Nazis Gettin' Punched

After robust discussion, the staff more or less agrees that we should not lean too hard into sharing images of Jake Angeli getting punched, because the longer his absurd horned visage remains in the media the easier it becomes to view him as mere clownish figure, while forgetting that he’s in fact a volatile Neo-Nazi. Still, this painting, the work of talented MS-Paint impresario Jim, is a special one -- featuring Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay punching Angeli for stealing part of his look. And we couldn’t resist.

Jake “QShaman” Angeli was arrested earlier today for his part in attempting Beer Hall Putsch 2020. On his chest he bears a tattoo of a valknot, which is a symbol of Norse extraction that has been co-opted by white supremacists to declare a “warrior for Odin” mindset. Elsewhere in the insurrection, a man felt empowered to wear a vile “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt during the takeover of the Capitol. Just in case, y’know, somebody out there thinks it’s going too far to label any of these people as Nazis.

The staff unanimously agrees to post this without further comment, in that no further comment is necessary. This piece is by Daniel Hashimoto (@ActionMovieKid), in a reworking of an original piece by Jon Hoffman.

This image was delivered to our staff by a follower of the Tumblr, and we have no idea of its source or context. We deduce that the man in the American sailor’s outfit is in fact some kind of Nazi Rat, who very nearly snuck up on our hero Larry, only to be warned of the impending attack by the nearby American Girl, who, like all American Girls, does not like Nazi Rats. However, it might also be that the sailor is not at all a Nazi Rat, and that this is just one of those things Larry shouts when he punches people who are sneaking up behind him. It’s a mystery. If you know where this panel comes from, let us know.

Chinese-American author Gene Luen Yang has recently collaborated with Japanese art studio Gurihiru on DC Comics’ three-part Superman Smashes the Klan, an adaptation of the famous 1940s radio serial that used many of the Klan’s own internal codes against them and helped a generation of American children recognize that white supremacists are the Bad Guys. Enjoy this empowering image of Superman socking a swastika-wearing villain right in the jaw, and read more about the project through this interview at The Hollywood Reporter. 

A reminder that “alt-right” and its variants are attempts at rebranding, not evolutions of thought. These polo-wearing, tiki-torch-wielding milk-babies are not fundamentally different than Nazis, so you get to enjoy watching them get punched.

Strictly speaking this is a Nazi Gettin’ Egged and then wrestled away from his assailant. As the message remains clear -- “your Nazi bullshit is unwelcome” -- the staff believes that it deserves a place of honor on this Tumblr.

The reviews for the new animated film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse are, as far as we can tell, universally positive. The staff of this Tumblr are especially pleased to learn that the Noir Spider-Man, voiced by Nicolas Cage, “likes to fight Nazis...a lot.”

As you may have surmised from the banner image and various posts on this Tumblr, the work of Stan Lee -- who passed away today at the age of 95 -- was very important to our staff. A World War II veteran* like his original creative partner, the late, great Jack Kirby, Lee often found opportunities in his comics to introduce Nazis and then have them punched or worse. The Destroyer, above, sprung to life in 1941 and is considered Lee’s first published superhero, a protagonist in the strange tales found in Mystic Comics. His origin involved a super-soldier serum and fictional “Vita-Rays,” administered to him by an anti-Nazi scientist, details that would be repurposed in the future for the story of Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America.

The staff wants it clear that we’re not here to canonize Lee or bury his imperfections. Lee was a complicated and often prickly businessman as well as a tireless self-promoter and ringmaster, who more than earned his share if enmity from his collaborators and employees. There remains in his expression, throughout his life, relics of sensibilities gone by that one wishes he had thought better of saying aloud, much less pitching to networks. But the stories he helped invent for Marvel, more often than not, were filled with a boundless energy, creativity, and desire to see justice done. He threw practically everything he could at the wall, failing often and then acting as if the offending story never happened, but he also contributed to some of the most enduring pop culture icons the world has seen, while imbuing his larger-than-life vigilantes with a recognizable humanity that allowed his audiences to empathize and sometimes see the version of themselves they wished they could be. And so we at Nazis Gettin’ Punched salute his passing with our eyes clear, our fists clenched, and the fascists running away from us deeply terrified. * Lee was given the rare and surprising job of “playwright” in the United States Signal Corps, writing scripts and other copy to encourage Allied troops and mock the Axis powers. Learn more about this story here.

