App Store Lets Hitler Slip Past Radar

[jayson9]

Heil Apple.

LOL!!!!!!!! I guess Apple's Gestapo missed this one, huh? I guess the next generation iPhone maybe called the 3GSS.... introduced by Apple's SS Field Marshall Steve Jobs.... LOL!

[Boker]

It's history. The swastika was a little much but just change the icon...

[lightningdude]

I do believe Apple should have taken this book off. They took an app off because it has access to the Kama Sutra, which is also a book. For those of you talking about banning books, look to that one. It is historically significant, if you want to get down to it.

Now, as far as why I believe it should be taken off? Apple should actually draw a hard line that dictates what should be acceptable and what shouldn't. No more of this flip-flop mentality that plagues our politicians. All or nothing, Apple!

[fungusfeet]

You'll all become racist if you read this!

Just like hundreds of thousands of history students for which this is required reading. Idiot PC clan at it again.

[KartRacer]

Change the icon and raise the minimum age to access it and put it back in. Ideology aside, this is a book people should be able to read and learn from. History isn't something you should ignore, regardless of it's content. If you don't learn your history, it will be repeated. And past things that we haven't learned from or had the chance to be exposed to it are happening all over again. The icon might have been objectionable, but not the content.

[Luppin]

Small-minded individuals would be the ONLY ones to want to keep this out of the App Store. The historical significance of this book is absolutely overwhelming and it is only through understanding the past that we will ever be able to keep it's mistakes from being repeated in the future. In America we learn about Hitler's reign of terror in 6th grade, so any individual who cannot recognize the significance of this text is apparently below the mental level of an average eleven-year-old.

[CaptainChaos]

I do believe Apple should have taken this book off. They took an app off because it has access to the Kama Sutra, which is also a book. For those of you talking about banning books, look to that one. It is historically significant, if you want to get down to it.

Now, as far as why I believe it should be taken off? Apple should actually draw a hard line that dictates what should be acceptable and what shouldn't. No more of this flip-flop mentality that plagues our politicians. All or nothing, Apple!

NM

[iRockish]

Maybe Apple also thinks that what Hitler did *never* happened

[Melech518]

From Wikipedia:

In Mein Kampf, Hitler uses the main thesis of "the Jewish peril," which speaks of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership[3]. The narrative describes the process by which he became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna. Yet, the deeper origins of his anti-semitism remain a mystery. He speaks of not having met a Jew until he arrived in Vienna, and that at first his attitude was liberal and tolerant. When he first encountered the anti-semitic press, he says, he dismissed it as unworthy of serious consideration. A little later and quite suddenly, it seems, he accepted the same anti-semitic views whole-heartedly, which became crucial in his program of national reconstruction. Becoming acquainted with Zionism, which he calls a "great movement," is what Hitler claims coalesced his view that one cannot be both a German and a Jew.
Mein Kampf has also been studied as a work on political theory. For example, Hitler announces his hatred of what he believed to be the world's twin evils: Communism and Judaism. The new territory that Germany needed to obtain would properly nurture the "historic destiny" of the German people; this goal explains why Hitler invaded Europe, both East and West, before he launched his attack against Russia. Blaming Germany’s chief woes on the parliament of the Weimar Republic, he announces that he wants to completely destroy the parliamentary system.

Propaganda and anti-semitism do not belong in the App Store, no matter what the history is.

[joemamawilder]

In response to some previous posts:

It is Apple's AppStore, so they can allow/ban whatever they want. This app is obviously one Apple doesn't want to stamp it's approval on. Some people would hate Apple for allowing it, while others are angry it's not. Allowing it would be bad for business. AT&T/Apple is not regulating where I can go on the web, so i can basically check out any website that's in a language I know.

Sidenote: Obviously, for the app, the swastika was meant to symbolize the Nazi party, before that it was a symbol of several religions (and still is).

[psychodave]

Someone is asleep behind the wheel at apple.

[Melech518]

It's pathetic how close minded you are. I honestly pity you. Then again, if Apple says it, it must be gospel!

This is unnecessary censorship at its finest. Nice job Apple. Heil Jobs!

No, close-minded was Hitler and the rest of the Nazis....

[KartRacer]

From Wikipedia:


Propaganda and anti-semitism do not belong in the App Store, no matter what the history is.

