this post was submitted on 17 May 2025

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210

Melania Trump statue sawn off at the feet sparks police investigation (www.abc.net.au)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

37 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The life-size sculpture near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melanija Knavs was born in 1970, was unveiled in 2020 during US President Donald Trump's first term in office.

It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.

top 37 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

I wrote a thing and then thought, you know what? It's not worth it. We're strangers that know literally nothing about each other, so what's the point? I'm an anti fascist and I know that. If that's the side that you're also on, then we are on the same side. I don't know what else to say

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago

Cool, awesome, wonderful, now do the real thing…

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

As an aussie, I find it interesting our ABC's link for this was used. Any reason why OP?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The first article from search that wasn't a video or just pics but a story.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Thank you for doing your due diligence.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

I would imagine it's because it hasn't been reported on in the U.S.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 3 days ago

“I Really Don’t Care, Do You?”

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

That's a big blow to Slovenia. I mean what other celebrates do they have? Slavoj Zizek?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

Objectively has done more good and a better patriot to Solvenia than Melania

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh shit Frank Gorshin was Slovenian. Replace that statue with a fucking Riddler yo. That man was the OG.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

It's Frank Gorshin's death day today.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 days ago

Finally, some good news. I've been scrolling all morning.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 days ago

well, the good news is that nothing of value was lost

[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

When was it ever appropriate to honor plagiarizing gold diggers who ~~spread their legs~~ married a fascist with statues? If anything that really says something negative about the place it's erected. If that's the biggest thing they have to be proud of.

[+] [email protected] -22 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Gross slut shaming vibes. You can criticize someone without moralizing, you know?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Any kind of shaming is welcome for Nazis. They don't get the same respect as actual real people.

She's a gold-digging whore, who has earned our disrespect.

[+] [email protected] -9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nazis are actual real people. It doesn't do anybody any good to deny that human beings are capable of great evil. It only seeks to further distance ourselves from our shared history of violence and doom us to repeat it. Talk like that is exactly what leads to Nazis in the first place

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Nazis are actual real people.

I could make an actual educated argument on how that's literally not true, but it'd go into sophistry. Still, I definitely could.

Talk like that is exactly what leads to Nazis in the first place

No, it isn't. It's exaggerated rhetoric and a very appropriate response to legitimate Nazism.

What YOU are doing is what lead to the Nazis in the first place. Thinking you can reason with Nazis. 20th century Germany had people who basically were forced to be a Nazi, no matter their personal ideologies. It's understandable, but it's not acceptable. And it's very different having been in the party when the Nazis were in rule and voluntarily choosing to be one in modern times. Choosing to become a Nazi is so much worse than being somewhat afraid in Germany in 1942, and joining out of fear for your life.

We know we're purposefully exaggerating when we say Nazis aren't people, and we know it. Nazis do not exaggerate with their calls to white supremacy.

So the appropriate reply to Nazism is to utterly dehumanise and shame them, as much as humanly possible.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I have no desire to reason with Nazis, I believe the only kind of good Nazi is a dead Nazi, and I genuinely believe it is my moral duty to punch a Nazi on site. But I don't have to pretend their not human to do that. Evil is a human thing. No other animal does that. You have to recognize it for what it is and root it out. Calling them not human doesn't help anything.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Calling them not human doesn't help anything.

Openly displaying the attitudes they have for all other people's towards them is done as a reminder of their garbage dehumanising rhetoric.

Just like you have a duty to punch a Nazi, you have a duty to dehumanise them.

It's not because we believe anyone should ever be dehumanised —and we loudly proclaim that is our actual belief, enshrined in international human rights laws — it's because it's a rhetorical reminder of what Nazis do.

Like you say, of course they are people. In fact, the exact problem is the banality of evil. Historically pretty much a major portion of the Nazi party at it's height were completely normal "law-abiding citizens". Everyone knows what "I was just following orders" refers to. And that's exactly it.

Those people are using it as an excuse, like "no-one told me it was wrong or shocking, I was merely acting like any reasonable person would".

Had there been someone constantly yelling in their ear, about what cowardly shitbags they are, for not putting their life on the line, to resist the rhetoric coming from the actually fucked up psychopaths at the helm, maybe they couldn't have reasonably used the "I'm just following orders" excuse.

So yeah. We need to dehumanise them all. I wouldn't dehumanise like a 100 year old granny who was a member in 1942 or anything, obviously, but as far as rhetoric on the internet goes? They're not people. Anyone directly supporting actual Nazi rhetoric deserves to be dehumanised for that reason until they change their views.

Evil is a human thing. No other animal does that.

Quite a philosophically naive argument, no offense. Animals eat their kids. Dolphins rape fish. Mushrooms take over ants make them zombies. Chimps even have wars.

But since you don't think they possess the capacity to understand it's "evil", it's not?

So... a dumb Nazi isn't an evil Nazi? Or if you dehumanise a Nazi, it makes their actions acceptable? I don't really get where you're going with that particular point. (Sorry, I've a pet peeve about the naturalistic fallacy.)

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ugh 🙄 internet "philosophers". I'll see you in the front lines, dude. We'll have a good laugh about how unnecessary this argument was once we're there

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

No, you won't.

My war time posting is not in the front lines. It's about ~30km behind them. In a leadership position.

(Yes, that's the backside of my dogtags. I'm hardly going to dox myself by filming the front.)

