Nazi salute. Not controversial salute. Nazi salute.
Akshhhally a lot of what’s now associated just with Nazis was a typical “worker party” symbols set in 20s.
Torches - because workers would assemble outside of their work hours, and it would be dark, it’s not your soy modernity with labor protections.
This particular thing called “Roman salute” - apparently wasn’t too popular outside of Nazis and Italian fascists, but there are archive photos of Communists in Russia in early 20s using that.
The raised fist symbol - well, everybody used it, and again, Nazis too.
Hammer and sickle - that one was in symbolic of Dolfuss’ Austria, and it’s not a coincidence, it was there because of socdems.
OK, all that isn’t necessary. It’s clear what gesture Elon intended. It may not be entirely clear what he meant, I think this is not Nazi endorsement, but rather a “f-ck you” to all parties he dislikes, who also happen to be keen on bringing up Nazis. But that wouldn’t be controversial too, just weird for a grown up man.
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Everything I said is true. And I think it’s more interesting for intelligent people to look at the world through others’ eyes, not to see confirmation from their herd.
Torches are still used by ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) at its big events.
The wide gesture - I will admit I’m not keeping a file of links for everything, but I have seen such photos of early “pioneers” (like scouts) in USSR and ever Red Army men. I think you won’t have to look for too long. Again, these were all early things.
“True” doesn’t equal the whole truth.
Yes, the NSDAP, donning the disguise of a Worker’s Party, adopted a lot of worker movement symbology, and through their prominence has given it awful connotations. Unsurprisingly, the modern ideological descendants have taken up many of those same symbols.
Yes, other groups use some of those symbols, or some of the other symbols you mentioned. That doesn’t mean the symbols are now innocuous. It just means context matters. A single element (like the torches) in a different context (like an Armenian group) doesn’t make them Nazis. A hooked cross in the context of Hinduism might mean luck instead.
And in the context of people endorsing Neo-Nazi bullshit, the Nazi salute is very much unmistakable as that.