True, but what can be deemed propaganda? I think alot of what is being said in todays media outlets, on both sides, can be considered propaganda. History is history, and by allowing people to be exposed to this way of thinking they can see other forms of it in what will happen in their lives in the future. By being exposed to this they will be able to see what path it eventually leads down and be able to both recognize and stop it before it reaches the point that causes a world war, or worse. Like the BS that is going on against Islam today. Very few individuals are promoting a very flawed interpretation of it to kill innocent people every day in the times we live in and are painting Islam in a negative light, should their flawed views be restricted from being taught to future generations to teach them the way an ideal can inspire people to commit evil acts? Would you be comfortable with the next generation of people not knowing how this way of thinking came about and the ultimate results of it? I think that's more dangerous than allowing people not to view this content and be ignorant of it's consequences.

From a business perspective stupid people would think that Apple condones this kind of thinking and if I were Apple I'd tell them to pound sand. Fear mongering and censorship is worse than allowing people to educate themselves. But hysteria, irrationality, and stupidity would lead ignorant people by a leash and distort real education in favor of emotional responses. I will teach my children about this kind of thing, I will teach them the potential dangers of patriotism as well. Only through education can this kind of thinking be stopped.

[Melech518]

A history book on Hitler, the Nazis, and the Holocaust are all fine. Those are teachings of history. However, Mein Kampf is a an auto-biography written by Hitler promoting his hatred towards Jews, Socialism, and anything not of the German Aryan Race. This was his vision to "purify" germany of the Jews, Catholics, ethnic Poles, the Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other political and religious opponents. Something like that only breads hatred. An adding the swastika as the logo adds insult to injury.

[KartRacer]

It still needs to be taught to future generations. Sticking your head in the sand won't stop history from repeating itself. Look at the way 'democracy' is being spread around the world. By threat and by force if necessary. This needs to be taught in schools too. Hoping that this won't happen again by simply ignoring it will do exactly the opposite.

[Enkidu]

All those people screaming "censorship" must have not read that piece of crap...
Yes, people should learn about history, but spreading fascist propaganda (on the App Store in this case) and even making money from that should not be tolerated anywhere, anytime.
You wanna read that crap, go to your local library and study it appropriately. You'll see, even from a historical perspective it's a waste of time.
Those people defending this app must not be aware of the fact, that the fascists were not beamed to the moon after the war, they were and still are all over europe. And their ideas still live on in younger generations.
So stop that talk about close-mindedness and intolerance, you obviously have no clue what you're talking about.

No Pasaran!
Alerta, Antifascista!

[NessLookAlike]

A history book on Hitler, the Nazis, and the Holocaust are all fine. Those are teachings of history.

Sure.

However, Mein Kampf is a an auto-biography written by Hitler promoting his hatred towards Jews, Socialism, and anything not of the German Aryan Race. This was his vision to "purify" germany of the Jews, Catholics, ethnic Poles, the Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other political and religious opponents.

Sure.

Something like that only breads hatred.

Auto biographies written by well-known (and well known to have been horribly, terribly wrong) revolutionaries are not the same as infectious diseases. You don't simply open a book containing [very dated] propaganda and suddenly grow a Hitler-stache and start killing Jews, or publishing writings on the perils of socialism, or join skin-head cults to go on marches.

An adding the swastika as the logo adds insult to injury.

As said before, the swastika commonly embodies the Nazi party, sure, but its little more than a rebranded symbol which represented things other than World War II prior to the Nazis, most commonly religions.

Now, having said all of that, lets remember that this isn't a school or a library banning a book, its a business removing a book from its inventory. So everyone stfu and proceed about your business.

[RaginAsian55]

Maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot but I (like a the minority on here) don't really agree that this is "unacceptable." I mean, insensitive and bad PR sure, but I don't think it necessarily needs to be censored. I don't know how I feel about the swastika since it illicits such a powerful emotional response, but at the same time it's the legitimate symbol of the party. Eh. It's not like Apple is putting this app and the swastika symbol on their commercials- they're just allowing it to be available, not forcing anyone to read it. That 9+ is the weirdest part to me... I mean, 9?! Really?!


To Melech: I have a friend that read Mein Kampf completely in German-- he told me it only made him realize MORE how f***ing out of his mind Hitler was. Extreme points of view can enlighten as well as corrupt, it always depends on the individual. I'm not defending the text and I absolutely don't agree with any of it, I'm just trying to offer another viewpoint to consider.

[bbillh77]

The reason it got approved is it was useless it.If it could actually be used for something they would have banned it

[DayumQuitPlayin]

Well, this did raise my eyebrows but in reality, it's an autobiography. It's a book. I thought Apple was rumored to getting into e-books. They already have e-readers in the appstore.. the iTablet may be a ereader.. so who's to say that the people who approved the app weren't thinking it would add to Apple's collection of ebooks?

Yea.. it could be seen as being done in poor taste, but still.. it's just a book.