I have taken four extended trips to Austria and Germany. From Vienna to Switzerland, and from the Black forest to Berlin, whenever possible I have asked of the older generation what they remember of Hitler. I’ve had the privilege of that conversation a few times, but one of the most interesting answers I received was the shortest and most straight forward: “He built good roads.” It took me by surprise at first. He built good roads? With that short, concise phrase, it was understood that we weren’t going to talk about why Hitler is remembered. With that simple phrase, it was understood that we don’t “talk politics” in polite company. Among the younger generation it is much easier to bring up such topics, but it must be especially painful to know that as a teenager you and your parents did nothing while the government lawfully slaughtered millions of people. Before and even during the war, most of the population was not political--there was less than, what, 3% of the population that was affiliated to the National Socialist party? Most people in polite society did not want to risk offending others; the awkward conversations; the possibility of having the attractive girl who was hoping to socialize roll her eyes and say “can we talk about something else, please?” That sting of social rejection, that fear—I suppose that did as much to help keep the Nazi’s in power as the government guns.
Take the dreaded topic of conversation that is the abortion issue. If you want to spoil a pleasant evening with company and potentially lose some of those friendships, casually bring up abortion in a social gathering. According to the Guttmacher Institute, we recently surpassed the 55 million mark in number of infants killed in these lawful procedures. The number is significant as these are more than the number of people killed in WWII. The people killed in acts of genocide by the Nazi’s were considered sub-human… not people like the Aryans. Undesirable people, or “useless eaters,” as they were called. The magic time a fetus becomes a baby seems to be related to whether the infant is “wanted” or not. Just why a Jew or a black person shouldn’t be considered as much a person as an Aryan is totally baffling and offensive to us today. The arguments were understood by society back in the 30s, however, and the parallels are undeniable. A person’s worth and right to live cannot be determined by whether they are “wanted” or deemed worthy to live by others. It is wrong for white folks to lynch black people, even if 99% of society thinks it’s just a reality of life. Do we have a right to “judge” that practice since we haven’t walked in a southern slave-owners shoes in the 1820s? Yes, yes we do. In fact, we not only have a right to judge, but we have the obligation to judge that practice, and the people who did it, as evil. Why? Because they killed innocent people, even if they thought they had great, justifiable reasons for doing so.
But, just like in Hitler’s Germany, there are many reasons not to speak up. Nobody wants to be characterized as a bad woman hater. There are sophisticated, socio-economic reasons to be understood, which makes it easier to decide not offend anyone. Undeniably there are complex situations that should be considered, but we can’t simply change the conversation because it’s uncomfortable to talk about. Even those who are pro-choice need to be willing to speak about the killings that are happening and not change the subject to “women’s rights” or “infrastructure and roads.” We should not muddy the waters with conversations about “real life” and poverty that supposedly justify the killing of innocent people. Nothing can justify the killing of innocent life, no matter how dire the situation. The state of Germany after WWI was dire and poverty was rampant, but the end didn’t justify the means back then, and it does not now.
As appalling as the answer “he built good roads” is to us, the same thing is happening in the United States. Have you asked anyone “What do you think of Planned Parenthood?” A likely answer is “good breast exams.”
Hitler did build good roads. He built them like only big government can (by force and through the theft of resources through taxation). It was these Reichsautobahnen that inspired Eisenhower to build our own highways. So for those that hate to “judge,” there is something positive to say about Hitler: we owe him our roads. However, Hitler putting people back to work and making great roads is irrelevant, isn’t it? He killed people—innocent people. He didn’t do it alone, of course, but millions allowed their tax money to be used in the lawful slaughter of millions. Science was on his side. Sophisticated, socio-economic arguments were on his side. But more importantly, millions of people decided not to offend anyone. While millions died in a genocidal nightmare, many citizens simply changed the conversation. “He’s sure building good roads, isn’t he?”
G. Lopez
Take the dreaded topic of conversation that is the abortion issue. If you want to spoil a pleasant evening with company and potentially lose some of those friendships, casually bring up abortion in a social gathering. According to the Guttmacher Institute, we recently surpassed the 55 million mark in number of infants killed in these lawful procedures. The number is significant as these are more than the number of people killed in WWII. The people killed in acts of genocide by the Nazi’s were considered sub-human… not people like the Aryans. Undesirable people, or “useless eaters,” as they were called. The magic time a fetus becomes a baby seems to be related to whether the infant is “wanted” or not. Just why a Jew or a black person shouldn’t be considered as much a person as an Aryan is totally baffling and offensive to us today. The arguments were understood by society back in the 30s, however, and the parallels are undeniable. A person’s worth and right to live cannot be determined by whether they are “wanted” or deemed worthy to live by others. It is wrong for white folks to lynch black people, even if 99% of society thinks it’s just a reality of life. Do we have a right to “judge” that practice since we haven’t walked in a southern slave-owners shoes in the 1820s? Yes, yes we do. In fact, we not only have a right to judge, but we have the obligation to judge that practice, and the people who did it, as evil. Why? Because they killed innocent people, even if they thought they had great, justifiable reasons for doing so.
But, just like in Hitler’s Germany, there are many reasons not to speak up. Nobody wants to be characterized as a bad woman hater. There are sophisticated, socio-economic reasons to be understood, which makes it easier to decide not offend anyone. Undeniably there are complex situations that should be considered, but we can’t simply change the conversation because it’s uncomfortable to talk about. Even those who are pro-choice need to be willing to speak about the killings that are happening and not change the subject to “women’s rights” or “infrastructure and roads.” We should not muddy the waters with conversations about “real life” and poverty that supposedly justify the killing of innocent people. Nothing can justify the killing of innocent life, no matter how dire the situation. The state of Germany after WWI was dire and poverty was rampant, but the end didn’t justify the means back then, and it does not now.
As appalling as the answer “he built good roads” is to us, the same thing is happening in the United States. Have you asked anyone “What do you think of Planned Parenthood?” A likely answer is “good breast exams.”
Hitler did build good roads. He built them like only big government can (by force and through the theft of resources through taxation). It was these Reichsautobahnen that inspired Eisenhower to build our own highways. So for those that hate to “judge,” there is something positive to say about Hitler: we owe him our roads. However, Hitler putting people back to work and making great roads is irrelevant, isn’t it? He killed people—innocent people. He didn’t do it alone, of course, but millions allowed their tax money to be used in the lawful slaughter of millions. Science was on his side. Sophisticated, socio-economic arguments were on his side. But more importantly, millions of people decided not to offend anyone. While millions died in a genocidal nightmare, many citizens simply changed the conversation. “He’s sure building good roads, isn’t he?”
G. Lopez