Fears and Fascination: Hitlers Continuing Control
I've written an article about two recent news reports involving Hitler: one is about his quotations in a yearbook, another about a new museum dedicated to him. It's a little long so I've added it in an LJ cut.
Last semester I studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was the excursions we took to sights of historical significance: mostly palace-museums and churches. Practically every historic destination was in some way affected by the extended nazi blockade of the city during World War II. For 900 days, the Germans shelled the city, but the starving Russians remained steadfast prevented Hitler from taking the city.
Every museum has stories of treasures lost. One palace outside of the city has a picture in every room of the condition after the siege and before restoration. Walls are blown away and paintings lie in charcoal shreds. In one room, Nazis lay on a table and shot at cherubs painting on the ceiling for target practice. Here the original fabric was lost; here the paintings are reproductions; and here the Amber Room - its amber walls once called a wonder of the world - was stolen, boxed up, and eventually lost in Germany. It is only now, 60 years after WWII, that almost all visual reminders are repaired. We are left with photographs and stories of the destructive power of the Third Reich.
But in recent weeks, the media has exposed new conflicts involving Adolf Hitler and his legacy. In Northport, New York, the city high school was appalled to find that two students had used lines from Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, as their senior quotations. The principle announced the school had failed and planned to send a written apology home to parents. Efforts were undertaken to somehow remove these messages from the book.
Here are the quotations:
"Strength lies not in defense, but in attack"
"The great masses of people ... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one"
The first one, I feel, is fairly insubstantial. Anyone could have said it. John Madden will probably say it 5 times this Monday night. Nobody will care. As for the second, it seems more interesting. This axiom has proven true many times, even today (In case you’ve forgotten, there were absolutely no weapons of mass destruction). I appreciate the fact that Hilter, as comedian Eddie Izzard states quite bluntly, "a genocidal fuckhead." I’ve also read Mein Kampf, and I believe it is the work of a delusional and hateful mind, but it is not the work of the devil. There is no black magic in its pages. Reading it will not conjure up demons or revive the soul of this diluted man. He is dead. It’s an extremely poorly written book with almost no literary merit whatsoever. What is does contain are hints as to how Hitler worked - how he was eventually able to kill millions. Indeed, this second quotation was the recipe for Hitler’s destructive power. I say let the wounds heal. Rebuild all that was destroyed. But shouldn’t we keep in mind the methods used? If we forget, maybe we will fall victim to the same disaster again.
I have no idea what the boys intended when they submitted these quotations. Perhaps they are trying to make an important point. But for all I know, they are misguided punks trying to get a counterculture rise by presenting controversial material (the second quotation is provided by numerous sources including Bartleby.com, leading me to believe that neither boy actually read the book). But their intention is irrelevant. These lines don’t say, "kill the Jews, they’re inferior." These lines are a warning. And to ignore this warning by whiting them out or printing new sheets brings us closer to destruction than we are with them on the page. If Hitler was about a perfect unified vision, shouldn’t we encourage a variety of colorful thought? If we forget, it could happen again.
A few days ago I heard several sensational news reports about one man: Ted Junker. They said he had built a museum to honor Hitler. They said Ted really liked Hitler, that he claimed he joined the Nazi army, and that he just wanted to set some things straight about the guy.
Not surprisingly, all those interviewed were outraged.
Isn’t this exactly like the quotations in the yearbook? Except this time we know that Ted isn’t trying to push a nation’s buttons. He doesn’t want to make old man principle really steam up. He just honestly likes Hitler and wants to show his side of the story.
Well, why not? Although some would argue that Hitler should not be immortalized like this - that his was an inexcusable life - and I’d agree. This museum is nothing but a grave profanity. But in every language, profanity has its place. I think Mr. Junker offers an opportunity the world may never have again. How is it Hitler was able to convince so many Germans, like Junker, that murdering millions is a good idea? They say Hitler was an astounding orator - that he could convince people with his fiery speeches. Unless I learn German, I’ll never understand the power in those scratchy recordings. Instead, we have Junker, a fossil of Nazi times. An 87 year old who still believes. Isn’t it valuable to see what he has to say - see how he understands Hitler and history? Won’t that add dimension to our current understanding? Knowledge really is power. Taking huge offense to these stories is not power. That is people being controlled.
In these sensational reports I saw nothing but the propaganda discussed by Hitler. Here someone or some idea is controlling the mass. We are all outraged. We all hate. Who could disagree with these emotional stories? And yet, as I expected, the most recent articles treat the issue with far less bias. They seem more concerned with Junker’s safety with the "crazies" his museum might attract. They reduce the issue from one of feverish emotion to one of reserved bureaucracy, focusing on the fact that Junker did not have the proper paperwork to open his shrine. So the doors will stay closed and Hitler will sleep for some more time.
"It is not the mass that invents and not the majority that organizes or thinks, but in all things only and always the individual man, the person." As Hitler puts it, we must all make our own decisions. Don’t be overcome by sensational news stories. I would encourage everyone to look at all sides of an issue and collect as much information as possible. And then, make a decision for yourself.
