Arkansas YouTuber flaunts swastika face mask, claims being forced to wear one is like 'living in Nazi Germany'
ARKANSAS: A YouTuber in Arkansas has opened up about why he wears a face mask bearing a swastika symbol, saying "being forced to wear one is similar to living in Nazi Germany."
The National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi party, was responsible for the deaths of millions under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Meanwhile, face masks have been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The similarities between the two, therefore, are a tad unclear. But Brad Braddock, a YouTuber who has previously declared masks are "bulls--t", has likened being forced to wear face masks in public to socialist agenda. In a viral video, he explains that by wearing one he is only complying with the "new normal."
Braddock is heard in the clip, titled ‘Reality check! Welcome to the new normal!’, saying he has purchased his first face mask after a lot of resistance. Viewers appear to be dumbfounded as Braddock flaunts his alarming new purchase.
The video, which has been viewed tens of thousands of times, sees Brad describe the swastika mask as being "kind of cute" before tearing into the "socialists out here on commie news telling us that we must follow this new normal."
"These socialists love to force their opinions and their beliefs and make it law, everyone has to do this now or else," Braddock continued. "Or else what? Are you going to arrest me? You know, I bet you would love to arrest me and throw me into jail and what-not."
Wearing a face mask in public at all times can be inconvenient, but comparing it to Nazi Germany is obviously not justifiable -- it trivializes the experience of all those who lived through the harrowing ordeal.
That said, this is not the first time Braddock has made a video criticizing face masks. In one video titled ‘Mask and organized crime!’, he appears to describe COVID-19 as an "imaginary threat."
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Ice-T shared a viral photo of Braddock wearing the controversial mask at a gas station in Arkansas. The actor and rapper called the man the "racist of the day" and was cheered by his followers.
Prior to that, Braddock caught the attention of former basketball player Rex Chapman, who tweeted a photo of him leaning against his white Chevrolet truck while filling gas. "Fayetteville, Arkansas. Yesterday," Chapman captioned the picture, which had Braddock wearing the Nazi mask and his handgun holster visible.
That said, the Arkansas native is barely the first person sporting a Nazi flag-inspired face mask. A couple was banned from a Minnesota Walmart last month after they wore face masks with the controversial symbol. Their dramatic exchange with Walmart staff went viral on social media as authorities had to be summoned to the scene.
"We are asking everyone to wear face coverings when they enter our stores for their safety and the safety of others and it’s unfortunate that some individuals have taken this pandemic as an opportunity to create a distressing situation for customers and associates in our store," Walmart later said in a statement.