Comments on: There’s more than one kind of Holocaust denial

By: Danny Lemieux

Danny Lemieux — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 02:08:06 +0000

I once took care of a boa constrictor (snake). We would feed it live rats that would be totally oblivious to the snake’s presence. When the snake struck, it was far to late for the rat to reassess its world view. I often wondered if there was psychological mechanism in the rat’s brain that forbade it to think unpleasant thoughts and to rationalize why there really wasn’t a danger, after all. Kind of like many peoples’ attitudes to the Islamic Jihad, actually.

By: ymarsakar

ymarsakar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 04:19:44 +0000

I think it is very hard for people who live in prosperity to comprehend true suffering and ruthlessness. Not impossible, but low amounts of wisdom doesn’t really grease the wheels of comprehension.

By: kevin

kevin — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:55:16 +0000

Helen, As Dagon pointed out, slavey is currently going on in every continent of the world so instead of wasting time crying “Never again! No. Never again,” why not actively do something to stop it? You seem to be fixated on black slavery in particular so I would suggest maybe focusing on Sudan?

By: Danny Lemieux

Danny Lemieux — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:58:46 +0000

What is most admirable is how the Israelis learned from the Holocaust. They didn’t whine or claim victimhood. They picked themselves up and built a powerful, democratic country that extended human rights to ALL it citizens, and went on to produce many scientific and technological wonders in the face of non-stop adversity. Perhaps others could use Israel’s example as a model for success and, say for example, turn Gaza into another Singapore, Macao or Hong Kong.

By: Webloggin - Blog Archive » There’s More than One Kind of Holocaust Denial

Webloggin - Blog Archive » There’s More than One Kind of Holocaust Denial — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:57:42 +0000

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By: Bookworm

Bookworm — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:00:38 +0000

I’m entirely in agreement with reminding people of the terrible things that can happen when the thin veneer of civilization slips. What saddens me is that a generation of African Americans, rather than stopping with “never again,” which I think is a timeless message, appends to that reminder the accusation that “it’s all your fault,” with is an alienating message.

In that vein, I do not hold modern Germans responsible for the Holocaust. I think that would be a terrible and unfair burden to place upon them. However, I do admit that, when I’m in Germany, I look askance at those who look old enough to have been adults during WWII. I always wonder “what were you doing then?” These are not questions we can ask living Americans about slavery, of course. These are questions we can ask a fading generation of Americans about Jim Crow, but I’m not sure to whether those questions serve a useful purpose, beyond trying once again to figure out, whether the person is an aged German or an aged White person what they were thinking that let them to commit acts ranging from actively inhumane to passively immoral.

By: helenl

helenl — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 05:29:17 +0000

I am not a witness of any kind to the Holocaust. But it is real. It actually happened. Jewish people are doing a good job of keeping the memory alive. In the same vein, African Americans must keep alive the memory of slavery and Jim Crow America. Not because “my pain is greater than your pain” makes any sense, but because in both instances, we must stand with resolve and cry, “Never again! No. Never again.”