Most neo-Nazis know as much about the Third Reich as the guys who ordered Islam for Dummies before joining Daesh (so-called IS). Probably even less, since they likely haven’t even picked up—much less read—a single book on the subject. If they did, they might reconsider some of their deeply held beliefs.
Yoga and vegetarianism are “woke”? Islam is an existential threat to the Occident? Well, well, well. dimwits.
Think I am kidding? I promise, it’s true.
Hitler the Vegetarian
Adolf Hitler followed a vegetarian diet. While it’s unclear exactly when or why he adopted it—some accounts suggest he still ate meat as late as 1937—by 1938, his doctors had put him on a meat-free regimen. From 1942 onward, he openly identified as a vegetarian.
Albert Speer, architect and Minister of Armaments and War Productioin even noted that Hitler used graphic descriptions of animal suffering to dissuade his inner circle from eating meat.
This is backed by scientific analysis too: a 2018 examination of Hitler’s dental tartar found no traces of meat fibers.
The Nazis and Yoga
Few people know this, but yoga was practiced in the Third Reich. Leading Nazis like Alfred Rosenberg and Heinrich Himmler admired the ancient Indian discipline of self-mastery. Hitler himself was occasionally stylized as a yogi by Nazi propaganda.
It is said, that Eva Braun, Hitler’s long-time girlfriend and short-time wife, was known to practice yoga —while there’s footage of her performing advanced poses by a Bavarian lake, it might as well be gymnastics, i mean there is an overlap after all . While Hitler and Himmler didn’t engage in physical yoga (Hatha Yoga), they embraced Raja Yoga (the “royal yoga” of mental discipline).
Himmler a notoric mystic, in particular, promoted meditation retreats, the study of the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, and yoga to strenghen his SS Soldiers. The nazis took a liking in pretty much everything which they thought would make them stronger and mentally resilient. So there we yogago.
Hitler’s Admiration for Islam
Hitler saw Christianity as ill-suited for the “Germanic temperament.” He is known to have lamented that Europe hadn’t embraced Islam instead. Hitler once told his inner circle:
“The Mohammedan religion would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?”
He even mused that if the Umayyad Caliphate had won the Battle of Tours in 732, Europe might have been Islamic. In his view, Islam’s emphasis on warrior ethos aligned better with Nazi ideology than Christianity’s “weakness.”
The Irony of Modern Neo-Nazis
So, I look forward to neo-Nazis rallying in favor of Muslim migration before heading to their yoga class and vegan lunch.
So besides pointing out the irony, what am I trying to say?
The Moral of the Story (Which Is 100% Accurate—Google It!)
This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a reminder that arguments should be evaluated on their own merits, not by partisan affiliation.
Ad hominem is the name for a logical fallacy where an argument is dismissed by attacking the speaker rather than addressing its substance. Let’s move past tribalistic thinking and engage in genuine debate—without deflecting to irrelevant personal attacks.
- To my left-leaning readers: Not everything is wrong just because Trump (or the right) says it.
- To my right-leaning readers: Not everything is wrong just because Bernie Sanders (or the left) says it.
(Everything Hillary Clinton says is indeed wrong, but that’s because of what she says, not because she is the one saying it. Nah, kidding…)
So next time a neo-Nazi rants about “woke” vegetarianism or the “Islamic invasion,” maybe ask them if they’ve ever cracked a history book. The truth is often stranger—and more inconvenient—than propaganda.
