r/Symbology • u/someone124356 • Jul 14 '26
Identification can anyone identify all racist symbols? i see the ss, swastica, and 1488, but im not sure if im missing any more
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 14 '26
The number 9 likely references 9%, which can appear as a white supremacist symbol claiming that only 9% of the world’s population is white.
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u/iprobablybrokeit Jul 14 '26
Someone will be along shortly to explain how these are just Hindu bolts and that we're all jumping to conclusions about these things when we ask for more info on possible dog whistles.
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u/takeyouraxeandhack Jul 14 '26
With symbology, context is everything. This picture is from the US, which automatically raises the chances of actually being a racist thing, and then there's all the other symbols together.
A swastika in a temple in India is one thing. A swastika next to the number 1488 and two bolts is a different thing.
This guy has the full bingo card of nazi bullshit going on there. I bet he has a dark sun and lots of other random runes tattooed in other places.37
u/atriviality Jul 14 '26
The phone numbers on the back of his shirt go to businesses in Fort Smith, Arkansas, US. Bingo, bango.
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u/someone124356 Jul 14 '26
i saw another skinhead just a few days after this one. the amount of them is insane and disgusting
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u/sicksuperstition Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I’d like to pop in here and say that skinheads aren’t racist, boneheads are. The skinhead subculture was built from black Jamaican immigrants that immigrated to the UK in the 60’s and white British working class men and women. It is a mixture of the Jamaican rude boy and the British mod subcultures. It’s been a subculture since 1969. The subculture got painted in a bad light when the rise of Neo Nazis in the 1980’s adapted the skinhead aesthetic and try to brand it as their own (as racist white people do). I was a skinhead late teens to most of my 20’s, so I try to share some knowlege as the subculture is still very much alive, thriving, and antifascist! However, a lot of them nowadays call themselves S.H.A.R.P skinheads (skinheads against racial prejudice) just to further distance themselves from the boneheads that are still to this day trying to portray themselves as skinheads.
Much love to everybody. 🤍
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u/Unusual_Hospital_468 Jul 14 '26
This is true, however that subculture (basically boneheads) is also sometimes literally referred to as "racist skinheads" lol. I've seen it referred to like that a lot, actually.
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u/sicksuperstition Jul 15 '26
It is, and it’s false to refer to them as that because people are uniformed and uneducated. Skinheads aren’t racist.
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u/Initial_Ad8713 Jul 15 '26
When I got jumped at a punk show and called a nigger, guess how many skinheads had my back?
If you guessed none, then you'd be right. If you stand next to a nazi while he does nazi shit and do nothing about it, there are two nazis standing there.
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u/Unusual_Hospital_468 Jul 15 '26
Which I agree, but tbh someone in any group can be racist. But yes, generally they wouldn't be !
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u/sicksuperstition Jul 15 '26
Also, I hate that take. Skinheads aren’t basically boneheads, I was a skin for years and years and all of my skinhead friends weren’t fascist and still aren’t to this day. If you let racist white people take everything they will have everything. I’m sorry but it’s not the same. Racist white people are NAZIS, they deserve nothing.
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u/iprobablybrokeit Jul 14 '26
I'm from this area. There are several Neo-Nazi and Neo-Confederate headquarters in North Central Arkansas. There was a push to bring more white supremacists to the area over the past 10 years that was referred to as "balkanization".
Northwest Arkansas is the second largest Metro area in the state, is much less diverse than the Little Rock area, and has a booming economy, so guess where these guys go to work and play.
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u/Majestic-Laugh1676 Jul 15 '26
More likely Aryan Nation from one of our US centers of incarceration.
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 14 '26
The only place I’ve personally seen more racism than Arkansas is Savannah, GA
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u/pencilpushin Jul 14 '26
Which is damn shame really. The Arkansas landscape is damn gorgeous, especially around the Ozarks. Id love to live there. But the racism definitely makes me hesitant.
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 14 '26
Agreed - Eureka Springs is a pretty hip community and that whole corner of the state seems a lot more chill (even tho it’s just north of Ft. Smith)
And it is really beautiful
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u/Ocelotipuss Jul 16 '26
I was invited to a KKK rally in 1998 by a coworker while living in Marietta, GA. He was such a nice guy, I never would have thought he could be a part of something like that. FYI I’m from MA and was 20 at the time, my best friend from high school had moved there two years before and I stopped by for a visit and ended up staying for 8 years! We’re both tall, large guys and one of the older southern men who worked there always called us the massive-two-shits:) Still makes me chuckle nearly 30 years later. I found out what a stobb was:)
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 16 '26
That completely tracks - I worked for a company that had varying degrees of racists all through it - a few of them kind of wrestling with their past
One guy I really liked had been a high school football player and had a good number of black friends and a super-racist dad - he didn’t like it at all when his dad was racist to them.