Part of the reason this Tumblr is updated so infrequently is that our staff managed to grab a good deal of content in the first few months after we began. The other part has been disbelief that we’d need to continue reminding people that Nazis are fundamentally awful human beings and should be afraid, always, that public displays of their ideology will get them punched. Yesterday’s attack on Tree of Life is an atrocity, compounded by the milquetoast and dismissive way that the president and his cabal have refused to acknowledge their own culpability in emboldening such bigots. Full stop. Take your arguments elsewhere. This is Nazis Gettin’ Punched, not Open Forum For Your Both Sides Are To Blame Arguments.

One of those images we missed in the original uploads; this is the cover of a book devoted entirely to the traditional American pastime of punching Nazis. Anecdotal sidenote: Today a friend of the staff ran across a comment online lamenting that the higher-ups at Marvel had made Captain America “antifa.” “Antifa.” As in, “anti-fascist.” Captain America, they lamented. What curious times we live in.

Oh hello, it’s us again. It seems that the shame of Whitefish, Montana decided to make another speech at Michigan State University, and a few fledgling Nazis got punched for it, including “Traditionalist” “Workers” “Party” figurehead Matthew Heimbach. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Highly visible Nazi and regular punching bag Richard Spencer is delivering another one of his hate speeches on a college campus in Florida this week; an event that caused the governor to declare a state of emergency. The piteous, swastika-clad fellow above is shown taking a punch on behalf of his cowardly, dead-eyed god-king.

Some context and some commentary from our staff. Context: The individual being decked was first spotted on a bus in Seattle, and is alleged to have actively harassed a black person on that bus (in addition to the passive harassment that occurs simply because one is wearing the symbol of history’s most hated regime of mass murderers).

Social media began tracking the individual, eventually pinpointing his location. He allegedly spouted more racist rhetoric, including calling somebody an ape and throwing a banana at them. Reports are that the individual referred to as an ape may have been white, but that’s truly not the point--the point is that a man in a Nazi armband was carrying around bananas to use as props while he declared other people subhuman. Because that’s the sort of ridiculous bullshit Nazis do. The man was knocked unconscious as per seen above; when he came to, he asked for help and was rejected by passersby for being a Nazi. Later, the man was seen at the same location but with the armband taken off.

Commentary: It may seem very frightening to an observer to consider that a man was stalked on social media, accosted at his physical location, and then knocked cold with a single punch.

It should only be frightening if you are a Nazi. Because Nazis should feel frightened--every hour, every day--that somebody will discover they are a Nazi. They should not feel empowered to parade anywhere in America wearing any of the symbols of the Nazi Party, unless they are in some kind of performance, a performance in which the Nazi they are portraying is clearly depicted as a participant of an evil ideology.

A modern-day Nazi has only two entities they may blame for any fear they feel--themselves, for being a Nazi; and the original Nazi Party, for being homicidal madmen. Hitler and his scions ruined the notion that Naziism was merely one of many valid political philosophies when they showed the world that it was in fact nothing but an overture to slaughtering millions of innocent people.

Everybody else sees it for what it is. And when you wear a Nazi armband, everybody else sees you for what you are. And you should feel ashamed and afraid that people see you.

Portland artist Francesca Berrini, who sells her work online and in shops under the banner “Unusual Cards,” created this beautiful, vintage-style print that reminds us an open-handed slap can be as stinging a rebuke as the well-landed haymaker. And indeed, it is the duty of all Americans to deliver stinging rebukes to Nazis, no matter how vital their support might be to your election campaign. (Image shared with permission.)

A useful illustration of philosopher Karl Popper’s observations on the concept of political tolerance, that also, to our staff’s delight, includes a solid kick to Hitler’s keester. 

This fierce and whimsical work by Mat Pringle is from his book Woody Guthrie’s New Year’s Rulins, a series of illustrations depicting 33 rulins, or resolutions, that Woody Guthrie wrote down at the end of 1941. Go support his work.