen timber n-words. If you seen what you commented post it.
Seems like you are imaging shit again. Asking you a question is Freaking whining?
What do you think the timber n-word is...LMAO
For you it sure is...LMAO
They must have piss poor history teachers in that school if these kids think that the Nazi salute is funny or cool.
I have to agree. My 11th grade History teacher would make mince meat of their asses. So would my Grandpap who saw the result of Nazism
Maybe they are Mel Brooks fans. Yes it's funny.
What's funny about these young nazis?
Most people don't think Nazis are funny.
The plot of The Producers is based on the belief by the producers that the play Springtime For Hitler will close immediately because it is so offensive.
If in The Producers the Nazi characters had simply come on stage and given the Heil Hitler salute, do you think any audiences would have found that funny?
Do you find the soup Nazi on Seinfeld to be funny? I do.
Has nothing to do with this incident.
You are the one that made the claim most people don’t find Nazis to be funny. I think you are way off base on that.
Right wingers will do anything to avoid the truth.
Are you claiming that Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, or John Banner were really Nazi's???
I think the point is that making fun of nazis is funny.
Do you think those kids are really Nazis?
Making fun of white-washed unrealistic Nazis is funny.
How funny would the show be if they showed the execution of Jews on every episode? Hogan's Heroes was very politically correct, the bumbling "Nazis" could have been substituted for just about any nationality and the jokes would still hold. But, yes, I did enjoy the show.
I don't know, do you? They're the ones doing the Nazi salute.
I think they are just normal kids joking around in front of the camera that have a similar sense of humor as Mel Brooks.
Get half the Democratic caucus doing it at the same time and you might have something there ace.
I would like to appeal to you to stop wasting everyone's time.
Best bit ever on Seinfeld along with Festivus.
I watched the interview of Jordan Blue on CBS. They claimed he was the only one who didn't give a Nazi salute. That was a lie. He stated that the photographer never told them to give a Nazi salute but to wave high to their parents. Another one interviewed described how the photo unfolded....
This is just more P.C. bullcrap from the always offended left.
Are you seriously trying to say this photo is of them waving to their families?
ROFL
No JR I didn't say it, the people that were there did. Try reading what I posted.
I know it makes no sense to you because it does not support your offended beliefs.
Maybe if they stood in a ditch and raised their hands and claimed they were keeping their hands dry you would believe it?
No one on earth knows why you keep trying to bring up CNN and Anderson Cooper. You were humiliated by that story when Cooper completely debunked your conspiracy point of view.
Nice cropped photo JR.
From the original photo I count around 10 students not raising there hand and one giving the look at my dick signal.
Even the photograph proves your story is bull.
I don't know that anyone claimed that all of them gave the Nazi salute. It is obvious that many of them are.
As far as I can tell, you are just trying to distract from the bad news in the photo. Give it a rest. It doesn't work for you.
You just did in comment 3
From your article...
Nice to know you don't read what you post.
What bad news? Just because you jump on the bandwagon to be offended by a photo because you are told to be offended doesn't mean everyone is.
Some of are capable of thinking on are own and not follow the sheep mentality.
What I really find Hillaryious is that people would feed into some bullshit story that all the boys of the 2019 class of Baraboo high school are Nazi's except for one gay guy.
I counted 39 boys with their arms up. Should we talk about the 39 , or the 20 or so who didnt , or did but it is not visible?
Too much of Newstalkers these days is just pointless babble by people who have no point to make.
High school students appear to give Nazi salute in photo
Well they either did or did not as appearances can be deceiving.
If they indeed did not, no harm done, if they did they just became the next generation of bigots. In their defense (not that I defend bigots), at eighteen years old they know shite from shinola about life in general, this had to come from someone or somewhere else.
LOL.
Here is one of these junior nazis giving the "white power" sign with his right hand.
"Here is one of these junior nazis giving the "white power" sign with his right hand."
Supposedly So did Kavanaugh's wife during the sham of a committee hearing, according to the "media".
"Okay Kids, it's picture time....give us a wave" !
News media = "OMG they gave a Nazi salute" !
What an Ultra Maroon, what ignoramuses, what GulliBULLS !
This is a "wave" to you? LOL.
The media….AND YOU....said the same thing about Laura Ingram to try and jam her outa your lives.
Dude it's a white power hand sign! Just admit it! Show me a pic of ONE black person making that hand symbol....just ONE!
Ask....and you shall RECEIVE !
Oh no its White Power every where what shall we do..
OMG even the blacks are racist, what is the world coming to
OK. rofl.
when you don't have a case, reference a stupid video. it's understandable
What is Hillaryious is you claiming the circle game is a "White Power" sign. This isn't the 1st time either, Obviously you still haven't educated yourself as to what the circle by the crotch means.
Has Anderson "Fake News" Cooper done a segment on it? Is that why you are so ill-informed?
I admit that a minority of racist whites have raised there hand trying to form a W and a P like they are some dumbass gangbanger but making a circle by your crotch is not a "White Power" sign. But hey what is one more thing that you are wrong about that you can add to your resume eh JR?
But ain't it's funny how the circle game has been so easily cooped by white supremacist!
Ain't it funny how Liberals See ............… everything !
Doesn't it seem as if some progressive liberals HUNT stuff down that they can be faux-outraged over?
It sure does.
I think that's their only ………… Job ?
More like a religion with them.
I think they worship at the altar of the Perpetually Offended!
No need to Think. It's a given !
Just as funny that the Roman salute was turned into the Nazi salute, just because the Nazis did it when marching in front of Hitler instead of Caesar.
Ahh, the guy in the first row on the right is holding his crotch.
Murica Rising? Or, Murica falling?
Mikey Jackson Wannabe ?
Before ASSuming, the author should have done more research:
I am neither condoning nor condemning this until a full investigation is made.
what is it that you think you have shown?
What an odd question. I showed what your article conveniently ignored, John:
Well, gee willikers, Jasper, if you had thoroughly read John's comment #3 you would see that he had already posted what you posted in #11.
When I read your comment, I thought to myself....I've read that somewhere before.
Imagine....plagarizing somebody's comment! I do declare!
I knew that, but thanks for the help.
Don't put up with that shit, John! You clearly already had this posted!
I was being sarcastic.
Good afternoon, Trout Giggles. If you had thoroughly read and understood my comments 11 and 11.1.1 you would have known that I directly quoted from the seeded article and the Chicago Tribune .
Exactly what did I plagiarize? Before you reply, please remember that I clearly quoted from the seeded article and the Chicago Tribune - not John's comment.
oh. Beg pardon
bull! Nice backtracking
In your comment 11.1.2 you accused me of plagiarizing, but rather than proving your accusation you now accuse me of backtracking even though I've sourced all of my comments and have been objective in each of them.
John had already answered all of your silly questions with his comment in #3.
I asked exactly one question on this seed, Trout Giggles. Please see comment 11.1.6 .
Enjoy the remainder of your day.
Oh, jasper, jasper, jasper....
These things were already answered in John's comment......
You have a nice day, too