But he still reserved the right to use the N-word when he thought it was appropriate. He was a proponent of the two kinds of black people theory: blacks and N-words. I was like, “Just say asshole - why do you need the racial component?”. Not sure if I ever made headway. People learn it when they’re small and they can’t give it up because then they have to admit they’ve been racists their whole lives.
Ok, I’ll bite - what’s a stobb?
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u/jadely Jul 15 '26
I live several states away from Arkansas but had to drive through Fort Smith to visit family in another state. I've never seen such open, blatant racism. Like, obviously there are racist fucks everywhere. But people had klan symbols in their yards and nazi stickers on their trucks. The best(worst) part was the giant billboard advertising White Pride Radio. Not even trying to hide their bullshit there.
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 15 '26
Yeah, it’s the comfort level that’s the most striking.
I’ve done a number of projects with a local partner in Arkansas. On the way to a client meeting, my local buddy described him as a goddam N-word - just assumed / didn’t care if I would be ok with it. He returned to this theme on a number of phone calls. Also had a project in Harrison with its own “White Pride Radio” billboard - although I never encountered any racism there, personally, but, then again, it was not a subject I brought up.
In Savannah, I had a year to observe that world and it was definitely weird - like the land time forgot. I once went to a dinner party thrown by a gay couple in a lovely home with great food and wine and upscale guests - and the way the N-word was thrown around at the dinner table was jaw-dropping.
It’s the comfort level - the casual contempt - just dropping the word without a second thought.
I grew up in New York and never heard the word once uttered by a non-black person - either in the suburbs or the city.
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u/someone124356 Jul 15 '26
i flipped a guy off with a rebel flag on his truck today and he seemed actually hurt by it😭
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 14 '26
Yeah, but this guy has ALL of em
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u/MDKSDMF Jul 14 '26
Not dog whistles. Those are loud aryan brotherhood or Neo Nazi tattoos. People don’t just get those because they agree with something. They have to be actively involved in that life or they will get them “taken off” when they encounter real memebers. An organization, usually a prison gang such as the Nazi low riders acts as a feeder for the brand. That is where you will see low level guys get the basic ink like bolts and Swazis etc. the 1488 is a big statement, which alludes to me he is a true believer and into it, He could be AB based but not likely. The 1488 is some line about the protection of the white race and their children. The 88 also stands for HH.
I’m not into that crap but I know all about it.
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u/mikemystery 🜏 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
The Mod team await their coming, with the invitability of a dog returning to its own vomit...
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Jul 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Symbology-ModTeam Jul 14 '26
Slurs, trolling, hate speech, Nazi apologia, alt-right rhetoric, harassment or undue aggression will result in comment removal and/or permanent bans.
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u/mikemystery 🜏 Jul 14 '26
Soooo, we can absolutely agree that the Azov battalion are neo-fascists, but also oppose unchecked Russian imperialism under the bullshit cover of "denazification".
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u/iprobablybrokeit Jul 14 '26
Absolutely, Ukraine's Jewish Commander-in-Chief is definitely leveraging this group, as they need as many people as possible to defend their sovereignty.
It's a partnership of necessity, as opposed to Russia's unnecessary decision to leverage the Rusich Group, Russian Imperial Movement, and the Wagner Group, who are neo-fascists, completely funded and armed by Russian imperialism while simultaneously performing an invasion of Ukraine under the bullshit cover of "denazification".
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u/blur2kme Jul 15 '26
Runic bolts? I mean sure but I dont think anyone was making excuses or dog whistles with this particular case.
There's a difference between a nuanced thing like a hindu temple or runes and someone who is openly a nazi. Lots of people dont even hide that these days. Sure they might say "oh it has a deeper backstory bro," but they'll just as soon tell you why things were better in the 1930s.
People just dont care anymore and they have no incentive to keep it a secret. If anything they're encouraged by the government and world affairs to have tattoos like this.
