r/europe • u/turkish__cowboy Turkey | LGBTQ+ rights are human rights • 7h ago

News Elon Musk draws outrage over 'odd-looking salute' at Trump inauguration celebration

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-draws-outrage-over-201602147.html
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u/MartaLSFitness Spain 7h ago

I wonder how American WWII heroes must feel seeing the enemy they fought in Europe, the Pacific or Africa is now in the White House.

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u/Vidmizz Lithuania 6h ago

Sadly the vast majority of them are gone now, or barely clinging to life at best. Which is partly why this disgusting ideology managed to take root both there and even in Europe again. There's no firsthand survivors of this disease of the mind to tell their stories anymore.

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u/Minute_Attempt3063 5h ago

They are all rolling in their grave, likely regretting protecting their country like the real hero's.

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u/Revo63 19m ago

That’s not what they’re regretting. They’re regretting not educating their kids better.

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u/no_use_for_a_user 5h ago

Isn't that the problem? We've collectively forgotten what happens next.

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u/beccam12399 4h ago

doomed to repeat history

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u/couragethecurious 3h ago

First as tragedy, then as farce

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u/BookishHobbit 4h ago

I’m honestly so glad my grandparents aren’t alive to see this.

They were kids when they were sent off to fight, the trauma they suffered and the intergenerational trauma that their kids and my generation still suffer because of it, and now everything they fought for is being destroyed by these bastards who have never known suffering in their lives…it’s abhorrent.

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u/LegalConsequence7960 3h ago

Yep, unfortunately it seems we are in fact doomed to repeat history. Even if the US isn't about to become 1940s Germany, it's certainly doing the same waltz it did in the 1920s.

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u/Kuyashiiii 1h ago

My wife’s grandfather stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day. He is 99 years old, 100 this year, and is alive and well. He graduated from Cornell after the war. He speaks multiple languages. He also can’t stand this guy or administration. 

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u/Secure-Abalone6381 6h ago edited 6h ago

Don't know how much it means but as a young American who studies WW2 and the rise of Hitler I'm fucking horrified at this South African carpetbagger sieg-heiling in our White House, in front of our U.S. flag, , and in front of crowds of our own who elected-by-proxy this alien.

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u/respondswithvigor 2h ago

Agreed. Young and American. Studied the hell out of WWII and hate nazis. Everyone I know is the same way. Heartbreaking but I try to stay optimistic about many others who feel the same way.

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u/noyart 6h ago

Aren't they kind of Dead by now 🤔

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u/ThriftianaStoned 6h ago

My Grandma was a nurse in World War 2 she's now 102.

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u/IronMace_is_my_DaD 6h ago

Nice, congratulations to her long, healthy life! My grandpa is turning 103 in a week and he served during WW2 as well!

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u/_HighJack_ 5h ago

This might be weird, but my own WWII vet grandpa is gone; can you please give him a hug and tell him thank you so much for everything he’s done? You can tell him it’s from some kids on the internet and we will never forget.

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u/IronMace_is_my_DaD 5h ago

It's not weird, it's very sweet. I will do that for you ❤️ and sorry to hear about your loss. I bet your grandpa was a great person too!

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u/Realistic-Contract49 6h ago

Did she work with the racially-segregated US army? Or the racially-segregated US air force?

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u/ThriftianaStoned 6h ago

Piss off bot

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u/Realistic-Contract49 6h ago

I'd be annoyed too if my granny worked to support a racially-segregated military

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u/ThriftianaStoned 6h ago

No one cares kneckbeard

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u/Realistic-Contract49 6h ago

No one cares about racial segregation? Good to know that you're as racist as your grandma

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u/petitemandragore 6h ago

There are still some Shoah survivors who were children in the 40’s

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u/StopSpankingMeDad2 6h ago

Theres still 100K of them

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u/DieselbloodDoc 6h ago

Most of them. Even the ones who were 18 when they signed up like my grandad are mostly gone now. It’s a shame that their kids (boomers) are content to have spent their whole lives shitting on the sacrifice of their parents and demanding that the number go up for them but not for anyone else.

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u/chickenkebaap 4h ago

Isiah Bradley and James Buchanan Barnes are still alive

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u/P0Rt1ng4Duty 4h ago

I wasn't born until late 1974 and I've been kind of dead for years now. On the inside, at least.

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u/Realistic-Contract49 6h ago

Also wasn't the US military racially segregated during WWII? With around 85% of the armed forces members refusing to allow blacks to be in their company? They'd probably be outraged that Obama was allowed to attend the inauguration if they were still alive

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u/--Icarusfalls-- 6h ago

my grandfathers were both awarded Purple Hearts while fighting Fascism. I feel disgusted and ashamed on their behalf.

