It isn't a terribly uncommon kink for some African Americans to enjoy being called derogatory names or treated like (literal) slaves. It's obviously not because they enjoy the hatred behind it or believe themselves to deserve it.

Part of the allure, I think, is the fact that you can take something so disgusting but put it into a safer context you can digest. It allows you to deal with it, come to terms with it and understand it. Not sympathize with it or appreciate it mind you but when you paint it in those terms, it makes it easier to understand where this desire comes from and how it plays out.

The same goes for rape survivors who willingly engage in rape play with a trusted partner. It doesn't always make sense to people who have not experienced it but it follows a similar (although possible slightly different) line of thought and thinking.

Of course on the surface, both of those two things in general can appear to be something they are not. It's easy to think all sorts of things as a result but the fact of the matter is that neither of these two above examples would actually enjoy anybody except their trusted partners doing that to them in a safe context. In fact, they would probably be just as mortified and offended as anybody else.

The sort of quizzical conundrums, blending of "good vs evil" and complexity of play contribute to part of the misunderstanding here. The same goes for the public's perception of BDSM (at times). "Oh you beat people up" of course isn't a valid explanation of what goes on but that is what it can appear to be at first glance or to the uninformed eye. Well, yes - "beatings" can be involved but as the community understands - it really isn't about that. Nobody volunteers simply to be assaulted for no reason at all but to the uninformed eye that might be what it appears to be.

I am sure others have better definitions or analogies or explanations but the point is that we understand you aren't a Nazi sympathizer and I don't personally think you applaud their efforts or wish to perpetrate similar acts. But even within the community, I don't think you will find that sympathy and understanding to be true - let alone outside the community.

I would be interested to see what proportion of actual Nazi victims engage in Nazi roleplay vs individuals only involved on the periphery (persons of Jewish descent). My suspicion is that actual victims would be less inclined to think of said play as fun (and therefore less desirous of seeking it out) but I really don't honestly know if anybody has studied that to be honest.

The mantra of safe, sane and consensual should remain in play here, as always. If every party involved can do it within the boundaries of those three core tenants and in the privacy of their own home or around others who consent to being part of said play then part of the allure of BDSM and kink in general is being able to safely play out roleplaying situations and scenarios. As a only semi related aside, the movie industry does it all the time for various reasons (mostly profit but also to tell a story).

I don't know how popular that opinion is because not everybody sees things the same way or with the same context and I too believe that the atrocities the Nazis inflicted upon the world were beyond horrific and terrible but I do have to wonder - why do people have Nazi roleplay fantasies but not many of the other major atrocities that have been wrought upon this world? Stalin and the Soviets killed more people. Why don't people reenact the Lushan Rebellion? Because temporally the event is so distant and nobody is taught about it so nobody tries to incorporate it into their play? There are other anthropogenic atrocities though that are recent but one rarely hears about those being used in play.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_anthropogenic_disasters_by_death_toll

Oh and it's also worth mentioning that we should not forget the specific, deliberate and horrific singling out of homosexuals under Nazi Germany as well - both before and even continuing after the war (many homosexuals that were charged under Nazi Germany were made to finish their "sentences" (imposed by the Nazis) even after the war ended). I would be curious to see if anybody incorporates that play into their already quite niche Nazi roleplay?