thoughts on the rise of facism
(quoting someone who survived Nazi Germany): "...To live in this process is absolutely not to be able to notice it - please try to believe me - unless one has a much greater degree of political awareness, acuity, than most of us had ever had occasion to develop. Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted,' that, unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures' that no 'patriotic German' could resent must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his head."
In this conversation, Mayer's friend suggests that he wasn't making an excuse for not resisting the rise of the fascists, but simply pointing out an undisputable reality. This, he suggests, is how fascism will always take over a nation.
...
"You see," my colleague went on, "one doesn't see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for the one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow. You don't want to act, or even to talk, alone; you don't want to 'go out of your way to make trouble.' Why not? - Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty.
"Uncertainty is a very important factor, and, instead of decreasing as time goes on, it grows. Outside, in the streets, in the general community, everyone is happy. One hears no protest, and certainly sees none. You know, in France or Italy there will be slogans against the government painted on walls and fences; in Germany, outside the great cities, perhaps, there is not even this. In the university community, in your own community, you speak privately to your colleagues, some of whom certainly feel as you do; but what do they say? They say, 'It's not so bad' or 'You're seeing things' or 'You're an alarmist.'"
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer. I originally heard about this book from this article, and subsequently bought and read the book.
Frighteningly timely.
When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a independent study paper for my government class entitled "The Dangers of Extreme Patriotism," where I argued that tribal chest pounding and flag waving could be the first step on a slippery slope towards an American incarnation of National Socialism. My teacher, an avid sports fan and tribal chest pounder, didn't like my choice of topic at all. He gave me a C. Granted, I wrote a good bulk of it the two nights before it was due, but I still feel my points were well supported and argued. This same teacher also gave me detention for correcting his pronounciation of "Illinois" in front of the entire class, so I have strong suspicions that his personal political beliefs came into play while grading my paper.
And although I haven't read it yet, I imagine Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here would also prove to be frighteningly relevant.
In this conversation, Mayer's friend suggests that he wasn't making an excuse for not resisting the rise of the fascists, but simply pointing out an undisputable reality. This, he suggests, is how fascism will always take over a nation.
...
"You see," my colleague went on, "one doesn't see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for the one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow. You don't want to act, or even to talk, alone; you don't want to 'go out of your way to make trouble.' Why not? - Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty.
"Uncertainty is a very important factor, and, instead of decreasing as time goes on, it grows. Outside, in the streets, in the general community, everyone is happy. One hears no protest, and certainly sees none. You know, in France or Italy there will be slogans against the government painted on walls and fences; in Germany, outside the great cities, perhaps, there is not even this. In the university community, in your own community, you speak privately to your colleagues, some of whom certainly feel as you do; but what do they say? They say, 'It's not so bad' or 'You're seeing things' or 'You're an alarmist.'"
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer. I originally heard about this book from this article, and subsequently bought and read the book.
Frighteningly timely.
When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a independent study paper for my government class entitled "The Dangers of Extreme Patriotism," where I argued that tribal chest pounding and flag waving could be the first step on a slippery slope towards an American incarnation of National Socialism. My teacher, an avid sports fan and tribal chest pounder, didn't like my choice of topic at all. He gave me a C. Granted, I wrote a good bulk of it the two nights before it was due, but I still feel my points were well supported and argued. This same teacher also gave me detention for correcting his pronounciation of "Illinois" in front of the entire class, so I have strong suspicions that his personal political beliefs came into play while grading my paper.
And although I haven't read it yet, I imagine Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here would also prove to be frighteningly relevant.