Reading mine kampf... Social Stigma?

crazy cabbage

Decided that i want to read Mein Kampf. I am not a nazi or anything like that. I just think it would be interesting to find out what was going through the mass murders head if that makes sence. Listen from the horses mouth instead of secondary sources and all that...

Question is: What would people think if they see me reading it? Is it fround upon? Has anyone else read it / would you recomend it.


Edit: Yes i do have to learn how to spell

Casillas

Read it, why not. It's the suppression of ideas that is dangerous?

bluto63

Replace the cover this

flutterflye

Why do you care?
Why not just read it if you want?
Who gives a crap like.
I haven't read it, but I probably will at some point.

wallpaper12

I tried to read it but its just so badly written and full of lies that I gave up.

Jimoslimos

Kindle ftw

That is if you want to read objectionable material unbeknownst to your fellow commuter

Sappa

I'm waiting to read the sequel by merkel.

Bassfish

If I saw someone reading mein kampf, unless they were a skinhead and wearing doc martins and braces, I'd assume they had a keen interest in history, nothing more.
Haven't read it myself but I've heard it's mainly self-aggrandising tripe.

V_Moth

crazy cabbage wrote: »

Decided that i want to read Mne Kampf. I am not a nazi or anything like that. I just think it would be interesting to find out what was going through the mass murders head if that makes sence. Listen from the horses mouth instead of secondary sources and all that...

Question is: What would people think if they see me reading it? Is it fround upon? Has anyone else read it / would you recomend it.

Adolf Hitler - Mein Kampf against bad grammar...

Dangerous Man

I haven't read it myself; I read Ian Kershaw's 2 volume account of Hitler which was bloody fascinating though. Kershaw, on more than one occasion made the point that Mein Kampf was extremely tedious and not really worth reading.

The original title of Mein Kampf was 'Four-and-a-half-years of struggle against lies, stupidity, and cowardice.' Seriously.

Birroc

Its "Mein" not "Mine" or "Mne".

Mein = My

"My Struggle"

Collie D

I'd probably be interested in reading it myself from an historical point of view. Not sure it would be one for the daily commute though. Where exactly did you get it? Not something you could pick up in Eason's I'd imagine.

LOL at the Merkel sequel comment

laoch na mona

expect evils from people reading the communist manifesto

Dartz

Without understanding history, we are doomed to repeat it.


Be a hero. Pirate it.

Terrontress

Learn how to spell the title first.

I've got a copy although I didn't attempt to read it in public. It's tough going. Rambling, self-satisfied nonsense. My copy of the translation also had footnotes on most pages contradicting or challenging a lot of what Hitler had written which is quite offputting.

I didn't even make it a third of the way through.

nungesser

My young cousin was reading Mein Kampf and had it on the kitchen table, his dad got drunk and late one night grabbed a pen and signed the inside of the book "Jim we'll always have aushwitz, Adolf". My cousin was mortified especially as it was a book he checked out of the library. The rest of us thought it was F'n hilarious!

flutterflye

laoch na mona wrote: »

expect evils from people reading the communist manifesto

Why?
That makes no sense at all.
I've read The Communist Manifesto, yet will probably read Mein Kampf at some point.

Terrontress

Collie D wrote: »

I'd probably be interested in reading it myself from an historical point of view. Not sure it would be one for the daily commute though. Where exactly did you get it? Not something you could pick up in Eason's I'd imagine.

LOL at the Merkel sequel comment

You'd get it in Easons I think. My sister bought me my copy as a Christmas present from Waterstones!

It's worth getting in order to satisfy yourself that it really is that bad.

You'll end up thinking "Is that it?"

IloveConverse

Read it at home, by yourself.

You'll find yourself pausing at stages, thinking about what's written on the page, and comparing it with later outcomes in Nazi-Germany. It's not something one would read on the train, etc. You need time and space to think, by yourself.

I read it last year. It's an interesting read, but it is very time-consuming.

There is definately a stigma attached to reading it- Some that I've told I've read it jump to the conclusion that I'm becoming a neo-Nazi. Others don't care, as they see the point in such a read.

Enjoy.

monkeypants

Collie D wrote: »

Not something you could pick up in Eason's I'd imagine.

LOL at the Merkel sequel comment

A friend asked about it in the Blanch Eason's years ago and all activity at the tills ceased. They didn't have it.

