Schwarzenegger Pictured Wearing Nazi Jewelry

There is a lot of buzz on the Internet over this week's issue of Time Magazine which pictures California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with a Nazi belt buckle. There are many that are outraged that he would wear something like this for such an important photo shoot.

The cover of the issue shows Governor Schwarzenegger with his arm around Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The caption on the picture reads, "Who Needs Washington?" It is an obvious reference to many of the changes that the two politicians have made in their personal political beliefs that do not
Schwarzenegger Pictured Wearing Nazi Jewelry
 go along with what the White House or Congress would have wanted.

If you look at the waist of Governor Schwarzenegger, you will see a large silver belt buckle around his waste that appears to be a type of skull and crossbones. This is a symbol that was used by the Nazi officials during World War II to instill fear.

It is not a secret that Governor Schwarzenegger's father was a member of the Nazi police before and during the war. His father most likely would have worn this symbol on his hat from time to time. There is ever a chance that the belt buckle could have belonged to his father at one time.

The criticism that is circling is about the fact that he would wear such a symbol on his belt during a major photo shoot in the first place. Since the symbol was used by the Nazi's to instill fear and hatred, Schwarzenegger is giving a poor representation of himself by wearing it.

There are some that are coming to his defense in different blogs and in forums stating that he must be wearing the symbol as a sign of toughness. Granted, there are many types of symbols that can be worn to show toughness. There are many that are stating that he should watch his jewelry more closely since it is well known that his father was a Nazi.

Early in his acting career, Schwarzenegger had to do a lot to combat the rumors that he was a Nazi sympathizer. There were many that believed that he might follow in his father's early beliefs.

 
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I hope people are aware that J. Stalin murdered more people during his reign than Hitler. Stalins body count is in the 10's of millions, approx. 30-32 million. ^^^^^ that statment is true, but they were pretty correct when they saud stalin killed as many ethnics as hitler.....they killed about the same...but stalin also jsut slaughtered massive amounts of other people, so techincally ur both right

Posted on 03/11/2008 at 3:03:16 PM

The skull and cross bones has been used by bikers for more than fifty years. And for hundreds of years (long before Nazis existed)as a pirate symbol. Why is it the so-called "LIBERALS" are always trying to start contraversy where there isn't even an issue. Don't you guys have an ACLU rally to go to? You still haven't taken all my freedoms yet. So you better get to work before some kid tells his classmates what happened at his church on sunday and offends a future serial killer!

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 10:10:00 AM

Haha, this is the single most stupid article I've read in a while. If anyone had bothered checking out the pics BEFORE writing down comments, this whole chirade would be avoided. First of all, it's not a ss or nazi symbol. They look completely different! It looks more like the "Jolly Roger" than the "Totenkopf" And to speculate that this belonged to his father? Get a life! Any party member sporting this belt at the local convention 60 years ago would be the laughing stock. Wes speaks the truth. What about all the people wearing the old Soviet symbol? Now THAT is offending. Stalin murdered at least as many ethnic minorities as Hitler.

Posted on 09/11/2007 at 2:09:00 PM

I hope people are aware that J. Stalin murdered more people during his reign than Hitler. Stalins body count is in the 10's of millions, approx. 30-32 million.

Posted on 08/30/2007 at 4:08:00 PM

Most of the time when photo shoots are done for magazines, the magazine chooses the clothing and has a wardrobe ready. I don't know if that's the case here, but it would be interesting to get the Gov's side of things.

Posted on 08/14/2007 at 1:08:00 PM

Actually, the buckle has some other features on it that identify it with european history and in particular the German Reich. These features are also on the crown of the Hapsburg emporors of the 1st German Reich. So, I believe the buckle should be interpreted according to the symbolism of the German Reich, i.e. it's a Totenkopf symbol. For more details go here: http://raumfahrer.wordpress.com/

Posted on 08/05/2007 at 1:08:00 PM

Lars, he's the Governor of California not just an ordinary biker. The Nazis murdered about 12 Million people in indutiralized murder factories under that symbol. It is outrageous for the Governor to wear anything that can be remotely construed as being related to that and Europeans recognize these symbols a lot quicker than we do. It would be extremely hard to believe S. didn't know. Remembering the millions of victims murdered in the Holocaust does not constitute prejudice against Germans, sorry.

Posted on 08/03/2007 at 4:08:00 PM

You want to compare wearing the cross to wearing the symbol of the Holocaust, the SS Totenkopf? Now, I think I've heard it all.

Posted on 08/03/2007 at 4:08:00 PM

It is obviously an American style belt-buckle, German ones during the war had a completely different style, more rectangular. Even the SS only had the skulls on their visor caps, they had eagle+swastika belt buckles. It is much more of a biker symbol in America nowaday, he was just trying to be cool. This is just another example of Germans and Austrians being discriminated against for something that happened nearly 70 years ago...ridiculous. Are pirates nazis too now because they have the same symbol?

Posted on 06/28/2007 at 12:06:00 PM

... and I am one of them (for whom an apology will not be enough.) There are a handful of things that are unforgivable in this life - and, from my perspective, having ANY favorable associations to Hitler's National Socialism would certainly be one of them. There is nothing about the logo of the Gestapo that is culturally 'hip,' except to ... well, I'll let it go at that. David

Posted on 06/26/2007 at 2:06:00 PM

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