- lumps of wisdom -

(Lumps of Wisdom is a blog by "Lump", a local musician and supporter of the scene).

3.14.08

I suspected it all along; swastikas are the great equalizer. Lemme explain...

I've always subscribed to the idea that the best way to level the playing field when attacking hate is to simply make fun of it. Or as I like to call it the "Blazing Saddles" offense.

Director Mel Brooks took a serious problem: racism, and showed his audience just how stupid the practitioners of racism are. By the end of the movie nobody in the audience wanted to be the white guy that said "we'll take the n**gers, Jews, and chinks; but we don't want the Irish!"; we wanted to BE the n**gers, Jews, chinks, and Irish! I'll argue that Blazing Saddles did more for race relations in this country than 30 years of corporate mandated diversity training or another in an endless series of Al Sharpton- induced boycotts on another in an endless series of washed up creepizoid dj's could even sniff.

Which brings me to that universal symbol of hatred, racism, and general all around mischief: the swastika.

A couple of weeks ago at a big benefit The Futz helped throw for the American Red Cross, I was asked to check all the band flakes' id's and make sure they were 21+ in order to consume free light keg beer. If they were of age I was to inject their left hand and blood stream with an "X" in toxic Sharpie ink.

Most ended up with a swastika instead, including myself.

I had a blast observing the reactions which ranged from a shocked "what the fuck!" to "ha, ha, is that a swastika?"

I firmly believe that the people with something to hide and feeling guilty about it were in the "what the fuck" group. At least we are now at the point in this country that we are feeling guilty.

And then there is always the fun factor. Nothing causes quite the same stir, even over half a century later, as a swastika plastered, Nazi uniform clad drunk goosestepping around the neighborhood seig heiling politely. Keith Moon did it every chance he got.

I read a story involving The Ramones, their friend artist Arturo Vega, and The Dead Boys. Upon their arrival to New York from Cleveland, The Dead Boys presented The Ramones with German Mother's crosses. Remember that The Ramones had written several punk classics with Nazi undertones like "Today Your Love, Tommorrow the World" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". This is all the more absurd since Joey Ramone could've been the poster child for all the chosen people since Abraham; he was that Jewish!

The Ramones were like "great, Nazi necklaces". So they took their pupils to Vega's loft, which is where they were slumming at the time. The entire loft was platered with day-glow swastikas which combined two man-made madnesses: fluorescent colors and hate.

Arturo Vega has been quoted as saying that in order to conquer evil, you have to make love to it.

I got a feeling Vega was a Blazing Saddles fan too!

-Lump

*Check out Lump's band The Futz at www.myspace.com/mofutz

*Email Lump at

thefutz@sbcglobal.net

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