Was at the National Holocaust Memorial in DC today. There are no words to describe the relevance of this place, which stuns a hundred-fold. Prewar Germany had much that is familiar to us today; racism, walls, the polarization of the electorate, a whipsaw economy, a weak legislature, government by decree, demonization of religious outsiders….and an autocrat’s ascent to power. Free-thinkers must stay watchful and be ready to run.
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fit-in-Spring-TX
Level 5
Feb 6, 2018
0
As a child went to Dachau like @Davesnothere. Still remember how sobering the experience was.
kmdskit3
Level 8
Feb 2, 2018
1
It is a severe reality check . . .
A side comment: We always talk about the Holocaust and its horror....but mankind never says a word about the 60 million people eliminated by Joseph Stalin....In fact, mankind never says a word about the genocide committed by the Europeans on the people of the New World... from 1492 and during several centuries.
DUCHESSA
Level 8
Feb 2, 2018
3
That is not true, you are in fact bringing it up now 
, and I do as well, and it sadly does not end there, were have Armenia, and Cambodia, and Argentina, and Cameroon and, and, and . . .
@Davesnothere Well, people know a lot more about Cambodia, Cameroon and Armenia than they do about Ukraine (Stalin). About Argentina -and I am from there- was no genocide...unless you are referring to the thousand of people killed by the guerrilleros.com/
@DUCHESSA I misspoke, I was thinking of Chilie, my appoligies to Argentia and you. A by product of both age and TBI I fear.
And I suspect your correct on this side of the pond about awreness of the Ukraine and Stalin. That is not the case in the Eastern bloc . . .
I have stood in Dachau, in Nuremberg all the street signs show images of the streets after the fire bombings with the term "nie wieder", never again, so at each street you can see what it looks like today, and what it was then
NEVER FORGET is the point.
TOO MUCH of America now resembles Germany in 1932
Davesnothere
Level 7
Feb 2, 2018
4
That's my point. Many have forgotten about the other genocides...and many others don't even know they took place.
@DUCHESSA There is an aspect to profound horror, to unimaginalble tragedy that the human mind itself recoils from. I think many people unwittingly recoil from these realities, which sadly makes them far too easy to repeat.
@Davesnothere While many may flinch back when facing this truth....my point is that there are many others who dpn't even know about the other tragedies.
@DUCHESSA I would fault that on the poor education process, something I have been fighting about all my days since Iwas a child. I was that Kid in grade school who confronted a first wave creationist with my collection of paleontology books from the smithsonian, and got flunked for the year for the effort, in middle school got suspended thee times for reading on my own time, because they did not approve of my reading choices, two of which I bought through the scholastic book club, and in high school had another teacher of American History , who again flunked me for a year, because I kept on bringing up the Native histories he kept omitting, like the trail of tears.
As a Parent, I had similar issues but my children did not suffer for it, teachers had to suffer me. During Black History month they always make displays of famous Black folks picked by the Kids and the Teacher, always see Dr King, then it would be a bunch of sports figures actors and musicians, so I would ask in front of the class and teacher "Hey, wheres' Malcolm? Where's Medgar? How can you have a civil rights board and omit them?" I did not care if it was my childs class or not cause it would get the kids talking, and ASKING "Who's Malcolm? Who's Medgar?" and in these time googling it.
So I would gather that like all these issues, this too is something folks like you and I will always have to rtaise to remind others of it and educate those around us, because we sure don't need a repeat.
@Davesnothere The faulty education our kids receive is nothing new / accidental; it has been orchestrated during decades. Lack of information / misinformation are two means very well implemented in our society. Why? Because the stupider a person is the easier to manipulate him / her....and said techniques have washed in many of those that today are in front of the classrooms. Not long ago, I overheard two teachers saying: "I don't understand why the Jews cry so much; the Holocaust is not truth." I hope during my 26+ years as a teacher I made some difference. I am sure I did. LOL, in more than one occasion the debates held by my AP students brought in the Principal thinking a fight was taking place in my classroom.
@DUCHESSA You have no arguement from me there on education.
I am far too outspoke to overhear such an thing and NOT make a scene (not so good at parties unless you want sparks).
You sound like you were a fine teacher.
@Davesnothere Thanks.
That's so true and it is easy to jump into threads like this and to bandy partisan claims about so I hope the members here don't reduce this thread "ad Hitlerum". But I noticed similarities here in the UK: an economic recession/depression causing general hardship, caused by a banking "bubble"; accompanied by a loss of faith in the political system and discrediting of the current political moderates; triggering a rise in parties and politicians promising that difficult times demand extreme solutions. Then minorities and foreigners are blamed for the hardship of the white majority and nationalism is used to justify protectionist and racist policies. I find the whole thing very sad indeed and I hope that, like before, this is part of a cycle and that we will return to a more moderate and inclusive politics before too much damage has been done to the country I love.
ChrisR
Level 6
Feb 2, 2018
4
IF NOT I take heart that we are NOT Germany in 32, but America in 2017, and a lot of us are familar with our history and won't sit still for Cristal Nacht . . .
@Davesnothere absolutely - the circumstances might be similar and they might lead to similar results but the future doesn't have to be the same so I wouldn't extrapolate too far. But I think it shows that nationalism tends to grow from similar issues.
@ChrisR I agree it has the same roots, and uses the same fears and methods I HOPE we are better prepared.
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