We have to establish some kind of immutable law of nature regarding the wearing of Nazi uniforms. Maybe something like, “Wearing a Nazi uniform makes you indistinguishable from a Nazi.” If we’d had that rule firmly established in our society already, then maybe a restaurant by the name of Kith and Kin in Hudson, Massachusetts, wouldn’t have had to temporarily close after a couple of guys dressed like Nazis were seen eating there.
The drama began when a group of people sat down for a meal at Kith and Kin. Some of those folks were dressed as Nazi SS soldiers. They weren’t actually Nazis though, just as the people they were eating with were not actually American soldiers or military nurses. They were all World War II reenactors, part of a historical war reenactment at the nearby American Heritage Museum—a legitimate, actual museum of military history located about 21 miles west of Boston.
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This is all starting to feel like the plot of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
Word spread that Nazis were eating at Kith and kin. An intense social media firestorm kicked off. People were pissed that the restaurant just allowed Nazis to dine without getting kicked out. The restaurant posted an apology on its Facebook page, saying that in hindsight, they probably should’ve asked the men dressed as Nazis to not be dressed as Nazis, even if they were just historical reenactors.
“If we truly thought these individuals held anti-Semitic beliefs, we would never have allowed them to step foot in the restaurant,” they said.
It’s also understandable that as a patron you may not be aware that there are historical reenactments of World War II happening nearby and as a result, there might be people dressed as Nazis walking around. But also, patrons should probably put two and two together and realize that Nazis would never rub elbows with American soldiers at a local restaurant like it was all good.
Look, I’m just trying to say that there’s a lot of blame to go around here; a lot of critical thinking skills that were not used.
Kith and Kin has temporarily closed after the backlash to protect the health and safety of its employees. The American Heritage Museum, for whatever its opinion is worth, sides with the folks who think it was stupid to be wearing Nazi uniforms in public, regardless of the context. They said that wearing the uniforms outside of the educational context of the museum was “beyond thoughtless” and “repugnant.” The museum says it will review and reinforce its guidelines for costume use of its “living historians.”
Correction: Originally, this post featured a photo of historical reenactors that incorrectly gave the impression that the people pictured were related to the story. It has been changed. We regret the error.
