"NAZI YOUTH"Photos by Nicola Kast
“I heard that a friend from school had joined a Nazi role-playing group, so I persuaded him to let me come photograph their yearly battle routine in Pennsylvania.
The event was large and well visited. It seemed like just another thing to do on a Sunday, like a street fair or the circus coming to town. Most of the uniforms and war tools were extremely well-made replicas. The guns were all real. Many of the kids who played Nazi soldiers in the camp were in their late teens.
As a German, it’s hard to describe how I felt while experiencing the war reenactment. Shame, disbelief, anger... I felt that it was something I had to see or make myself see. It was like another inevitable event that was brought on by the past and the only way to respond was to brace myself and take it.”
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See all articles by this contributor Anonymous, on Oct 5, 2009 wrote:
To all you idiots out there that condemn reenacting and put up all these comments go stick your head back in the sand!! There are NO Nazi’s here they are WWII reenactors NOT NAZI’S!!! If you don’t have the facts shut your pie hole! Most of the WWII German SS reenactors are current and former American servicemen as I my self am. I along with all the veterans have earned the right through our service to this great nation to wear what ever the hell we want. This is done to HONOR veterans, not dishonor them. And for the monkey that wrote about the piles of bodies you should also keep your mouth shut you moron! You could not possibly understand what THE GREATEST generation that this country ever produced, which your grandfather is part of, went through unless you see first hand what and who they faced and photos cannot give you that part of the story. This is not Nazi/American apparel, another idiot who should keep his/her mouth shut, this is LIVING HISTORY. There cannot be reenacting without German reenactors. It’s that simple. opening your mouth without the facts is pure ignorance and that is why history repeats itself, IGNORANCE to the facts. If you want to know the truth about reenacting go to an event and learn otherwise shut your pie hole! Oh and by the way, the American WWII veterans that attend these events love all the reenactors, allied and axis alike. In their words..."You guy’s keep our service alive through your displays and your battles". We owe them our very lives so I try to do my part to honor them. What do you do...HUH...probably sit on you ass and do nothing!! | | Anonymous, on Jul 18, 2009 wrote:
cute guy :) | | Anonymous, on Mar 1, 2009 wrote:
Vice Magazine needs to take responsibility for titling this work.... though i doubt they would be willing to admit that their entire enterprise is run on manufactured shock and awe. Trying to create controversy (in this case, by falsely representing/labeling a body of work) should never take priority over an artist’s honest intention and integrity. You should be ashamed, and owe Nicola an editor’s note, here. | | Anonymous, on Feb 28, 2009 wrote:
Wow...the best thing about Nazis as cultural commerce is that any dialogue about them yields instantaneous knee jerk reactions from people who like to get all self-righteous..they will immediately bitch like a bunch of high-schoolers and create a sloppy controversy that attracts traffic to your website or exhibition. Ever wonder why the Nazis get such a rise out of us in the United States? Maybe we’re just too uneducated and repressed to find anything else to get upset about, or its just simple fetishism, or we like to think about how we won WWII(because the soviets saved our asses)and how the third reich was such a bunch of evil shitbags instead of remembering how we dropped two nuclear bombs on two different cities because we wanted to see which one worked better. Oh well.
P.S.- Only the SS uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss. | | Anonymous, on Feb 23, 2009 wrote:
Hold you damn horses, people. The title is in quotation marks for a reason, and if you’re too dumb to realize that that makes a massive difference then you should not be complaining. | | Anonymous, on Feb 14, 2009 wrote:
"nazi youth"? that’s pretty ridiculous. you only titled this work that to get a rise out of people. i doubt the artist would have ever called this piece that. ever. | | Anonymous, on Feb 9, 2009 wrote:
So those aren’t Nicola’s words? It seems pretty clear that she’s treating reenactors as some kind of freak show--on her own website--she could,if she had the guts to try,fall in with some real neo-nazis and skinheads who aren’t as nice and polite as history-loving reenactors. Dollars to doughnuts, THEY’D give her a real soul-searching experience (or whatever...) | | Anonymous, on Feb 9, 2009 wrote:
The editor probably titled this piece, not Nicola. Also, you may notice that the title is in quotes. Think about it. | | Anonymous, on Feb 8, 2009 wrote:
Hi Nicole
It’s a shame that you choose to spin your photos and article the way you did. Headline grabbers using the word Nazi never fails to get a boost for the writer and the photographs. You were amongst us all and I am sure you talked to and were respected by the majority so to get the most from your little pictures you choose the easy way out calming all to be Nazis and that’s a shame. Good luck to you and your friend and remember how you screwed the people who opened up to you and allowed you in. We won’t forget this. | | Anonymous, on Feb 8, 2009 wrote:
Look folks, as German reenactors, there’s no neo-nazism--most of the Axis reenactors at events like this also portray Civil War soldiers, Revolutionary War and/or WWI soldiers, as well as Allied soldiers, to provide some living history experience for the public (and raise funds for historic preservation-like the base which hosted the weekend)--all at considerable personal expense. So Nicola, cut the crap and admit that you took advantage of people who trusted you--and go to some Revolutionary War event next time, so you can portray British reenactors as harboring a secret desire to force the US to be British colonies again. I’m sure they’ll just love you... | | Anonymous, on Feb 8, 2009 wrote:
This media is absolute bullshit. Period. | | Anonymous, on Feb 8, 2009 wrote:
So you’re a Jewish, German-American WWII reenactor who hates liberals and thinks all Germans are racist against South African blacks? Your brain must be one hell of a place to live. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
More smug superior shite from a girl who longs for "the good old days in South Africa, before THEY took over".
