Is The Hipster Hitler Comic Anti-Semitic?

By Camilo Echeverri Bernal on September 22, 2014

A recent comic has sparked controversy in the Jewish community. Dubbed “Hipster Hitler” it shows the defunct dictator engaging in trendy activities and donning a modern outfit and thick-rimmed black glasses.

This was the creation of New Yorkers James Carr and Archana Kumar. Do you really think the Hipster Hitler comic is anti-Semitic?

Of course, seeing as the topic of the comic is in fact very sensitive, groups like London Stands With Israel have already decided to boycott the comic strip and the books being sold on Amazon and in London stores. They have sworn to buy and shred every copy of the book. Or as many as they can get their hands on.

image via http://robot6.comicbookresources.com

“If we can’t get shops to stop selling copies, we’ll buy and shred them all. Since when was it okay to promote Hitler as a cool person,” said Ilana Katz, member of the group. They found the comic extremely anti-semitic and offensive.

“It is offensive to people like me who have had family members killed in the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism has skyrocketed recently and we shouldn’t be selling books like this,” said Shania Angel, another member of the aforementioned group.

Angel was also heard saying that they (the group) “should boycott shops that sell it” and “should protest outside their stores and do everything [they] can to make sure these aren’t being sold.”

However, the creators of the comic said that their intention was not to offend people. But as with most things, some group is bound to get offended, and particularly when it comes to topics of the sort.

Carr and Kumar have also said that the whole purpose behind the comic has been to satirize “Hitler’s thoughts, actions and logic.”

In addition, the comic is to take “a few digs at a contemporary subculture of urban, middle-class youth that fetishize the ‘authentic’ and conform to non-conformism.”

So, from reactions, can this comic really be considered satirical? Satire is defined by the dictionary as “humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc.”

But, in light of recent events and a spike in antisemitism across the world, it can be understood why groups such as London Stands With Israel would find these as possibly making light of the life and crimes of Hitler.

http://www.thecommentator.com

Could they be taking their action a bit far by swearing to destroy the books? Perhaps. Could they also have a reason to seek to stop their dissemination? Possibly.

It’s not the intention of the creators that matters, but how it is viewed by the public. It might normalize and even trivialize who Hitler really was.

In my opinion, this gesture by the aforementioned group will call attention to the issue and make the comic more popular than it is. However, it is their right to demand that something be done about it.

I’ll let you judge the content for yourself.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format