For more information, please follow the links:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/06/13/hitler.yearbook.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
http://dailynews.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10012295.shtml
http://www.gazetteextra.com/hitlermemorial061606.asp
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=436471
Last semester I studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was the excursions we took to sights of historical significance: mostly palace-museums and churches. Practically every historic destination was in some way affected by the extended nazi blockade of the city during World War II. For 900 days, the Germans shelled the city, but the starving Russians remained steadfast prevented Hitler from taking the city.
Every museum has stories of treasures lost. One palace outside of the city has a picture in every room of the condition after the siege and before restoration. Walls are blown away and paintings lie in charcoal shreds. In one room, Nazis lay on a table and shot at cherubs painting on the ceiling for target practice. Here the original fabric was lost; here the paintings are reproductions; and here the Amber Room - its amber walls once called a wonder of the world - was stolen, boxed up, and eventually lost in Germany. It is only now, 60 years after WWII, that almost all visual reminders are repaired. We are left with photographs and stories of the destructive power of the Third Reich.
But in recent weeks, the media has exposed new conflicts involving Adolf Hitler and his legacy. In Northport, New York, the city high school was appalled to find that two students had used lines from Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, as their senior quotations. The principle announced the school had failed and planned to send a written apology home to parents. Efforts were undertaken to somehow remove these messages from the book.
Here are the quotations:
"Strength lies not in defense, but in attack"
"The great masses of people ... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one"
The first one, I feel, is fairly insubstantial. Anyone could have said it. John Madden will probably say it 5 times this Monday night. Nobody will care. As for the second, it seems more interesting. This axiom has proven true many times, even today (In case you’ve forgotten, there were absolutely no weapons of mass destruction). I appreciate the fact that Hilter, as comedian Eddie Izzard states quite bluntly, "a genocidal fuckhead." I’ve also read Mein Kampf, and I believe it is the work of a delusional and hateful mind, but it is not the work of the devil. There is no black magic in its pages. Reading it will not conjure up demons or revive the soul of this diluted man. He is dead. It’s an extremely poorly written book with almost no literary merit whatsoever. What is does contain are hints as to how Hitler worked - how he was eventually able to kill millions. Indeed, this second quotation was the recipe for Hitler’s destructive power. I say let the wounds heal. Rebuild all that was destroyed. But shouldn’t we keep in mind the methods used? If we forget, maybe we will fall victim to the same disaster again.
I have no idea what the boys intended when they submitted these quotations. Perhaps they are trying to make an important point. But for all I know, they are misguided punks trying to get a counterculture rise by presenting controversial material (the second quotation is provided by numerous sources including Bartleby.com, leading me to believe that neither boy actually read the book). But their intention is irrelevant. These lines don’t say, "kill the Jews, they’re inferior." These lines are a warning. And to ignore this warning by whiting them out or printing new sheets brings us closer to destruction than we are with them on the page. If Hitler was about a perfect unified vision, shouldn’t we encourage a variety of colorful thought? If we forget, it could happen again.
A few days ago I heard several sensational news reports about one man: Ted Junker. They said he had built a museum to honor Hitler. They said Ted really liked Hitler, that he claimed he joined the Nazi army, and that he just wanted to set some things straight about the guy.
Not surprisingly, all those interviewed were outraged.
Isn’t this exactly like the quotations in the yearbook? Except this time we know that Ted isn’t trying to push a nation’s buttons. He doesn’t want to make old man principle really steam up. He just honestly likes Hitler and wants to show his side of the story.
Well, why not? Although some would argue that Hitler should not be immortalized like this - that his was an inexcusable life - and I’d agree. This museum is nothing but a grave profanity. But in every language, profanity has its place. I think Mr. Junker offers an opportunity the world may never have again. How is it Hitler was able to convince so many Germans, like Junker, that murdering millions is a good idea? They say Hitler was an astounding orator - that he could convince people with his fiery speeches. Unless I learn German, I’ll never understand the power in those scratchy recordings. Instead, we have Junker, a fossil of Nazi times. An 87 year old who still believes. Isn’t it valuable to see what he has to say - see how he understands Hitler and history? Won’t that add dimension to our current understanding? Knowledge really is power. Taking huge offense to these stories is not power. That is people being controlled.
In these sensational reports I saw nothing but the propaganda discussed by Hitler. Here someone or some idea is controlling the mass. We are all outraged. We all hate. Who could disagree with these emotional stories? And yet, as I expected, the most recent articles treat the issue with far less bias. They seem more concerned with Junker’s safety with the "crazies" his museum might attract. They reduce the issue from one of feverish emotion to one of reserved bureaucracy, focusing on the fact that Junker did not have the proper paperwork to open his shrine. So the doors will stay closed and Hitler will sleep for some more time.
"It is not the mass that invents and not the majority that organizes or thinks, but in all things only and always the individual man, the person." As Hitler puts it, we must all make our own decisions. Don’t be overcome by sensational news stories. I would encourage everyone to look at all sides of an issue and collect as much information as possible. And then, make a decision for yourself.
For more information, please follow the links:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/06/13/hitler.yearbook.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
http://dailynews.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10012295.shtml
http://www.gazetteextra.com/hitlermemorial061606.asp
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=436471