The March For Our Lives rallies all over the world were replete with calls to ban any and all guns, disband the NRA, and was accompanied by hateful rhetoric directed against victims families and those who aren’t toeing the current party line. However, as if none of that was bad enough, David Hogg’s ‘salute’ at the end of his speech sent chills down my spine and raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Yes folks, that was Hogg’s salute at the end of his speech. When I posted about it last night on my Facebook page, some interesting commentary ensued. One person pointed out that this was similar to the Black Power salute that happened at the 1968 Olympics.

U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos — who’d won gold and bronze respectively in the 200-meter sprint — raising black-gloved fists during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City became one of the most iconic sports images of the 20th century.

The protest had been something the two athletes carefully planned. As Smith and Carlos walked to the podium, they took off their shoes to protest poverty. They wore beads and a scarf to protest lynchings. And when the national anthem was played, they lowered their heads in defiance and raised their fists in a Black Power salute that rocked the world.

Yes, it’s true that those two athletes used that platform to bring attention to problems they felt were important.

However, when you compare Hogg’s salute to the one at the ’68 Olympics, there is a definite difference.

Straight up in the air, fist clenched and head bowed vs up in the air, off to the side, and glaring at the crowd.

Hogg’s gesture bears a striking resemblance to the very same salute used over and over again prior to and during World War II in Italy and Germany in particular.

I realize that some want to excuse what he did and play it off as ‘it was just the same thing as the Olympics!’ But it wasn’t and we really shouldn’t offer excuses for what he did. It was an intentional salute, it was not spontaneous and it’s highly evident that he held the salute in order to gin up the crowd.

As Kim pointed out, far too many speaking at the rally and those marching have no concept of the history of gun grabbing and the damage it has wrought upon millions of lives. Furthermore, as Marta pointed out, these calls for revolution and “NO MORE” by these stridently uninformed students can, have, and will backfire on the activists themselves.

Here’s something else to consider. If David Hogg’s ‘Salute’ was really NO BIG DEAL, then why has a majority of the U.S. media edited that out of their reports? Start watching at the 4 minute mark of his speech and you’ll see what I mean.

C-Span

Buzzfeed

Notice how @BuzzFeedNews specifically cut this clip of Hogg short by a few seconds so people wouldn't see the salute he made. #MarchForOurLives

This is why Americans hate the media. https://t.co/SCeavPv48R

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 24, 2018

CNN and NBC at least showed it, but cut back to a wide angle rather than up close. Still essentially implying that it wasn’t a big deal.

In fact, there are zero news reports about his salute. Just google David Hogg salute March For Our Lives and you’ll see what I mean.

This salute, quite frankly, has facist and communistic connotations. It is disturbing on every level, especially since Hogg also tried the arm band thing just a few weeks ago.

You might have a little trouble getting Jewish Americans to embrace this look. Do you have some shiny jackboots and brown shirts to go with it? Guessing maybe you skipped history class while you were shilling for the @DNC… pic.twitter.com/WfA4jL9y65

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 10, 2018

Symbols and gestures have meaning. The armband and salute evoke one of the most horrific times in the history of humankind. No matter what David Hogg wants to accomplish, his use of both should concern us all.