• @[email protected]
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    1 month ago

    Isn’t 88 neo-Nazi code for “heil Hitler”? And isn’t putting it in binary to disguise it evidence that he knows full well what it means?

    • @[email protected]
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      1271 month ago

      As much as I’m not terribly fond of the guy, IIRC he’s 36, which makes ‘88’ likely short for 1988, the year he was born.

      • @[email protected]
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        591 month ago

        Oh OK, that makes sense. Still, an unfortunate choice of username that could add to the confusion.

          • Karyoplasma
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            1 month ago

            Our license plates look like this: 2/3-letter city identifier - 1/2 letters you can choose - a 1-4 digit number you can choose. A friend of mine has the initials A.H. and was born in 1988. He wanted CITY - AH - 88. Registration did not allow it as it’s nazi dog whistling.

            Dog whistling is very common to find like-minded fascists and nazis. Kind of a sad, pathetic life if you think about it.

            • @[email protected]
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              11 month ago

              It is very sad indeed. I went through the same experience when I wanted a license plate to commemorate Albert Heijn.

          • @[email protected]
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            1 month ago

            I’m just aware of how these people signal to each other. I don’t know anything about the Proton CEO’s politics, but numbers like 14 and 88 in usernames are common dogwhistles.

      • @[email protected]
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        441 month ago

        That’s correct, he was asked about it on Reddit too and confirmed it was just his birth year.

        Since it’s a common dog whistle though I do think it’s always worth questioning. Particularly when it’s tied to someone licking Trump’s boots.

      • @[email protected]
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        211 month ago

        8 is also a lucky number in Chinese culture. I’ve seen a lot of "88"s in Chinese social media just because of that.

        It always sucks when shitbags co-opt innocent symbols and language.

      • @[email protected]
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        31 month ago

        This was my first thought, as it’s a very common username addon. I was unaware of all the other stuff.

        • @[email protected]
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          71 month ago

          While yes adding your birth year to your username is common (but terrible OpSec), adding 88 or HH or other Nazi symbolism is also common among their community. Especially in an open setting.

          It serves as a shibboleth for the alt-right that you are one of them.

      • @root
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        120 days ago

        Yeah, born in 88 and also a lucky number in some cultures

    • @[email protected]
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      311 month ago

      He’s from Asia where the number 8 have a good luck meaning, so is likely is not related to the 88 neo nazis uses.

      • merde alors
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        111 month ago

        same reasoning would justify the use of swastika for an indian living in Germany

        good luck working that out

        • @[email protected]
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          181 month ago

          To be fair, it’s easier to be ignorant of neo-Nazi numerology than of their use of the swastika.

        • @[email protected]
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          61 month ago

          It absolutely justifies Indians using the swastika. They didn’t agree to the nazis stealing their culture, that had existed for thousands of years, to use as their logo. Don’t be racist.

          • merde alors
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            41 month ago

            looks like it’s even more complicated than i did assume ☞ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika_(Germanic_Iron_Age)

            this has nothing to do with race, i was making an analogy. I’m neither in/from Germany, nor in/from India. I just happen to know this:

            The German and Austrian postwar criminal code makes the public showing of the swastika, the sig rune, the Celtic cross (specifically the variations used by white power activists), the wolfsangel, the odal rune and the Totenkopf skull illegal, except for certain enumerated exemptions.

      • @tburkhol
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        41 month ago

        I’d buy that if he didn’t start his statement with “I live in Switzerland.” 8 may be a lucky number for him, but he absolutely knows what 88 means.

        • ThoGot
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          1 month ago

          He can be both from Asia and still live in Switzerland

          • @tburkhol
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            91 month ago

            On the flip side, do you think a Swiss person living in Asia would be ignorant that 8 is a lucky number?

            • @[email protected]
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              31 month ago

              I think all the Westerners in this thread that are shocked that Asia has culture they didn’t consult them on would imply yes to your question.

    • @[email protected]
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      1 month ago

      The number 8 is considered the luckiest number in China, and is associated with wealth. The year 1988 also happens to be his birth year.

    • @[email protected]
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      1 month ago

      Not even a little in this situation. Maybe take your head out of your ass and stop spreading lies. He literally addressed this head on.

      https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i2nz9v/comment/m7nr5ym/

      His reply in text form:

      It’s the year I was born, and also a lucky number in Taiwan where I am from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/88_(number)#%3A~%3Atext=Number+88+symbolizes+fortune+and%2Csupermarkets+often+contain+many+8s.

    • @root
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      220 days ago

      deleted by creator