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Comment by sneak | Hacker News Reader

I secretly cringed after that time we were in Berlin and I told that terrible "Have you guys... SEEN KYLE??! (He's about this tall.)" joke.

(For those that don't know it, you extend your right arm out, palm down, horizontally, while saying the last part loudly.)

It wasn't until after I'd said it that a) I realized that it was totally and absolutely illegal to tell there and b) that I was calling attention to the height of someone named Kyle.

Herpity derp.

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That's a common misconception. Making fun of nazism is allowed. Spreading propaganda that nazism is the best thing since sliced bread is not.

> "Making fun of nazism is allowed."

Making jokes using the word "Nazi" is common in America and England but is not well received by German people. I would recommend not making this type of jokes in Germany.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xnNhzgcWTk

Depends on the German. I know Germans that are faster in telling Nazi jokes than I am. :-)

Of course, only do that with those you know well enough. For the rest, the Fawlty Towers advice is golden.

"seen kyle" might fall on the wrong side of "making fun of nazism" line however. To reiterate, it is illegal to make the Nazi salute in Germany. It is possible however to use the nazi salute in ironic/mocking way, but you would get arrested and the court would decide what is what. Few people have tried to make this defense, but ended up losing.

a little explanation for those who not get it: he said something which resembles "sieg heil" (hail victory!) while doing something which resembles the nazi gesture, i.e. the two parts of the nazi salute.

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