Scott Tibbs
The "Nazi" stage design at CPAC
By Scott Tibbs, March 12, 2021
Does anyone really believe that the Conservative Political Action Conference intentionally designed their stage to resemble an obscure symbol used by Nazi Germany? Do you really believe the organizers of CPAC would risk the future of the conference and its place in the movement for an obscure reference? Why not go all out, and make the stage the shape of a Swastika? Nazis are the most universally despised political group on the planet, and that also applies within the Republican party and the conservative movement.
Here is the reality: The vast majority of people had no idea the diamond with "legs" was a Nazi symbol and only learned it the last couple weeks. That is the case with CPAC too - no serious person believes that this was an intentional tip of the hat to Nazi Germany. The idea that everyone should be expected to know every historical symbol to avoid using a symbol that had also been used by tyrannical regimes is silly.
In fact, a diamond is not all that unusual for a stage design. You can see examples
here and
here. The Democratic National Convention also had stage designs that allowed speakers to be surrounded by supporters on three sides, as you can see
here and
here. It gives a little more of an organic feel than having people up on a stage looking out into a crowd facing them.
But there is a much deeper problem here. How exactly are we supposed to have a country if people legitimately believe those who disagree with them about politics and culture are literally supporters of the genocidal regime of Nazi Germany? How are we supposed to live and work and shop next to each other when we see those we disagree with as supporters of pure evil?
When you manage to find "Nazis" around every corner, you actually provide political cover for real Nazis. If everyone you disagree with is a "white nationalist" or a "Nazi," why should people believe you when you point to someone who is actually advocating a white ethno-state and correctly condemn his ideology? Of course, as I have
explained previously, labeling everyone you disagree with as a "Nazi" also enables you to excuse violence against political opponents.
Yes, the "alt right" exists and there are neo-Nazis and white supremacists out there. I have had to ban a few of them on social media and from commenting on this blog. But it is absurd to equate the modern conservative movement with Nazi Germany. No one with real influence in the conservative movement or the Republican Party is advocating that people be rounded up and put in concentration camps. Legitimate white supremacists and neo-Nazis are shunned by the Right, and everyone knows it. Stop this foolishness.
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