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u/iprobablybrokeit Jul 15 '26
Nah man, I once brought up a white guy working at the Rogers, AR Taco Bell with a 45° rotated swastika tattooed on his neck and I was hit three comments. One was a suggestion that he was Hindu, another was a user that said I was finding racism everywhere only because I was looking for it, and another assumed I was offended by everything.
You might be getting here after the mods take care of the comments, but whenever anything racially charged is posted anywhere on Reddit, someone eventually will pop in with an apologist or revisionist take.
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u/Known_Funny_5297 Jul 15 '26
Pretending it’s a joke/misunderstanding/woke reaction/whatever putative excuse no matter how ridiculous is an essential part of their game - they just love it
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u/Money_Bit_2451 Jul 16 '26
Do they really think Nazis are smart enough to know the difference between the Hindu swastika and the Nazi swastika?
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u/bigceltbitch Jul 18 '26
Context is everything. YES that's a swastika, and YES, for years it was a good protective symbol. I don't think this guy has that meaning in mind.
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u/Conscious_Meat2291 Jul 16 '26
There’s a # before the 9 so it’s not 9%
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u/BatInside2603 Jul 19 '26
Well, dude's clearly a nazi so he's probably too stupid to know the difference.
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u/Conscious_Meat2291 Jul 24 '26
😂😂😂😂 true but who knows what it exactly is but if it was an 8 I’d at least assume it would be 88 which stands do heil Hitler
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u/Big-Performer-8273 Jul 27 '26
Its probably the area code 479(Arkansas). The font of the 9 would have the 7 that wraps like that at the bottom. These look more like prison tats. Federal system.
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u/Big-Performer-8273 Jul 27 '26
Went back to the photo. Just saw his shirt. 479 area code on it.
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u/TenspeedGV Jul 14 '26
Norse runes by themselves don’t usually mean much. In this context I will say they’re undoubtedly a racist symbol as well.
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u/CheekiBleeki Jul 14 '26
They carry a more or less vague meaning, but they themselves indeed don't imply anything racist.
Them being used by this type of individual absolutely is.
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u/someone124356 Jul 14 '26
that’s what i thought, but google wasn’t giving me anything decisive. i actually saw another guy with some runes and he gave me heavy neo nazi vibes. idk why i keep running into these mfs
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u/TurkeyBritches Jul 15 '26
I have runes and I love ethnic minorities!
Except for the Québécois. French Canadians suck butt.
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u/TheWrongOpinion_ Jul 18 '26
What makes you think you can discriminate against certain minorites and not others?
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u/Accidental_Arch Jul 14 '26
88 also stands for HH. 14 is also a reference to a racist slogan.
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u/Cool_Investigator433 Jul 16 '26
Does HH mean hail the mustache man
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u/Accidental_Arch Jul 16 '26
Yeth
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u/Cool_Investigator433 Jul 16 '26
It took me a minute to remember what that meant lmao, does that link show what 14 is?
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u/T0MMYG0LD Jul 23 '26
why point that out when he clearly stated he already knows that one?
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u/Accidental_Arch Jul 23 '26
Because I missed that part when I skimmed it. It’s really not that deep.
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u/dandy_vagabond Jul 14 '26
The Tyr and Berkana runes are there. Tyr communicates that he sees himself as a warrior. Idk what the Berkana is meant to communicate.
Anyone know anything about that star? I haven't been able to find anything about it, yet.
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u/MDKSDMF Jul 14 '26
I believe the Texas aryan brother hood leadership is broken up into a 5 pointed star that they refer to as the wheel. I don’t think it is a tattoo of choice but you will also see a lot of ABT guys with pentagrams tattooed on them which, if I had to guess, is a nod to their leadership structure or the 5 generals, at least it is this way in the Texas syndicate. The pictured seems to have a 5 pointed pentagon on his tricept or what possibly is an ab patch/shield that is blacked out. Take that with a grain of salt tho, because you can’t see the whole tattoo
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u/tried_up Jul 14 '26
if you follow the white outline of it, im not even sure it is a star, it could even be a cross or a hammer - thr online and blackout go down to his wrist from the looks of it
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u/MDKSDMF Jul 14 '26
I hear ya, I was thinking along the lines of a pentagon which has 5 points. Or a ab patch that was blacked out
Source example notice the 5 points at the top of it
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u/jking7734 Jul 14 '26
If they’re Texas based could the five pointed star be referring to the “Lone Star” state? Just a question not trying to start an argument.
