AmateurScientist
7th July 2003, 03:46 PM
I am at once amused at and somewhat sympathetic to the cries of offense at US' Hitler avatar. Personally, I like it. I get US' irreverent and provocative sense of humor and endorse it. I do not like anyone taking themselves too seriously.
On the other hand, memories of the Holocaust and images conjuring up its memories can be perhaps the most moving and disturbing emotional triggers possible. I have never been so taken aback as when I witness someone who has family members, distant or near, who were among those civilians savagely murdered at the hands of the SS and the Nazis break down over such deeply painful and gut-wrenching memories.
I used to joke that the History Channel was the Hitler Channel. That is because at one time it seemed as if every other hour-long documentary was about the rise and fall of Hitler and his Nazi Party. I am utterly drawn to those documentary films and remain transfixed whenever I see them on. No, I am not drawn to their message. I am drawn to the unfathomable but true human capacity for committing atrocities without a guilty conscience. That Hitler was able to seize power in post-war Germany and influence his countrymen with relentless propaganda that Jews and other "defectives" were responsible for Germany's ills is to me among the most fascinating topics of study. I still find it inconceivable that he and his henchmen came very close to ruling the Western World and establishing his sought-after 1000-year Third Reich.
I believe everyone should take more interest in the topic. It is indispensable for appreciating modern international relations. It is also a cautionary tale above all others in importance and urgency.
Remember the sociological and political maxim: Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.
The Nazis were not the first organized group to dehumanize another group and seek to rid the planet of them. It has been done before, in nearly every corner of the world. Obviously, it has been done since as well, also in many diverse places.
No one else, however, seems to have engaged in "ethnic cleansing" as effeciently, as ruthlessly, as clinically as the Nazis. Perhaps no other has committed it on as broad a scale in such a short period of time.
The lesson to learn from study of the Nazis is not about the evils of anti-Semitism per se. It is that dehumanizing any group, Jewish or otherwise, is the first step towards being able to justify to one's self committing unspeakable acts upon them.
This is a lesson many do not understand. We see such failure of understanding in the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist, the Christian fundamentalist anti-abortion doctor terrorist, the neo-Nazi or KKK member, and any other person who espouses hatred towards another group or denounces them as "Godless" or "evil" and advocates their being wiped off the face of the earth. Dehumanizing and blaming one's perceived problems on any particular group of humans is apparently a popular activity around the world. It is universally dangerous and worth maintaining a relentless vigilance against it.
Do not suppress the study of Hitler and his message. Instead, study him vigorously and encourage others to do so as well. Knowing all the facts about him and his ways is the only way to fully appreciate just how evil and dangerous Hitler was. Knowing how dangerous Hitler was is important in understanding how we can still fall under the power and sway of charismatic leaders today.
It is foolish indeed to believe that another Hitler could not rise to power somewhere--even in the US, or that another Holocaust or similar mass killing event could not happen. Humans need to understand their potential dark side in order to best guard against succumbing to it. Do not be afraid of studying Hitler. Be afraid of not knowing about him at all.
AS
On the other hand, memories of the Holocaust and images conjuring up its memories can be perhaps the most moving and disturbing emotional triggers possible. I have never been so taken aback as when I witness someone who has family members, distant or near, who were among those civilians savagely murdered at the hands of the SS and the Nazis break down over such deeply painful and gut-wrenching memories.
I used to joke that the History Channel was the Hitler Channel. That is because at one time it seemed as if every other hour-long documentary was about the rise and fall of Hitler and his Nazi Party. I am utterly drawn to those documentary films and remain transfixed whenever I see them on. No, I am not drawn to their message. I am drawn to the unfathomable but true human capacity for committing atrocities without a guilty conscience. That Hitler was able to seize power in post-war Germany and influence his countrymen with relentless propaganda that Jews and other "defectives" were responsible for Germany's ills is to me among the most fascinating topics of study. I still find it inconceivable that he and his henchmen came very close to ruling the Western World and establishing his sought-after 1000-year Third Reich.
I believe everyone should take more interest in the topic. It is indispensable for appreciating modern international relations. It is also a cautionary tale above all others in importance and urgency.
Remember the sociological and political maxim: Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.
The Nazis were not the first organized group to dehumanize another group and seek to rid the planet of them. It has been done before, in nearly every corner of the world. Obviously, it has been done since as well, also in many diverse places.
No one else, however, seems to have engaged in "ethnic cleansing" as effeciently, as ruthlessly, as clinically as the Nazis. Perhaps no other has committed it on as broad a scale in such a short period of time.
The lesson to learn from study of the Nazis is not about the evils of anti-Semitism per se. It is that dehumanizing any group, Jewish or otherwise, is the first step towards being able to justify to one's self committing unspeakable acts upon them.
This is a lesson many do not understand. We see such failure of understanding in the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist, the Christian fundamentalist anti-abortion doctor terrorist, the neo-Nazi or KKK member, and any other person who espouses hatred towards another group or denounces them as "Godless" or "evil" and advocates their being wiped off the face of the earth. Dehumanizing and blaming one's perceived problems on any particular group of humans is apparently a popular activity around the world. It is universally dangerous and worth maintaining a relentless vigilance against it.
Do not suppress the study of Hitler and his message. Instead, study him vigorously and encourage others to do so as well. Knowing all the facts about him and his ways is the only way to fully appreciate just how evil and dangerous Hitler was. Knowing how dangerous Hitler was is important in understanding how we can still fall under the power and sway of charismatic leaders today.
It is foolish indeed to believe that another Hitler could not rise to power somewhere--even in the US, or that another Holocaust or similar mass killing event could not happen. Humans need to understand their potential dark side in order to best guard against succumbing to it. Do not be afraid of studying Hitler. Be afraid of not knowing about him at all.
AS