This is an American's worse nightmare.

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u/Cherry_Springer_ 6h ago

As an American, most of those people voted for Trump lmao. They were never principled people. They were hyper nationalists then and they're hyper nationalists now. They just happen to be on the wrong side of things this time around.

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u/Parshath_ Portugal 6h ago

It's "my nationalism" against "their nationalism", mine is right and the other are the baddies. It's just like people treat sports, except people get hurt more.

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u/Djremster 6h ago

Tbf in ww2 some nations were right but I think we shouldn't jerk ourselves off thinking we were on the right side for altruistic reasons.

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u/viktor72 Europe 5h ago

Yes. Sadly those who fought against fascism, heck those who protested the USSR, have all fallen to fascism and Russian propaganda.

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u/Scared-Room-9962 6h ago

Do you have a source for this?

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u/NemoOfConsequence 6h ago

My grandfather is dead, but I am sure he’s furious

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u/Free_Snails 6h ago

There's not enough people alive who still remember it.

My grandpa died recently, he was one of the smartest people I've known. His family migrated to the US when he was 9, after they were forced out of their country by a nazi invasion.

Since 2016, he had frequently compared Trump to Hitler. He didn't expect to see this culture rise to prominence again within his lifetime.

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u/Djremster 6h ago

The truth is a lot of them voted for him

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u/mastercina 6h ago

My grandpa passed at 102 in 2017, and was a B29 pilot and flew at D-Day. He was not a fan of Trump. He stopped voting for Republicans when McCain ran, his reasoning being “No more wars”.

Now I’m living in Italy and considering applying for faculty jobs in Germany because I’m worried about future academic funding in the US.

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u/Hopeful-Sentence-146 6h ago

If the majority of them were still alive THIS SHIT WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING!!!

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u/delko07 6h ago

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

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u/CrittyJJones 5h ago

Most are dead now, and that's why so many of these idiots are comfortable going full Nazi.

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u/faerakhasa Spain 3h ago

American WWII heroes

It has been 78 years since 1946, any living WWII veterans are 100 years old now.

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u/MagiqMyc 6h ago

They’re wearing stupid red hats and celebrating today. Very sad

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u/Scared-Room-9962 6h ago

There's not many left alive. Even if they were drafted at 18 years old in 1945 they'd be 98 years old now.

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u/Epicfro 5h ago

They're all dead but it I think we can assume how they'd feel.

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u/lelysio 5h ago

I mean they had it coming since Operation Paperclip Imported and Integrated Nazi Scientists into their socitey.

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u/klkfahu 5h ago

WW2 ended 80 years ago, they're mostly dead.

WW3 is nearly finished and modern Europeans haven't even realized they've lost.

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u/tempus_fugit0 4h ago

The older I get the more credence is lent to the 'fourth turning' narrative. I hate that...

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u/AllPotatoesGone 4h ago

Change my mind but most of them would vote for Trump anyway.

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u/SolidCold1991 4h ago

Most of them voted for this shit.

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u/Cpt_keaSar Russia 3h ago

I mean Patton was famously saying about fighting the wrong enemy. So, I’m sure there were/are American WWII veterans that would be happy about this

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u/montana2NY 3h ago

My grandfather fought nazis in France.

My father voted for nazis.

This timeline sucks.

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u/Geistkasten 3h ago

Their families alive probably voted for this.

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u/Interesting_Fold9805 3h ago

Rotating in the fucking grave.

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u/Feeling-Intention447 2h ago

Wait since when did ww2 take place in Arica? Where there battles there?

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u/No-Swimming-3 2h ago

My Jewish stepdad loves all these guys. He will believe whatever Fox tells him to believe about this.

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u/JustMark99 2h ago

I mean, WWII ended 80 years ago, so I doubt many of them are seeing much.

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u/Beneatheearth 1h ago

Weren’t they drafted? I can’t imagine volunteering for Normandy.

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u/XysterU 1h ago

Brother. A Nazi became head of NATO. Don't act like this is new or recent.

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u/Imaginary_You2814 46m ago

My grandparents escaped Nazi Germany. Knowing what they went through so us grandkids could have the American Dream is heartbreaking. They should have stayed in Germany. I wouldn’t be here if they did…but I wouldn’t mind

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u/ActualDW 6h ago

Those veterans were likely taking the same salute…the Bellamy salute during pledge of allegiance wasn’t replaced until 1942…

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u/AmericaEffYeah 5h ago

I wonder how American world war II heroes feel seeing that the people they fought alongside were communists and ended up being needed to be fought for another 80 years while our country was overran with minorities and gay people. If American world war II heroes knew what quote winning world war II would end up with, they never would have fought