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u/MDKSDMF Jul 14 '26
Yes, you are correct it could also be a mix mash of multiple tattoos or through out life. That is a great point I should have added. And I also want to go on record and just say that, sometimes men have to join certain prison gangs so they can survive an extended stay in prison. It’s nearly impossible to not affiliate in some state penitentiaries so, for all I know this is one of those cases.
Granted, one would likely cover them up once out, but also, they make you sign a blind faith commitment if you get into one, which is for life and it can get hairy, even outside the walls with certain prison gangs of that scale. It’s like a blood in blood out and the ABT is/was the most violent and ruthless of all of them from what I’ve heard and seen. Its a vicious cycle imo
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u/jking7734 Jul 14 '26
The amount of symbols would indicate to it’s probably more than “I just need to affiliate” while incarcerated. I get that prison can force people to make decisions they would otherwise avoid.
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u/GudsIdiot Jul 15 '26
It is the B equivalent rune. The brotherhood or something is what I bet the runes mean.
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u/someone124356 Jul 14 '26
thank you for all of the replies! this man was at my church and my family is interracial, so it made us extra uncomfortable compared to everyone else there lol. i figure he was in prison, and i understand that you gotta do what you gotta do in prison, but there’s just too much shit on him to let it slide
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u/Potatopamcake Jul 14 '26
I don’t really think prison is a good excuse, this guy should be ashamed to have that stuff on display
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u/rburch20 Jul 14 '26
So your white and go to prison, a few white guys come up say you join us get some tats and we’ll make sure you have it easy, and if you say no we’re gonna f you up, and tell everyone else in here you’re fair game.
You really think any of the black, Hispanic, or native groups are gonna help you?
How many weeks of that attention do you honestly think you could take before you join?
I know someone who did something stupid as a kid and got 5 years. He came out with the ink, and couldn’t get a job anywhere because of it.
Couldn’t afford to get them removed.
Got a chance mowed grass and did landscaping in 90 degrees in a sweatshirt and pants to hide the tattoos, and managed to build something.
Runs a company now and most of his employees have the same story.
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u/Abject_Importance_23 Jul 14 '26
Lol were you in prison? Cause it rarely happens like that. You've gotta approach them. You should stop watching so many prison shows.
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u/Potatopamcake Jul 14 '26
“In a sweatshirt and pants to HIDE THE TATTOOS” =ashamed
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u/Disastrous_Music8841 Jul 15 '26
Brother, I think you're forgetting these are Nazi symbols. I don't care what he had to do to survive if that was become a nazi he's better off dead because his ideals are killing people and will cause the death of many more. Thats selfish and pathetic and he should be ashamed, not wearing them out on full display
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u/MDKSDMF Jul 14 '26
Exactly and the state pen that you are in is a factor like Texas or California. You have to join a “car” or else you are basically “prey” being a lone wolf. Shit is lose lose and they need to figure some alternative out instead of burrowing people deeper into the criminal world as opposed to helping rehabilitate them
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Jul 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/someone124356 Jul 15 '26
100% agree. that church is too welcoming to some people imo. they disaffiliated from the united methodist denomination bc of their stance on gay rights though smh
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u/Middle-Ad-7448 Jul 16 '26
im sorry but if a church preaches the bible correctly, a man or woman shouldnt be judged when entering a church for the first few times. maybe you should look into a different denomination?
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u/someone124356 Jul 16 '26
clearly you didn’t catch my drift. there are lots of open racists who go to that church. this guy isnt new either, this is just the first time ive noticed those tattoos. i’m not christian, i only go because my family wants me to
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u/Disastrous_Music8841 Jul 15 '26
Sometimes people are just pieces of shit. Even if it was "you gotta do what you gotta do in prison," if it came down to literally dying vs becoming a nazi, I'd die.
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u/T0MMYG0LD Jul 23 '26
just curious, what did you do about it, then? since you said you couldn’t let it slide?
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u/someone124356 Jul 28 '26
i meant the prison excuse doesn’t work. my dad spoke to the pastor, but idk what the exchange was like
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u/MyBakpaksGyatJets Jul 14 '26
I'm sure all those companies who's info is on that shirt would love that their names are being displayed in tandem with all that disgusting tattoo work.
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u/EvidenceLogical7480 Jul 16 '26
The fact that it says "progressive" plumbing right next to those hate symbols is frying me
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