Maya Angelou was right! (RE: Platner... I posted this exactly ONE MONTH AGO today.)

[QueerDuck]

Last edited Tue Jul 7, 2026, 11:07 AM - Edit history (1)

Originally, the post quoted below was just an inline reply to a thread asking why some of us were reluctant to buy Platner's explanations regarding his Totenkopf tattoo.

At the time, it was just my own perspective. But looking back a month later, I realize the warning signs were all there, and that final line feels incredibly prophetic.

For those who missed the thread, here is what I wrote on June 7th:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221288474#post20

TITLE: Speaking for myself... I can explain why.

For some reason, I've always had a hard time trusting anyone who claims to "not know" what a Totenkopf is.

I find it improbable that in the eighteen years he had a tattoo of a Nazi symbol, he never figured it out. This goes well beyond simply being a drunken choice of "cool skull and crossbones dude" tattoo and "I'll take THAT one!" Instead, it's a specific historical emblem worn by concentration camp guards.

In fairness... and this is FULL EXTENT of the lenience I'm willing to extend to Platner... perhaps in a drunken moment he looked around the walls of the tattoo shop or flipped through three-ring binder of designs displayed plastic page protectors... and chose that particular one from "skull and crossbones" collection for not particular reason... it just caught it eye.

Perhaps he really didn't know its meaning at the time. But in the subsequent eighteen years (EIGHTEEN YEARS!) that passed before he FINALLY had it covered (and then, only when it was politically expedient) it seems unlikely that he had "no idea" what it meant.

For Pete's sake... he was a political activist and organizer during some of those years, so, the argument that a politically active person wouldn't have encountered the meaning of a Totenkopf in nearly two decades is statistically very thin. It's hard for me to accept that he had "no idea" what it meant and that nobody ever bothered to question him or tell him.

Even though Platner maintained he didn't know the symbol's meaning, contradictory reports from CNN surfaced which alleged past Reddit comments (now deleted) and witness claims suggesting he was aware of the Totenkopf connection years earlier. --- Also, his former political director and some past acquaintances have claimed he "knows damn well" what the symbol meant years ago, contradicting his claim of ignorance.

Personally, I find it difficult to completely trust his judgement. I subscribe to the philosophy of Maya Angelou who gives the advice that "when people show you who they are, believe them." His insults and other "jokes" about: women, sexual assault victims, LGBTQ, LEO's, rural-Americans being dumb, the "cheap" tipping habits of AA's, and using the R-word as recently as last month cannot be ignored. I know that we're all just human and imperfect, but these things indicate a pattern of poor judgement and lack of impulse control ... and that bothers me.

If he ends up being our nominee, I'll hope and pray that he wins... as I've said in the past: the "worst Democrat" is always preferable to any Republican. But, honestly, I'm just tired of being disappointed. I'm afraid that the road ahead will be filled with heartbreak and regret.

[GPV]

1. Yep, the tattoo was when I first felt that we had

proof that something was amiss.

[luv2fly]

2. Pile on much?

Maybe FIFA can give you a medal.

[Trueblue Texan]

3. I'm not defending anyone here...

...but it might interest you to know that I have also been a political activist most of my adult life and STILL don't know what the word means. In fact, I don't know that I've ever even heard of the word. Expecting folks to know all the same things you know just because you share some of their values is a recipe for disappointment. But I'm going to look up the word now because it seems to be important and the context of the Platner situation.