Shangas wrote:

I was trying to discuss history, not politics. Perhaps I should just leave.

I agree. I don't see anything political here. It's history. In any event, the conversation had more or less run its course. 

An interesting thread. Thank you, Shengas, especially for the pictures. I had no idea typewriters of that sort existed.

I think Beak is correct about Jury-rigged originally being a nautical term. I believe it's derived from the French 'jour' for day; a replacement jury-rigged mast, or whatever, being only a temporary measure.

Shangas wrote:

I was trying to discuss history, not politics.

Stevetype33 wrote:

I agree. I don't see anything political here. It's history. 

Really? Are we really going to try and hide political opinion by sweeping it under the history carpet?

You speak as if history was some sort of cut and dry, clinical, and purely objective collection of facts. History is everything but that. History is almost always biased, which is why one man's history can easily represent another man's lie. The recording, interpretation, and re-telling of historical facts is something that has always been tainted by political beliefs and the perceived truths of the society you grew up in.

History, and its underlying political influences, is a messy subject. This is a typewriter forum, and I assume that we're all here because we want to discuss typewriters, which of course includes their history, and not to read an opinionated treatise on "Nazi ideology." Like it or not, when you use the words Nazi and ideology in the same sentence you're discussing a political subject - or political history if you want to be more specific.

The reason I asked that we avoid political and religious commentary is because the introduction of those two subjects is the easiest and most common way to turn a pleasant discussion into a heated argument, which is what this thread is beginning to demonstrate.

The original post and subject of this thread was how to distinguish between a fake and real typewriter that features SS runes. No one asked that someone verify whether or not they actually existed, because the OP (original poster) already knows that they did. No one asked whether or not these typewriters are being faked, because it's a well documented fact that they are, which is why I addressed and answered the OP's question in my first post here.

If you have to ask why they would they be faked, then you probably aren't very well versed on this particular subject. They're being faked for the same reason a Rolex watch or a Gucci handbag is faked, because it's possible to swindle someone who isn't knowledgeable out of a substantial amount of money. And just like those who fake brand name products, those frauding the buyers of SS typers don't need to invest a lot of money in order to create a fake machine. 

Look, the bottom line is very simple: all I'm asking is that we stick to discussing typewriters. I'm not asking anyone to understand, nor do I expect anyone to understand, but there were a number of comments made in this thread that I took exception to and vehemently disagree with. Some of them even upset me. And that's not something that I'd expect to happen when I visit a forum that deals exclusively with typewriters. We need to keep in mind that this is an international forum, and that the sensibilities of those using this forum can differ greatly from one person to the next.

 

Stevetype33 wrote:

I think Beak is correct about Jury-rigged originally being a nautical term. I believe it's derived from the French 'jour' for day; a replacement jury-rigged mast, or whatever, being only a temporary measure.

My point was that the correct spelling for the expression that describes a temporary repair intended to keep something working is jury-rigged, NOT "jerry-rigged", and that the expression didn't originate in the 1940s. There WAS another expression known as "jerry-built", and it looks like Shangas combined that expression with jury-rigged. I was merely pointing out that his historical explanation for the expression jury-rigged was incorrect.  
 

Stevetype33 wrote:

No carpets here. You could easily say that the price of bananas is a political issue. If you cast the net that wide, any definition of what constitutes a political discussion becomes meaningless.

Just how small does the net have to be to satisfy your definition of political discussion then? Are you seriously telling me that all the comments made in this thread concerning Hitler's policies, Nazi ideology, anti-government propaganda, and the conscription of female workers were as vaguely political as discussing the price of bananas?

It's easy to be dismissive of something that doesn't hold any importance to you, but maybe you could consider how some of those apparently non-political opinions might be received by those with a more initimate interest in the subject? 

Stevetype33 wrote:

The conversation was substantially about typewriters.

Most of this thread had absolutely nothing to do with the OP's question about how to identify a fake from an authentic World War 2 era typewriter. 
 

Dear me!

For what it's worth, I saw nothing but relevant history.  But we do have a reminder of the dangers of politics and religion - they can spark discord from out of thin air, just by the shadow of the suggestion of the possibility of their presence.

History itself is the story of politics in one form or another, you might say.

As a request from the OP and a newcomer, can I ask that this debate be dropped by both sides.  I would appreciate it greatly.
 

No problem!  Apreciated it all.