Also laughed at the Merkel comment.

Gummy Panda

Just don't try to buy it in Germany lol

jhegarty

Strangely this thread doesn't seem to have been godwined yet.

Collie D

Just remembered I borrowed The Satanic Bible when I was in school as a curiosity. Just couldn't get into it and I always make a point of finishing a book no matter how much I dislike it. Think that was the only one that failed that particular test. Nowehere near as interesting/controversial as I'd expected.

Anyone know who gets the royalties (if any) for Mein Kampf?

General Relativity

Ive read it, it's a fairly hard read, I'm sure it's better in German.


http://archive.org/stream/meinkampf035176mbp/meinkampf035176mbp_djvu.txt

Enjoy!

Terrontress

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Just don't try to buy it in Germany lol

The state of Bavaria owns the German copyright and have kept it from being published since the modern federal state was given its autonomy post ww2. It is coming up to the time when the copyright will expire so Bayern is going to publish it in advance of that to try to keep control of its distribution.

Apparently it is written in quite a colloquial German, typical of Southern Germany / Austria, which does not translate well in to English. Little suffixes etc.

Blowfish

I've read it, though it was a fair while ago now. Interesting to try and see stuff from his perspective, but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially after seeing the results having been to Auschwitz.

laoch na mona wrote: »

expect evils from people reading the communist manifesto

I've read that too. Can't quite work out which of them is worse.

Tonyandthewhale

I tried reading it and I wouldn't recommend it. Curiosity or not, it's still a very badly written book.

crazy cabbage

Casillas wrote: »

Read it, why not. It's the suppression of ideas that is dangerous?

Very true. Thanks. Will proberly just end up getting it in libary. Dout if it will be one for reading on the trian alright

Don't know how true this is but isn't there like 7 versions of the book and all different (ish). I would imagine becouse it is illegal in germany (or atleast used to be) that the origonals would have been destroyed. There is ment to be a fair discrepancy between the different versions so Which one would be closest to what hitler actully wrote? Proberly impossible to know at this stage though...

1. Dugdale abridgment
2. Murphy translation
3. Reynal and Hitchcock translation
4. Stackpole translation
5. Cranston translation
6. Manheim translation
7. Official Nazi Translation

Thanks all for replys

Sappa wrote: »

I'm waiting to read the sequel by merkel.

DoubleBogey

crazy cabbage wrote: »

Decided that i want to read Mein Kampf. I am not a nazi or anything like that. I just think it would be interesting to find out what was going through the mass murders head if that makes sence. Listen from the horses mouth instead of secondary sources and all that...

Question is: What would people think if they see me reading it? Is it fround upon? Has anyone else read it / would you recomend it.


Edit: Yes i do have to learn how to spell

I presume you are going to download it? Just be careful you are actually downloading the real thing and not some nut job edited version ( other nut job than Hitler!)

As for the social stigma, it's banned in Germany isn't it? And I can safely assume Jews would have serious issues with it, I wouldn't exactly go around flaunting it. Also bear in mind a lot of Irish people would be ignorant to what it is. So pulling out a book on the train with a Nazi symbol or a picture of Hitler on the cover would definitely get you a few stares.

But for what it's worth I happen to think its the most important books written in a historical sense. You are absolutely right that you should read it and get your own understanding. I want to say much more but trying to be careful about what I publish on the internet is giving me a headache, and that just says it all about what I would like to say. We live in a free world and you can read what you like and don't need to justify it to anyone.

marcsignal

crazy cabbage wrote: »

Decided that i want to read Mein Kampf. I am not a nazi or anything like that. I just think it would be interesting to find out what was going through the mass murders head if that makes sence.

Tried reading it, got bored quickly, so I skipped to the last page.

I don't want to ruin it for you OP, but

Hitler did it..

:pac:

jam_mac_jam

Its meant to be a dreadful book. Not in the ideas are bad way, as they obviously are but that its boring and badly written also.

Jester252

Well op if you were reading this on a bus I might not sit beside you but if its a choice between you reading this or someone reading hardcore porn. You win

Collie D

Just checked Amazon, widely available on there although the hardbacks without pictures of Hitler or Swastikas on the cover are (perhaps understandably) a lot more expensive than the ones with the cover pictures.

