Hi, I’m Mike Hessman. I don’t really look like a Nazi, do I?
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Hi, I’m Mike Hessman. I don’t really look like a Nazi, do I?
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
I really don’t get the Nazi references about him. Can anybody help me out? I’m slow, I’m from Florida…
Pale white skin, thick square jaw, beady blue eyes, short cropped hair, menacing pursed lips – even the last name “Hessman.” Definitely shows the signs as being brought up through the Hitler youth programs.
Even though I think it’s not worth a comment, I just cannot ignore this distasteful remark. If it was intended to be funny, please double-check your sense of humor. If it was meant to be an insult to Mike Hessman, well, you succeeded. I wonder how you guys look on your better pictures!
Since we’re discussing looks I just have to say that I have never seen a ballplayer look so bad in a uniform. To add to it, he uses a bat that looks way too small. They need to get the Fab-5 from Queer Eye to give him a makeover. Actually, I’d prefer it if he spent more time in the cage.
They say a sure way to end any conversation is to bring up Hitler. We attempted to have a conversation about race several days ago and were warned against it. I guess it’s okay to engage in stereotypes here, as long as it’s not followed up by any real discussion…..
I don’t see anyone saying that Hessman “is” a Nazi. And I don’t think there is anything inherently ugly in the physical sense (or any other sense) with the German people. As stated above, Hessman has got that square Northern European jawline and this is just about the sternest looking photo of a baseball player I have ever seen. I can just about imagine the next words out of his mouth would be “Ho-gannnn!!! To the cooooler!”
Gee, why is everyone so sensitive? “The Producers” is doing bang up business on Broadway and the film version is being remade (and will probably also do boffo at the box office) and a major aspect of the story line deals with. . .that’s right, Nazis.
The only other comment I would make about this thread is that when a guy is as big as Hessman, it’s pretty difficult for the bat not to look small by comparison.
I am of German descent- I think that it is OK to make fun of Nazis. I think that it is OK to say hey Hessman kind of looks like a Nazi, have a laugh and then get over it. It happens to be a particulary bad picture and I’m sure we’ve all had them. I can’t imagine anyone being offended by any of the postings here – unless of course Hessman is Jewish, in which case, he probably would not care to be likened to a Nazi. I’m sure that since Mac has already posted his comments from last night’s game, no one is going to read this anyway, but lighten up, it’s not like anybody is spouting off right-wing fascist propaganda here – I save that for my own site.
It is a bad pic and believe me, with a moniker like 50PoundHead, I assure you I have more than my share of unflattering pics.
You guys need to lighten up. You gotta realize that when “we” say Hessman looks like a Nazi, we don’t mean it in an Adolf Eichmann, death-camp sort of way, but in a Werner Klemperer, monacle-wearing dummkopf-type way … either way, at least by that picture, Hessman’s definitely the most Teutonic-looking major-league athlete since Detlef Schrempf … Should they ever make a big screen-version of Hogan’s Heroes (the Non-Porn Years), he’d be a natural for Col. Klink …
If you want to see a REALLY bad picture, take a look at JD Drew’s player card on sportsline.com…he looks like he’s 60.
This posting and discussion shows what a German surname and a bad picture will do. What do Nazis look like? A memorable cartoon from the 1930s made fun of Nazi ideology by comparing the ideal Nazi (blond, muscular, handsome, etc.) with the physical appearance of Goebbels, Goering, Himmler and, of course, Hitler. None of these figures looked good and their appearance mocked the regime’s ideal for athletic males. Happily enougn, they don’t look like Hessman either.
Lets get back to the Braves.
Who’s not “lightened up”? Mac threatened explusion from these discussion boards due to some back-and-forth about racial issues. It wasn’t the most elevated discourse, to be sure, but it wasn’t horribly base, and was scheduled to drop off the site soon anyway. I apologized and thanked him for providing the forum, and not a week later he starts talking about whether Hessman looks like a Nazi. It’s easy to jump in and sound like the voice of reason, but I’d like to hear from Mac about whether there will be a consistent standard or not.
FWIW, my graduate thesis in part concerned the characterization of WWII Axis powers in Hearst-owned newspapers–thanks to Stephen for reminding me of that cartoon.