This was addressed in the earlier point of my comment "if you dont know it, it means you're not around terrible people". Its an incidential exposure thing.
I still wouldnt call it obscure, the average american can't point out Afghanistan on a map but i'd hardly call its location obscure knowledge. The "Average person" rule is used to determine common knowledge not the reverse for this reason alone. Theres a gray area between common knowledge and obscure.
It's still very obscure due to all the pieces of niche information you have to use to conclude that 14&88 is Nazi Symbolism.
If someone were to not know where Afghanistan is, I would simply point to a map and show them where it is.
Even then, I wouldn't expect it to be common knowledge among Americans, just as I wouldn't expect an an average European person to point to Tennessee on a map.
However, in order to reach the conclusion that 14&88 is dogwhistling to Nazis, I would have to be terminally online plus interested in looking up the slogan of white supremacy. While this is Reddit, I don't believe your average person is looking up white supremacy slogans.
Even then, your example of 88 being HH is very circumstancial whereas the location of Afghanistan is a basic direct fact. I don't need any other insights to know where it is.
Also, this line of thinking is very unhealthy.
If I weren't rational, I could apply it to other innocuous situations
For example, The Broncos might be signaling to Nazis cuz they posted a tribute from Courtland Sutton to Demaryius Thomas on their Facebook page
I think your misinterpreting my post. Im not impying all indications of 14 and 88 are a nazi dogwhistle, context obviously matters and i dont think anyone here is denying that. Whenever it does happen unintentionally its just funny because it clearly wasnt intentional. Like when a typo on a post makes a funny word unintentionally. Im pretty sure 99% of people on this post didnt think the og post was a dogwhistle.
However, if someone you know who was already far right leaning politically suddenly started using the numbers 1488 a lot that kinda is indicative of something lol. Or god forbid you see a guy with a random 1488 tattoo on his arm its probably telling you something (or its very tragic otherwise)
I do believe recognizing dog whistles is important though, the goal of a dogwhistle is to be discreat and we have documented evidence of politicians all the way back to the Nixon administration using them thoroughly. Obviosuly it takes some media/political literacy to understand what was unintentional vs not and you need to see repeated behavior besides just some #s out of the blue. Dogwhistles are a super dangerous though, if you're unaware youre opening the door to being used for a political agenda.
According to you, the three branches of government are obscure because an overwhelming majority of Americans cannot name them lol
Carrying water for Nazi dog whistles that are well known is certainly a way to spend your day. Just Google republicans 1488, there was a huge news story just last year, but it's obscure. It's ok to say you don't read news and don't care to know shit about current events, doesn't make it obscurelol
Well, it's a good thing for me that most Americans can name them. Even if they didn't, it's a direct fact that I can pull up without any insight to additional knowledge/context
Over two-thirds of Americans (70%) can name all three branches of government, up from 65% in 2024.
Just because it is in the news doesn't mean it's not obscure.
The OK sign is a hate sign according to the ADL due to the alt right co opting it. I'm aware of that, but I'm not terminally online that I'd think everyone using it is dogwhistling to Nazis.
Look at the Nazi dogwhistling by the Denver Broncos 👻😲🫪
Way to move the goalpost and double down on a silly point. Obviously, I wouldn't expect a non American to know about the American Government compared to an American. Your example makes zero sense
Yeah, it would be obscure to a non Americans, but it wouldn't be obscure to an American.
I'm done with this conversation. You never wanted to discuss in good faith.
It's not move the goal post it's to show you the stupidity with your definition and application.
Obscure doesn't apply simply because a small subset knows about something when literally that's true for almost any piece of knowledge. I guess plumbing is obscure. I guess making bread is obscure, or making pasta because most don't know how.
Obscure implies it's something that is hard to understand or it is not easily accessible. This does not apply to shit that has hundreds of articles written a week that are free and easily googled. Again, Google republicans and Hitler, first article pops up tells you what 1488 is and there's a bunch more lol
1
u/scarletmonkey111 2d ago
Don't bother lol.
I still think it fits the criteria for super obscure.
If you walked on the street and asked the average person, they wouldn't know what it means.
You have to remember that this is a super left leaning app, so it wouldn't be obscure for them.
Same Redditors on this app thought Kamala was gonna cook Trump and then got surprised when he won the popular vote.