Biggins

Good luck reading it. Its seriously heavy going at times.

AnonoBoy

What did Hitler say when he was trying to hit on Eva Braun?

"Mein Kampf or yours baby?"

Sulla Felix

Collie D wrote: »

I'd probably be interested in reading it myself from an historical point of view. Not sure it would be one for the daily commute though. Where exactly did you get it? Not something you could pick up in Eason's I'd imagine.

LOL at the Merkel sequel comment

Au contraire. http://www.easons.com/results.asp?NAT=false&SORT=eh_sort_bs%2Fd&STEM=false&SF2=facet&ST2=&SF1=kword_index%2C+ref_no%2C+barcode&ST1=mein+kampf

No reason it wouldn't be available. I bought my copy in Chapters. I'd recommend Speers memoirs too, very chilling insight into how the country was radicalized in a few short years.

whubee

listened to a bit on youtube, naturally he's not too fond of jews....but the bit I listened to was 'the jew is this' 'the jew is that' 'the jews are the cause of everything wrong' rant rant rant continuously about how awful jews are until it gets boring.

tommylimerick

i read it a couple of years ago it s a must read if you are interested in history or want to understand what drove the hitler to kill so many people
although if you had read it when first published i doubt you would have forseen what they actually did
i burnt my copy afters

Fenian Army

I read it, its a struggle.

Read some of it on the train, got a few funny looks

Boskowski

It should suit you down to the ground as his grammar is about as good as yours :eek:

Tigger

Birroc wrote: »

Its "Mein" not "Mine" or "Mne".

Mein = My

"My Struggle"

Terrontress wrote: »

Learn how to spell the title first.

.

Boskowski wrote: »

It should suit you down to the ground as his grammar is about as good as yours :eek:

Grammar Nazis in Nazi thread

megaten

Social Stigma? Even if anyone cared it's not like you have to announce to the world your reading it.

Naomi00

megaten wrote: »

Social Stigma? Even if anyone cared it's not like you have to announce to the world your reading it.

Yeah it's a bit attention seeking more than anything.

Dammo

tommylimerick wrote: »

i read it a couple of years ago it s a must read if you are interested in history or want to understand what drove the hitler to kill so many people
although if you had read it when first published i doubt you would have forseen what they actually did
i burnt my copy afters

Brilliant!

Pedant

I bought a copy of Mein Kampf a couple of years ago in Hughes and Hughes. At the time I thought it'd be real awkward buying it on it's own. So I bought it alongside Karl Marx's Capital Volume One and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, just to even things out and to avoid being perceived as a Nazi.

TheChizler

I read The God Delusion on public transport in Rome during the Beatification of JPII, and no nuns incinerated me with their laser vision, so I wouldn't have any hang-ups about it.

goose2005

Pedant wrote: »

I bought a copy of Mein Kampf a couple of years ago in Hughes and Hughes. At the time I thought it'd be real awkward buying it on it's own. So I bought it alongside Karl Marx's Capital Volume One and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, just to even things out and to avoid being perceived as a Nazi.

You should have got a pack of tissues and Vaseline, and winked at the cashier.

Pedant

TheChizler wrote: »

I read The God Delusion on public transport in Rome during the Beatification of JPII, and no nuns incinerated me with their laser vision, so I wouldn't have any hang-ups about it.

Do you honestly think that The God Delusion would carry as much social stigma as Mein Kampf?

crazy cabbage

The God Delusion. Never read it. What is it like? Would you recommend it?

jam_mac_jam

TheChizler wrote: »

I read The God Delusion on public transport in Rome during the Beatification of JPII, and no nuns incinerated me with their laser vision, so I wouldn't have any hang-ups about it.

Hmm... Dawkins did'nt kill millions of people though. A little different there I think

RandomName2

crazy cabbage wrote: »

Decided that i want to read Mein Kampf. I am not a nazi or anything like that. I just think it would be interesting to find out what was going through the mass murders head if that makes sence. Listen from the horses mouth instead of secondary sources and all that...

Question is: What would people think if they see me reading it? Is it fround upon? Has anyone else read it / would you recomend it.


Edit: Yes i do have to learn how to spell

It's a bit dull tbh.

But why someone would have any strong feelings about Mein Kampf and not... something like Mao's Red Book is completely beyond me.