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Blog
Instagram Censorship
13
Feb
Feb
Yesterday February 12th I posted the photo below. The photo shows someone wearing a jacket that has Adolf Hitler on the back giving a Nazi salute. The caption I gave was “This ain’t it chief” signaling that this is not appropriate to wear in a somewhat jokingly way. The photo was removed by instagram within an hour or so. I understand this is a sensitive topic but this photo was not targeting anyone specific. Not meant to harm anyone. You can’t even see any faces in the photo.
I recently found out from a friend that no photos of Hitler at all are allowed on Instagram, even in a historical context. This does not make sense to me. I think it is very important to remember the atrocious acts Hitler committed and we can remember that through comedy. Read this article by Roger Cohen and Ryan Richards “When the Truth Hurts, Tell a Joke: Why America Needs Its Comedians”
The overarching message is that comedians can start conversations about taboo topics. This is my point. By Instagram simply shutting down any photo of Hitler it makes people too sensitive and doesn’t give the opportunity for a conversation to start.
To be honest my goal wasn’t necessarily to start a conversation about Hitler but that is something that can happen in result of posting taboo topics. I simply thought hey that’s pretty funny that person probably has no idea what they are wearing. Sometimes its good to feel uncomfortable. Start a conversation about it. Dont censor.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
That’s ridiculous. It’s censoring history, which only means we will be doomed to repeat it. I doubt its Instagram, though. Most likely this is from the small minority of people who whine loud enough and the rest of the world has to deal with it; Instagram had to make policies to deal with them, even though they affect the rest of us.
This is exactly correct. Which is why we learn about it in school. The more awareness we can provide, the more energy we can provoke towards social opinion. Being raised Taoist, I see the goodness that the bad can provoke or influence within others. This is proper stimulation albeit the claim of being the deadliest is incorrect. Humans need a fixation for our atrocities. Who can we blame. Who’s the Boogeyman. Who’s the example not to become. Hitler serves this purpose. I believe greed is the enemy within. We grow to tolerate many injustices within us. We have the ability to address these and work on ourselves but often they must become the pebble in our shoe or the rock in the road before we address it and grow from the experience. Let’s do better and stand witness to our actions and words. Be mindful. It’s the ones that hide others perceptions from their fabricated realities that shout out, This is offensive! It hurts to see it because it is a reminder of the pain and suffering of others. When did we become so emotionally stunted that we would choose to become calloused vs understanding and cooperative in prevention. Is the fly, caught in the spiders web, perception the same as the spiders? We must face these perceptions. The exist and it’s reality. Hiding the truth from yourself doesn’t make it less real. It only continues to grow stronger under a emotionally stunted society, afraid to see, afraid to hear. I believe in much of the philosophical value of the Bible, since Christ’s ultimate lesson was Love. The Bible has this message, “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” -Ephesians 4:18
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ” -Matthew 7:3
” Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. “. -Isaiah 6:10
“What is well planted will not be uprooted.”
-Tao Te Ching chapter 54
Instagram is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and emoloys a lot of snowflakes. They are hypersensitive to many things and can be offended by the slightest mention of a topic that most sane people can choose to filter for themselves. It’s a typical democratic view of if you can bury it, it doesn’t exist. Move on!
You’re 100% right.
I agree that we shouldn’t censor history, however I find it extremely innapropriate that a place has made and sold a jacket with Hitler (even if it is negative) and that someone is just wearing it, probably not knowing the context behind it. This dark part of history didn’t happen too long ago and there are so many people who are still affected by it, so to have him on a jacket to wear around casually is mind boggling to me.
There are MANY was to showcase holocaust atrocities. Most posts that would show Hitler are tryin to be funny (memes about unliked teachers?) or to glorify him. If you want to fight social media censorship there are more noble hills to die on.
I totally agree on you saying censorship isn’t a good idea. However, portraiture of swastikas is illegal in some countries (e.g. Germany), which may be the reason for Instagram to just overall deny posting pictures which do contain “illegal symbols”. They might “just ban those” instead of having to deal with several local law situations & having different rules for posting in different countries.
really? that’s a good perspective actually. Didn’t think about how it could be illegal in some countries. I guess I am just very used to freedom of speech in America. It is easy to forget the different laws and cultures in other countries.