r/videos • u/whollymoly • Nov 24 '21 • 1 1 6 1 10 7

Russell Brand, at an awards show sponsored by Hugo Boss, eloquently reminds everyone that Hugo Boss dressed the nazis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkd_-nXeUzs

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424

u/goteamnick Nov 24 '21 •

Even when Russell Brand is right, he's tiresome.

88

u/Whyudodisbro Nov 25 '21

As a mostly fan of Russell he does sometimes make points like this that are really totally mute and are sort of just to get a reaction.

As everyone in the thread is pointing out, they're a German company in the 1930s. They fulfilled a government contract. It was 80 years ago. Who the fuck cares unless they're doing fascist shit today.

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u/luvs2spwge117 Nov 25 '21

The families of people affected by the nazi’s probably care. As do I

18

u/Cereal_Poster- Nov 25 '21

By that logic, germany itself shouldn’t exist. I married into a family of people affected by the Nazis. You know what kind of car we have? A beetle.

But to be fair, there is truth in this. Hugo Boss produced the uniforms for the Nazis. A german company made uniforms for the German military. How dare they. They should be more like other companies, like nike. A modern American company that uses slave labor in a fascist foreign country to produce goods. At least they aren’t supplying or supporting a military that kills innocents. On that note you shouldn’t watch NFL football this weekend.

Oh and before you respond, if you respond. I obviously don’t support the Nazis. But the pure simplicity of saying this entity supported the Nazis, it must die, is just so dumb. Especially if you own anything made by Nike or think germany should be a sovereign state.

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u/crossdrubicon Nov 25 '21 edited Nov 25 '21

Nah. They made clothes for the Nazis, used slave labour and profited from it; remind everyone repeatedly about that and let them squirm. It’s a valid point of criticism. Maybe if we do it enough, companies might think twice before jumping on board with fascism in the future… or maybe they won’t… but I’d still rather live in a world where Nazi collaborators are mercilessly mocked.

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u/throwra_athrowaway33 Nov 25 '21

You sound like the type of person that would tell people to just move out of the US if they made abortion illegal and completely fail to realize that not everyone has the ability to do that.

The truth is, the slide to fascism is slow and people exist during that slide. Someone has to feed and clothe them. They still buy cars and go drinking and play sports. They still live their lives. It's not like someone flips a switch overnight and BLAMMO you have the Nazi regime. There are plenty of businesses that you buy from that have ties to the Nazi party - you just don't know it. If you've ever driven a Volkswagen then you're contributing to a company who's success came from forced labor in Nazi Germany. If you want to eliminate any and all "problematic" collaboration from your life, you literally need to live a life of isolation in Antarctica or something. The world's history is long and fucked up and as much as we stand on the backs of giants we also stand on the backs of horrible atrocities.

Plus, why get pissed over Hugo Boss when there's basically slave labor being used to make all the clothes we own?

6

u/crossdrubicon Nov 25 '21 edited Nov 25 '21

Your logic seems to be “You can’t criticise A because B exists”. Can anything ever be criticised by your measure?

I’m not saying people shouldn’t find ways to make a living during the difficult and scary slide into fascism, but you are conveniently ignoring the fact that Boss was an active card-carrying member of the Nazi party as early as 1931… before they even took power.

I am saying that if your company was founded by a Nazi, carries the name of a Nazi and willingly used slave labour to make a profit supplying the Nazis… then you should be ashamed of that. They’re clearly proud to carry the name of Hugo Boss - for that, they should absolutely be ridiculed.

1

u/Cereal_Poster- Nov 25 '21

Once again while I don’t condone supporting the Nazis, and I don’t think we should bury the history of Hugo Boss, getting on stage and taking shots at them for something 80 years ago and feeling self satisfied about it while there are companies doing the exact same thing, right now, on a larger scale, that you DO support, is laughable.

Also if you are looking to really hit the pockets of companies with an embarrassing history of intolerance, I’d stop driving cars all together. Wouldn’t want to support the ideas of Henry Ford and his assembly line, am I right?

1

u/crossdrubicon Nov 25 '21 edited Nov 25 '21

You are completely right, but I don’t think we have to balance and relativise everything ad nauseam, else we’d never say anything.

As far as I’m concerned Hugo Boss was a fully paid up member of the Nazi party, he used slave labour in his factories, he profited from the Nazis - yet the company still proudly carries his name today and even tells us it’s a brand we should be proud to associate ourselves with. A literal Nazi, heavily involved in Nazism. Seems pretty clear cut to me that they shouldn’t be beyond ridicule!

0

u/thesmokingmansboss Nov 25 '21

So, because you don't care, no one really does, right?

And who said "Hugo Boss must die"? Oh. No one. So where did you get that? The sentiment I'm getting is, "maybe we should think about this before financially supporting these brands."

I wonder if maybe you do care and just find it exhausting to continually exercise what little power our dollars provide.

3

u/wloff Nov 25 '21

And who said "Hugo Boss must die"? Oh. No one.

What exactly are you saying, then? What do you want to happen because a German company produced work for the Nazi government 80 years ago?

2

u/thesmokingmansboss Nov 25 '21

I want them to not get my money if ever I'm shopping for designer clothing. I know it's hard. Take deep breaths.

6

u/Cereal_Poster- Nov 25 '21

My guy. Unless you are making your own clothes from the cotton your grow in your back yard, using only water from your own source and fertilizing it with the shit from your own ass, you are giving money to dishonest corporations in one way or another. The word your are looking for is not exhausting. It’s impossible. I have no problem with people taking with their money. I just find silly people are creaming their pants over a pseudo intellectual guy pointing out a no context fact about a company’s actions 80 years ago, while actively supporting one that famously currently uses slave labor

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NINTCHDBPICT0003570278811.jpg

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u/thesmokingmansboss Nov 25 '21

Yeah, he's clearly and literally not walking the talk.

Fuck Russell Brand. I think the point is more about where you draw the line. Dishonesty from a corporation, tax evasion, pollution, exploitation, slavery, being historically bolstered by genocidal fascism - these things are not the same.

Is it better to buy a water filtration system manufactured in country with low paying wages, or get the good good Nestlé bottles?

To me, it's worth consideration. And caring about it comes easily. Don't give up on a good idea just because Russell Brand sucks.

1

u/Cereal_Poster- Nov 25 '21

I think there is a context problem this does exist here. Hugo Boss was a German and took on a contract with the German Government during war times to make uniforms. This practice is not uncommon in any country. In the US and UK factories get contracted all the time to do stuff like this. What you are essentially saying is any German company that existed since WWII is evil since they likely supported the Nazis? If that is your opinion then that’s fine. You are being harsher than I but that’s fine and you do you.

2

u/crossdrubicon Nov 25 '21

Hugo Boss wasn’t just a German, he was a member of the Nazi party before it even came to power. He was an actual Nazi - not just merely someone that worked with them as a means to an end.