Sometimes a Nazi Salute Is a Nazi Salute

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During my fifth-grade year, some of my classmates found themselves in a predicament on the playground. Three boys, during their recess break, were seen marching around, shouting “sieg heil!” while making a specific arm gesture. At that time, I felt it was wrong, though I didn’t fully understand why. A teacher stepped in and informed the boys that their actions were highly offensive. The boys appeared embarrassed, and one admitted they had been mimicking soldiers from a movie they watched. News of this incident and the teacher’s response swiftly spread throughout our school community.

Many people share a common experience: from childhood, we’ve been taught that the actions of the Nazis were incomprehensibly wicked, and their “Nazi salute” is something we avoid mimicking in our daily lives. As adults, we move our arms in various ways, making both deliberate and unconscious gestures. However, after being exposed to numerous portrayals of World War II in popular media, we instinctively know that there’s one arm movement we should not replicate. Luckily, this is something that’s relatively easy to steer clear of. It’s not as if we spend our lives feeling like Doctor Strangelove, needing to restrain our arms that seem to salute the Fuhrer uncontrollably and then force them back to our sides. Generally speaking, most of us can go through our entire lives without giving any impression that we’re participating in a Nuremberg rally.

Now to Elon Musk. 

Elon Musk is one of the most captivating figures of our time, with his achievements at SpaceX and Tesla being truly remarkable. When Elon Musk gave a dramatic salute on stage during a Donald Trump rally which went viral on Monday, I initially thought it was just another instance of social media overreacting. Upon seeing the video, however, I realized that Musk’s gesture was so exaggerated, a clear echo of a historical symbol, and delivered with an intense expression, that it was hard not to question whether he had intentionally given a Nazi salute – not once, but twice!

Supporters of Musk argue that his statement, “my heart goes out to you,” was simply an unusual way of expressing empathy. However, this remark came after a salute and a pause during his speech, which seems incongruous in its context. In reference to the election, Musk stated, “This one really mattered.” He went on to say, “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you!” [followed by a salute and a pause]. “It is to your efforts that I owe my gratitude,” he continued. “Because of you, the future of our civilization is secure.

You’re expressing sympathy by saying ‘I feel deeply for you,’ which is often used to comfort those who are going through a tough time, such as wildfire victims. This phrase isn’t typically employed when thanking a crowd for supporting a politician, as it seemed out of place and unexpected, accompanied by a surprised facial expression.

Elon Musk has shown a tendency to be unimpressed and dismissive. He recently wrote on platform X, “Honestly, they need to come up with more underhanded tactics,” followed by, “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ argument is so overused.” In addition, Musk often makes peculiar movements during his stage presentations. The Anti-Defamation League has actually spoken up in defense of Musk, stating, “It appears that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture out of excitement, not a Nazi salute, but it’s understandable that people are on edge right now. In this situation, let’s show each other some understanding.

In a sense, this could be seen as an analogy: If you perceive Trump as a fascist, then you might assume that Musk gave a Nazi salute under certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that Musk has backed far-right parties in Germany, Italy, and the UK, with Germany’s AfD being accused of deliberately employing Nazi rhetoric. Furthermore, it has been reported that under Musk’s leadership, Twitter/X has experienced a significant rise in racist, antisemitic groups and posts. Given these circumstances, it’s not hard to see why some people might think this was deliberate – especially when he appears at rallies for politicians with a large following of extremists. One would expect someone criticizing Hitler to be less likely to perform gestures reminiscent of the Third Reich, though regrettably, this is not always the case.

If you’re a supporter of MAGA (Make America Great Again), it’s likely that you believe critics are overreacting or exaggerating, given the media’s history of anti-Trump bias and a pattern of labeling issues as comparable to Hitler’s actions for about eight years. In this viewpoint, criticism of seemingly questionable matters is often seen as just another attempt to sensationalize news for increased clicks.

Furthermore, it seems plausible that others might categorize him differently: People who find it hard to accept that someone could deliberately perform such an act, thus they presume it didn’t happen – taking into account Musk’s intelligence, achievements, and his somewhat unusual and dramatic nature.

In essence, the discussion revolves not just about what Musk meant, which is impossible to determine definitively, but also about how his words were interpreted. Here’s another perspective: Could it be that the intention doesn’t carry as much weight as we might think? After all, communication guides often suggest that if a message is misconstrued, it’s the communicator who bears the blame, not the receiver. Given this, it seems Musk may not have been successfully understood by many, despite being given the benefit of doubt. This salute has sparked controversy in Europe and some Trump supporters might perceive it as a tacit endorsement. The lack of Musk clearly stating “that is not what I meant” leaves room for speculation that he was sending a covert signal. Just like fifth graders playing around without malicious intent, their actions were still not wise choices.

Let’s imagine a different scenario. If I were leading a panel at a Comic-Con and strongly displayed the middle finger gesture, approximately 6,000 people might interpret it as a rude gesture. Many would be upset. Does it make a difference if I didn’t consciously mean to offend them? Not really. The fact that they reacted negatively is on me, not them. Simply put, my actions caused their reaction, regardless of my intentions.

A gesture similar to the raised-middle finger is something we learn about at school. Everyone is aware of its meaning. Everyone knows it’s inappropriate and how it will be interpreted. That’s why, when you perform a near-perfect replica of a Nazi-like salute on stage during a Trump rally, regardless of your intentions or thoughts about the reaction, it doesn’t make a difference. Since people may not always understand your thoughts, and images or videos can circulate online indefinitely, being open to various interpretations, such a gesture might unjustifiably be perceived as a Nazi salute.

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2025-01-21 23:55