Edit also, most communication is online nowadays, even academic. Everyone is constantly online. You can just call me a philosopher, no need for the "internet" or the quotations.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

An "Internet philosopher" is a particular type of person. If you're serious about ending fascism, then our petty little back and forth will not matter when it really comes down to it, then right?

Because, historically, dehumanization comes in handy when it comes to elimination, but not so helpful when it comes to the part that comes next. It seems like an excuse to not feel guilty for killing, and that seems like a dark path to go down.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You know, trying to explain your already bad joke isn't making it any funnier.

then our petty little back and forth will not matter when it really comes down to it, then right?

Ofc it will have. Everything matters. Some things more than others.

It seems like an excuse to not feel guilty for killing, and that seems like a dark path to go down.

"Oh please, won't someone think of the Nazis?"

I don't think you've actually read anything I've written. That too, is an exaggeration, I don't literally mean that. I mean to say that you've not understood it for some reason. I'd like to point out that in my experience, the people who think calling someone an "internet philosopher" or "a fucking SJW" or "a keyboard warrior" (harder to call me a "keyboard warrior" when I'm actually part of the Finnish Defence Forces?) are usually slightly cognitively lazy and/or poorly educated people who just don't have the attention-span nor the skills to actually engage in such discussion. So you mock it as being too fancy, meaning it's too fancy... for you.

I can promise you not everyone share's your view.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It wasn't a joke?

And the only thing I want people to think about when it comes to Nazis is stopping them.

I genuinely just don't have the energy to go around and around in the same argument for literally years. So when I see somebody say something like (and I'm paraphrasing here) "If animals can't do evil then does that mean that dumb Nazis can't be evil too!?", it seems like the kind of gotcha moment that is built on a foundation of watching a lot of YouTube videos and then deciding that that's your whole personality.

Maybe the naturalistic argument your pet peeve, but it doesn't really change the point.

So in case you haven't been reading what I've been trying to lay out, it's this: Nazis are human beings. Not all human beings deserve your sympathy. In fact, some of them deserve your hatred. Nazis are amongst that group. If you can't realize that, then you are missing a HUGE thing about the capacity for great evil (and great good) that human beings have.

It's like when somebody call a serial killer a "monster". It's like, "No, monsters aren't real. That's a made up bed time story thing. That serial killer is a human being working within the capacities of a human being".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Still doing it.

You have to try and mock me a pseudointellectual, since you lack the intellect to engage with the arguments, so you mock it, while now writing a longer comment than mine.

Seems that you're projecting pretty strongly with that

deciding that that's your whole personality.

I'm the guy who's been inspiring those YouTubers since the 90's, lol.

Did you forget the part where I'm in the Finnish Defence Forces?

People who decide to identify as actual Nazis in the 21st century literally lose their personhood.

really change the point.

"My rhetoric being fallacious garbage means nothing"

Yeah see before where I said you lack the intellect to understand let alone engage with my argument.

If you can't realize that, then you are missing a HUGE thing about the capacity for great evil (and great good) that human beings have.

"No, monsters aren't real. That's a made up bed time story thing. That

Monsters are very real. They just look exactly like everyone else. See before; "fallacious garbage".

You are missing the point and supporting Nazism, even if you can't understand the half a page argument with one link you need to check out (since you obviously haven't actually read 'The Banality of Evil').

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I see you and I agree with you. Just wanted to let you know.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 days ago

🙂‍↕️

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

It's slut shaming to point out her only notable accomplishments and mention that she doesn't deserve a statue? I don't deserve a statue either. Am I slut shaving myself for saying that?

Do what you like, and be as freaky as you want to be. As long as everyone is consenting it's all good by me. And fuck anyone that's got a problem with it, because it's none of their business.

If we are going to erect statues of sluts. Something which I am all for. We have much better sluts to choose from. Ones that contributed far more to society. Betty Page comes to mind. Hell Jenna Jameson if you want. The problem with Melania isn't that she is a slut. So much that she's enabled trump. And has nothing else to claim.

Don't get me wrong I'm absolutely open to constructive criticism. And if you have some better thoughts as to what she is known for that would be better to criticize her over I would be happy to hear.

[+] [email protected] -16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I didn't say that she deserves a statue. She's a horrible person. I said that you don't have to moralize. Her being a woman that "spread her legs", as you put it, has NOTHING to do with any of this. It's just a thing you thought would be a low-hanging insult.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Honestly not really. The sad thing is that some of the highest fruit as far as anyone knows anything about her. That's how undeserving she is.

I think you are hyper focusing trying to read things into other things there were never there or intended. The point wasn't to say that she was undeserving because she did that. But only that she was undeserving because she hasn't done anything more than that. Anything more than just about anyone else. That said after some thought I absolutely think I could have ordered it better. And can acknowledge fault in at least that much. So I will go back and try to amend it to a better state.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

I like your edit. That's something that SHOULD be criticized.

[–] [email protected] 89 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Wood? Set ablaze.

Bronze? Sawed at the feet and stolen.

We know what must be done. Silver. Then Gold. Then platinum. All scrapped for their value. This is just a low key progression to distribute wealth for whoever wants to take it. Be best, Robin Hood vandals. Melt her down into the slag she is.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And then polonium. I wanna see someone steal that one! And then plutonium. And then uranium.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

I wanna see someone steal uranium

Uh... okay?

Niger Junta Takes Over French Uranium Mine Controlled by French Firm Orano Firstpost Africa

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

You have a wonderful way with words.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

Practice run?