Naziphilia and Esoterica
I think I've found a potential raison d'être for the draw of Nazis as villains in rpgs, stories and films.
It's not their fashion sense (as a fellow correspondent noted in comments regarding my post and in a fascinating Wikipedia article, although that would be a fun way to look at it, i.e., Hey! I just like Nazis 'cause they sure know how to dress!
No, I think its something a little more...otherworldly.
I'm currently reading Invisible Eagle by Alan Baker (free online pdf). In the book, Baker attempts to trace the history of the Nazi Party's attraction to the occult and mysticism, and to attempt to discover if that in some part is the reason for its members' heinous acts. So far, the author appears to be very thorough in tracing the development of occultism in the Germanic areas, and why so many people were charmed by its false promises and bad history. I've only really started the book, so I'm really not prepared to review it here.
To bring the subject back to my original topic, namely, 'why are we so into using Nazis as bad guys?', I think there may be more to it than simple laziness on the part of GM's authors and producers. I think there is a real sense that these guys are the baddest guys I can think of, and their badness transcends so much of what we understand. It was their interest, no perhaps mania is a better word, for the attainment of a mystical return to a perfect world (if that truly was the case), that fuels our interest today. The Nazis were apparently into occultism, spiritualism, mysticism, Theosophy, alternate history, and other forms of esoterica so deeply that they were practically dripping with it. Nothing was apparently beyond the pale. So, it could be that the Nazis really were into recovering the lost Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy Grail (although their theology and history was all messed up), because they really thought that if they possessed these relics that they would master the world, and usher in a golden age of perfect Aryanism. After all, it is well documented that they sought and apparently recovered the Lance of Longinus and the Amber Room (see Suppressed Transmission 2: The Second Broadcast by Kenneth Hite [aka princeofcairo ]for more information on the Amber Room).
In addition, it seems that there was a drive to 'purify' the race, to develop a true 'Aryan' nation in order to complete the Theosophical 'cycle' and open the doorway to the final stage in the world's evolution. In order to accomplish this, it appears that any means would be acceptable.
I think I agree with my friend doc_mystery when he says that if we are just plugging in Nazis to serve as faceless, purposeless bad guys, then yes, we are being lazy. But if there is a purpose and method and a reason, then feel free. But make them really bad. (edit) And dress them up in something really snazzy.
It's not their fashion sense (as a fellow correspondent noted in comments regarding my post and in a fascinating Wikipedia article, although that would be a fun way to look at it, i.e., Hey! I just like Nazis 'cause they sure know how to dress!
No, I think its something a little more...otherworldly.
I'm currently reading Invisible Eagle by Alan Baker (free online pdf). In the book, Baker attempts to trace the history of the Nazi Party's attraction to the occult and mysticism, and to attempt to discover if that in some part is the reason for its members' heinous acts. So far, the author appears to be very thorough in tracing the development of occultism in the Germanic areas, and why so many people were charmed by its false promises and bad history. I've only really started the book, so I'm really not prepared to review it here.
To bring the subject back to my original topic, namely, 'why are we so into using Nazis as bad guys?', I think there may be more to it than simple laziness on the part of GM's authors and producers. I think there is a real sense that these guys are the baddest guys I can think of, and their badness transcends so much of what we understand. It was their interest, no perhaps mania is a better word, for the attainment of a mystical return to a perfect world (if that truly was the case), that fuels our interest today. The Nazis were apparently into occultism, spiritualism, mysticism, Theosophy, alternate history, and other forms of esoterica so deeply that they were practically dripping with it. Nothing was apparently beyond the pale. So, it could be that the Nazis really were into recovering the lost Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy Grail (although their theology and history was all messed up), because they really thought that if they possessed these relics that they would master the world, and usher in a golden age of perfect Aryanism. After all, it is well documented that they sought and apparently recovered the Lance of Longinus and the Amber Room (see Suppressed Transmission 2: The Second Broadcast by Kenneth Hite [aka princeofcairo ]for more information on the Amber Room).
In addition, it seems that there was a drive to 'purify' the race, to develop a true 'Aryan' nation in order to complete the Theosophical 'cycle' and open the doorway to the final stage in the world's evolution. In order to accomplish this, it appears that any means would be acceptable.
I think I agree with my friend doc_mystery when he says that if we are just plugging in Nazis to serve as faceless, purposeless bad guys, then yes, we are being lazy. But if there is a purpose and method and a reason, then feel free. But make them really bad. (edit) And dress them up in something really snazzy.