Questionable politics and airsofters

Tbh unlike Captain America I'm not getting that reference.


Nerd stuff, related to my pretend-space-soldier costume.  It's from a far future sci-fi setting predicated on absolute ideological zealotry, where the slightest digression from the approved narrative in deed or word or even suspected thought results in accusations of heresy and non-humanity.  So, nothing at all like the kind, gentle, nuanced and balanced political debate of CURRENT_YEAR. ;)  

 
Nerd stuff, related to my pretend-space-soldier costume.  It's from a far future sci-fi setting predicated on absolute ideological zealotry, where the slightest digression from the approved narrative in deed or word or even suspected thought results in accusations of heresy and non-humanity.  So, nothing at all like the kind, gentle, nuanced and balanced political debate of CURRENT_YEAR. ;)  
It took a friend approximately 3 hours to explain these concepts to me, through a series of humorous and incredibly random WH 40K parody videos…

 
You may as well wear blackface and scream allahu akbar to top it off... Really want to offend as many people as you can, thats the dochy thing to do.

People will wear regalia to upset people, I have seen some patches in my time and know that people get them because they think that they are edgy like the Osama game patch I have seen... Not something I would wear, I think that it would be the last thing a person of the faith would want to see.

Its a game to have fun, its not a game to bring politics in to the game. IMHO leave that at the door.

 
All this talk of ww2 german uniforms has reminded me of something I overheard at a game last month. There was a someone playing in a vague attempt at a ww2 German loadout with a swastika on his helmet and double lightning bolt patches on his collar. While I thought it was a a bit silly, its what some other kid said that made me think WTF? While stood around waiting for the game briefing he called it a loadout of the bad guys from Call of Duty*. All I could think what are kids being taught in schools these days that they don't recognise symbols of a regime guilty of one of the worst acts of genocide in the past 100 years?

*I'm paraphrasing here as he sounded like someone had ordered Ali G from wish.com
The gen Z tat makes me laugh for this reason. Not only Russian speshul military twattery but as it’s also Waffen  SS ?‍♀️ 

Run kit badge less. A lot of military gear was reused and fielded but units other than the ones we historically associate them with.

Polish troops had German uniforms and kit at the outbreak of WW2. Just rebadged.

The Allied powers equipped border guards with rebadged Wehrmacht kit to the border guard after WW2, and you get to use a FAL with it.

Soviet and Russian kit reflagged to most Eastern European countries. 

I like the historical stuff and honestly couldn’t give a shit what targets wear. ?

But wearing the most contentious stuff at a bimble game is just to get a reaction.

Piss take away and game on! If they can’t take it more fool them.

That said there is a lot of revisionist bullshit about certain items of clothing (rather than badges) holding specific political messaging. 

 
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That said there is a lot of revisionist bullshit about certain items of clothing (rather than badges) holding specific political messaging. 


If you're referring to @BreadyC's keffiyeh remarks, specific meaning and history behind various pieces of headgear like that are significant and long-standing -- and while not common knowledge spread along UK shores, are absolutely in no way "revisionist bullshit" ?

 
If you're referring to @BreadyC's keffiyeh remarks, specific meaning and history behind various pieces of headgear like that are significant and long-standing -- and while not common knowledge spread along UK shores, are absolutely in no way "revisionist bullshit" ?
Different coloured keffiyehs were used to indicate allegiance to Fatah and the PFLP; wearing the wrong one in the wrong place at the wrong time was potentially a life shortening mistake.

 
Different coloured keffiyehs were used to indicate allegiance to Fatah and the PFLP; wearing the wrong one in the wrong place at the wrong time was potentially a life shortening mistake.


So - I occasionaly wear one of these olive Webtex shemaghs around my neck (some events even mandate them for opfor kit).

View attachment 111243

For my own edification - are we saying that some people find it offensive to wear something like this?

 
So - I occasionaly wear one of these olive Webtex shemaghs around my neck (some events even mandate them for opfor kit).

View attachment 111243

For my own edification - are we saying that some people find it offensive to wear something like this?
I doubt that anyone you meet at an airsoft site would find it offensive.  However, in some Muslim traditions green ones are worn by those who are regarded as descendants of the Prophet and the Imam Ali.  I wouldn’t worry about it.

 
There's a lot of sense spoken here. Yes we should be careful as any small group can be portrayed as guilty of wrongthink in the febrile clickbait climate nowadays. 

That said I'm on the verge of old fartdom now, but I was bought up with the general sentiment that you don't wear badges and insignia you're not entitled to.

I take it a stage further and to make sure I absolutely can not be mistaken for a walt pretending to be a real soldier I wear a deliberate mismatch of different camo patterns. (Anyway it breaks up my silhouette. Or something). 

My first thought about Z or Wagner insignia is that while we should aspire to live in a free-er and more tolerant country I would enjoy shooting at that.

I have seen someone in Waffen SS get up but as he didn't have badges as I remember I guess it was okay. My half German nephew raised his eyebrows mind you. I mean if you've got an Stg44 you absolutely must accessorise with I suppose I sort of understand.

But frankly I find the lack of historical knowledge and nuance of Gen Z pretty frustrating, one game and we had to grab various flags and once we had the German flag the lad with it was all like "I've got the nazi flag!" He was serious, it was the flag of the modern Bundesrepublik Deutschland and I don't think he understood why I was upset.

It's not so much that they're edgelords or dickheads I suspect, but rather that a lot of what we're talking about here can be laid at the door of a simplistic education in history and civics (or lack thereof) in recent decades.

Warhammer 40K or Star Wars cosplay and you're on much safer ground.

 
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My first thought about Z or Wagner insignia is that while we should aspire to live in a free-er and more tolerant country I would enjoy shooting at that.

I have seen someone in Waffen SS get up but as he didn't have badges as I remember I guess it was okay. My half German nephew raised his eyebrows mind you. I mean if you've got an Stg44 you absolutely must accessorise with I suppose I sort of understand.


If dressing up like this annoys you, don't do any historical filmsim. WW2 airsoft has to have two teams, after all :P

 
If dressing up like this annoys you, don't do any historical filmsim. WW2 airsoft has to have two teams, after all :P


True, but you can have Wehrmacht without any spicy, spikey S's.  That's always a conscious choice, it's not a case of bigger boys making you windmill up, then running away.

 
Well we shouldn't be seeing any more Wagner patches now

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66724396

From about a quarter of the way down

The proscription order will make it a criminal offence to support the group - including by arranging a meetings aimed at furthering the organisation's activities, expressing support for its aims or displaying its flag or logo.

 
s-l500.jpg


Without defining what a 'Wagner flag or logo' is, the opera lovers amongst us will live in fear.  Is a Ring Cycle poster/print enough to get you a spell in chokey now? 

 
At a guess I'd say one of these

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Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 states

"


13Uniform


(1)A person in a public place commits an offence if he—

(a)wears an item of clothing, or

(b)wears, carries or displays an article,

in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.

(2)A constable in Scotland may arrest a person without a warrant if he has reasonable grounds to suspect that the person is guilty of an offence under this section.

(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to—

(a)imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months,

(b)a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or

(c)both.

If you're worried then you better stick to the old Ludwig Van

View attachment 114644

 
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