At least she does after a few Castles safe in NYC! I am not even sure she BELIEVES the Holacaust happened, and if it did it was probably deserved. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
If you were really German you wouldn’t label all Germans in WW2 as Nazis as you would be calling our grandparents nazis simply for being German at the time. Nazis and Germans are different and being a German soldier makes you no more a Nazi than an American soldier is a democrat. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
This shit really pisses me off, I am a World War 2 German reenactor. I am not a Nazi, in fact, I am Jewish. On top of being a Jewish WW2 German reenactor, I also proudly serve my country in the United States Army, so whoever wrote this article calling all of us WW2 German reenactors Nazi, fuck you. You’re not good enough to lick the mud off my jackboots after a fun weekend at a reenactment. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
The folks depicted here are commonly referred to as re-enactors. The operative word here is act. Acting is make believe - not real. They are portraying military figures from the past - not reviving a political party. Do you think people like actor Bruno Ganz (The Downfall)walk around at home saluting themselves in the mirror? If you do then you are just plain moronic. Since we live in America I believe we are free to do such things. If it gives you a bad feeling to see it don’t show up again. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
Typical left-wing media crap. The bleeding heart liberal screams in defense of "freedom of expression" when it suits there needs. | | Anonymous, on Feb 7, 2009 wrote:
This is Disgusting, I was a person who "posed" for Nicole thinking that she was genuinely interested in ww2 reenacting, Not someone who would portray us as Nazi-Roleplay freaks. I hope she reads this and knows exactly how truly disgusted I am. No one asked you to come, and no one asked you to slander our names. Never again. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2008 wrote:
cool photos, but where the fuck are the rest of them?? | | Anonymous, on Aug 20, 2008 wrote:
that nazi chick is cute as a button | | Anonymous, on Aug 18, 2008 wrote:
ah, but did the holocaust ACTUALLY happen?? | | Anonymous, on Aug 18, 2008 wrote:
was this it?
fucking sucks. | | Anonymous, on Aug 13, 2008 wrote:
Oh, shoen! | | Anonymous, on Aug 10, 2008 wrote:
I read over a list of America’s top 10 internet searches a few years ago. Hitler was either number 3 or number 8, I can’t remember which. | | Anonymous, on Aug 10, 2008 wrote:
The Nazis killed millions of innocent people, and all you care about it what their UNIFORMS looked like and who MADE them?
This is evil, not fashion, you selfish douchebags.
I’m sure you’ll look fashionable in hell. | | Anonymous, on Aug 10, 2008 wrote:
Are you KIDDING? This is a Nazi/American Apparel ’photo shoot’... two air-brushed people posing in uniform is NOT a battle routine, FYI.
Where is your journalistic integrity?!?? Geezus-
My grandfather fought on the front lines of WWII for 4 years. Why don’t you ’role-play’ piles of dead bodies... I have REAL photos for you. | | Anonymous, on Aug 7, 2008 wrote:
Hugo Boss made the Nazi uniforms I think. | | Anonymous, on Aug 7, 2008 wrote:
FUCKING
HELL........................................................
..........
I’D KILL TO BE THERE.
THEY DRESSED REAL WELL
| | Anonymous, on Aug 7, 2008 wrote:
The girl wearing those swastikas gives me stiffys. Two photos is simply not enough, need more white power babes! | | Anonymous, on Aug 6, 2008 wrote:
2 photos. fuck you. fuck you i fucking hate your stupid fucking regime of a fucking magazine with your marketing of inferior uninteresting no-depth wading-pool 7-11 finger-up-your-own ass no-talent Star Search-Sparkle Motion high-top-Dunk worthless uninteresting non-redeeming who-the-fuck-are-these-fucking -idiots-fuck-the-editor crap cow shit of a mountain of bullshit. | | | Next 30 comments > |
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