What do we do in a society where it becomes the norm to hate and to act out upon certain segments of that society? What do we do when there is no longer any social stigma or peer pressure for those who openly espouse and practice brutal and unethical behaviors? Once it was seen as shameful for people to intimidate and attack others because of their race or religion; they wore hoods to cover their faces. Now it is something to be proud of. Is hatred-as-the-norm a triumph of just ignorance? Was the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1920s and 30s just a result of ignorance? Obviously not. It was the rise of indifference though, and the rise of avoidance and obliviousness to injustice and brutality.
Is this happening now in our country? How is it that the man running for President bragged that he could grab a woman's "pussy" whenever he wanted to and without any ramifications whatsoever, and was elected President by Americans? Is this a "liberal" problem? To my mind, a creep is a creep. And then he said it "just lockerroom talk," as if not actually doing that made it socially acceptable. Is this kind of thing actually acceptable to those who voted for this man? If so, America is in for a very bleak future, though I am quite aware that such mistreatment of women and of minorities, both racial and sexual, has never really subsided very much. That people could be treated as less, much less as less-than-human, is still the case. The genocide of Native People cannot be glossed over either. But, I digress.
If you were a Jew in Nazi Germany as the process of hatred was developing, what were you to do? If you had Christian friends in the community who had once treated you with respect and as German equals, what were you to do when they allowed themselves to be coopted by the social propaganda and did nothing as you and your people were singled out as pariahs and discriminated against? Most "good citizens" hope for the best or at least hope that this would be just a passing phase. Jews were aware that such things had happened to them in many societies throughout their history. But as Nazis came out in force and Brown Shirt thugs began to attack them, smashing their stores and beating them, how did they feel? What could they do? They believed in so-called democracy, but also knew, I imagine, just how fragile cooperation among people of different beliefs actually is. They probably realized that "faith in the goodness and fairness of others" is absolutely dependent on whether people had food on their table and money in their pockets. So most of them followed the rules and did what they were told. They knew they were outnumbered and out-manned.
I realize that to mention the predicament of the Jewish people in Germany (and elsewhere) at that time in history is provocative. I am not Jewish and perhaps am overly assumptive, if not arrogant. But what do decent, law-abiding Americans who "believe in democracy" and who actually have "faith in the goodness of others" do at this point in our American history? If the Jewish minority of Germany had "spoken out," they would have been crushed. However, we Americans who are ethical and democratic in our beliefs (and I realize the irony of that as I say it, for many Americans have grievously suffered at American hands), are in the majority and have not been coopted as yet. We have ideals of justice, of fairness, of equality, and of ethics. We have the responsibility to stand up to injustice, hatred, bigotry, corruption, greed, and the usurpation of power by those who seek to control America and its people.
Is this happening now in our country? How is it that the man running for President bragged that he could grab a woman's "pussy" whenever he wanted to and without any ramifications whatsoever, and was elected President by Americans? Is this a "liberal" problem? To my mind, a creep is a creep. And then he said it "just lockerroom talk," as if not actually doing that made it socially acceptable. Is this kind of thing actually acceptable to those who voted for this man? If so, America is in for a very bleak future, though I am quite aware that such mistreatment of women and of minorities, both racial and sexual, has never really subsided very much. That people could be treated as less, much less as less-than-human, is still the case. The genocide of Native People cannot be glossed over either. But, I digress.
If you were a Jew in Nazi Germany as the process of hatred was developing, what were you to do? If you had Christian friends in the community who had once treated you with respect and as German equals, what were you to do when they allowed themselves to be coopted by the social propaganda and did nothing as you and your people were singled out as pariahs and discriminated against? Most "good citizens" hope for the best or at least hope that this would be just a passing phase. Jews were aware that such things had happened to them in many societies throughout their history. But as Nazis came out in force and Brown Shirt thugs began to attack them, smashing their stores and beating them, how did they feel? What could they do? They believed in so-called democracy, but also knew, I imagine, just how fragile cooperation among people of different beliefs actually is. They probably realized that "faith in the goodness and fairness of others" is absolutely dependent on whether people had food on their table and money in their pockets. So most of them followed the rules and did what they were told. They knew they were outnumbered and out-manned.
I realize that to mention the predicament of the Jewish people in Germany (and elsewhere) at that time in history is provocative. I am not Jewish and perhaps am overly assumptive, if not arrogant. But what do decent, law-abiding Americans who "believe in democracy" and who actually have "faith in the goodness of others" do at this point in our American history? If the Jewish minority of Germany had "spoken out," they would have been crushed. However, we Americans who are ethical and democratic in our beliefs (and I realize the irony of that as I say it, for many Americans have grievously suffered at American hands), are in the majority and have not been coopted as yet. We have ideals of justice, of fairness, of equality, and of ethics. We have the responsibility to stand up to injustice, hatred, bigotry, corruption, greed, and the usurpation of power by those who seek to control America and its people.
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