#HASHTAGHITLER

   Say what you will about Adolf Hitler the force of evil, you can’t deny his comic potential in cinema and standup. The Dictator, The Producers and Look Who’s Back are just a few of the classics lampooning the tiny mustachioed Der Furer. I mention this because Hitler started out wanting to be an artist. That’s my territory. If you look at National Socialism as a “graphic” movement (flags, symbols, uniforms and overall branding) you can’t deny the hand of the artist…….skeletal as it’s death grasp was……in shaping his vision of the world. My God, he appropriated and repurposed the ancient symbol of good, the svastika! That takes balls…..and a pretty good PR department. 

    A few days ago I wrote a blog called Outrage Porn accompanied by an updated version of a vintage Hitler campaign poster. I replaced Der Furer’s head with Trump’s face looming ominously. It wasn’t scary. It was simultaneously sad and funny. It cracked me up. Hardly anybody liked it on social media. I don’t think many got the Hitler reference. I guess any Trump (or Hitler) humor is a tough sell these days. 

     As bad as Trump is I don’t believe he is intrinsically evil. He’s just  been incredibly lucky all his life….. and inept beyond belief. So when I hashtag Hitler or Trump it’s because I’m making fun of both of them, for different reasons. You would think this would be obvious. Here’s the problem. If I hashtag #pedophile the insta-web doesn’t know that I’m criticizing the practice, not promoting it. PLEASE stop sending me those pictures. Hashtagging Hitler is not a subconscious need to read white nationalism recruitment brochures, buy Nazi memorabilia, or march on Charlottesville. But how does the internet know that? It responds to my search results, pupil dilation and heart rate, not my point of view.

    Over the years I’ve created a couple of church characters who utilize the old pro- wrestling prototype, promoting “villainy” to work up the crowd. One is called Ku Klux Klown. The other is Ameriklan. Both characters sport the tricked out robes and hoods of the Klan for their costumery. The only way to get Klan robes is to make them yourself or order a set from inside the club. It’s not like Amazon handles racist, white nationalist gear…..not yet. Rachel Carrigan sewed Ameriklan for me out of cut up American flags and I ordered the standard white for Ku Klux Klown  by mail.

   The vendor who sold me my white hood and robes (a proud Klansman) would only deal with cash, sent by mail, leaving the faintest possible trail. But this did not help mask my google search history in finding him. Again, just because I google “serial killers” doesn’t mean I’m looking for better spots to hide the bodies of my victims. Even talking about something in the privacy of your own home can result in sales on sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond and pro-Trump material simultaneously showing up in the sidebar of your CNN newsfeed. At first I thought this was just coincidence. Now I know better. My machine is listening. Hashtagging Hitler can lead you to places you would rather not venture.

   I’ve heard many people say that artists can change the world. I agree. Just look at Hitler. Unchecked, concentrated power in the hands of a disgruntled artist can unleash unimaginable horror on the world. The same could be said for insecure real estate developers. I can’t think of any examples of artists or real estate agents doing great good in the world. Maybe if you think of that prankster Jesus Christ (walking on water, water into wine, feeding the multitudes, etc.) as an artist, one could say he had a positive message and unarguably a big effect on the world. “Love your neighbor…” and all that. That’s the celebrity death match I want to see: Jesus vs. Hitler, with Trump in Hitler’s corner. “Okay Adolf, you got him on the ropes. (spit) Fantastic! You still got it. Watch the left hook.”