Ok...this is kind of different from the standard sporadicnomadic blog post, but it is a very relevant and telling quote. What are your thoughts on this (especially concerning US troops in Iraq?).
Considering the source of this quote, it’s a grotesque yet fascinating snapshot into the mind of what Nazi Germany actually believed about the world at the time: that the average citizen was a dumb sheep, mindless and stupid, unable to think for him or herself, and easily led to believe and do whatever those in power told them.
Why did Nazi Germany, and specifically Hermann Goering as evidenced in this quote, believe this? Gee – could it be partly because they KILLED every voice of dissent? Scientists, academics, doctors, musicians, artists, philosophers, writers – they were marked men. If they didn’t flee to the United States or other countries, many met untimely ends at the hands of men like Hermann Goering.
I almost can’t believe I’m giving the time of day to someone who perpetrated such atrocities against the world. What merit could there be in ANY of the words left behind by such a warped, grossly misguided – yes, even “evil” – individual? Why are we even reading what he had to say about the world? This man believed Jews were less than human. One of his first tasks in government was to squelch any possible opposition to Hitler – and he has the gall to say “voice or no voice”? I beg to differ.
In fact, I find it hard to stake worth in any of Herr Goering’s words, considering what I know about his worldview how warped an individual he was. If he was so far off base in so many other critical areas, why should I put any stock in anything he posits as universal political tactic or reality?
Hermann Goering was not only sick, he was evil. We are silly to care about what a sick, evil man had to say about the world. We have better things to do.
The source of the quote aside... unfortunately it is true. We, (humankind) tend to make decisions based upon emotion rather than solid intellect. This is why elections often become wardrobe popularity contests (who is wearing the nicest tie today?) rather than campaigns of substance. Make me scared and then offer me hope, or a scapegoat as with the Nazis, and I will vote for you. We can have our principles but they all go out the window as soon as our base emotions come into play. Couple this with the fact that we tend to be lazy and you end up with the fact that we are very easily manipulated.
I heard a good quote this week: It is better to have a benevolent dictator than a chaotic democracy.
Anonymous said…
I think it’s immensely important to think carefully about this type of statement since the politics of fear are alive and well in our world – the invasion of Iraq being a prime example. The BBC created a 3-part series called “The Power of Nightmares” last year. It looks at the notion of an international terrorist network as a fabrication that serves to consolidate power and maintain a fearful, yet supportive citizenry. It explores the idea that, in the Western World, the threat of communism has been replaced with the fear of an imminent terrorist threat – and, rather than offering a better world, governments now vow to protect us. In order to do so, of course, Iraq, Afghanistan, and possibly Iran, must be conquered/ liberated. Food for thought.
On a slight tangent – the Rwandan genocide is a clear example of the type of madness that can erupt as a result of fostering fear and distrust. This can be compounded by poverty and lack of education, but it’s too simplistic to discount what has happened in Rwanda or the Balkans as being far removed from our Western existence, something that can only impact the lives of the “other”. Slavena Drakulic wrote a fascinating book called “They Would Never Hurt a Fly: War Criminals on Trial in The Hague.” She writes from the point of perpetrators of violence, as opposed to their victims, in order to make the point that many led very normal lives, were good neighbours, went fishing with their sons, and were described as people who “would never hurt a fly”. It’s comforting for us to view seemingly inexplicable rampant violence as the actions of monsters, of people who are somehow inhuman... but it’s much more disconcerting if we see those responsible as human beings not so different from ourselves or our neighbours. Drakulic begs the question: “What would I do in their situation?” The answer is maybe not as clear-cut as we would like to think.
Comments
Why did Nazi Germany, and specifically Hermann Goering as evidenced in this quote, believe this? Gee – could it be partly because they KILLED every voice of dissent? Scientists, academics, doctors, musicians, artists, philosophers, writers – they were marked men. If they didn’t flee to the United States or other countries, many met untimely ends at the hands of men like Hermann Goering.
I almost can’t believe I’m giving the time of day to someone who perpetrated such atrocities against the world. What merit could there be in ANY of the words left behind by such a warped, grossly misguided – yes, even “evil” – individual? Why are we even reading what he had to say about the world? This man believed Jews were less than human. One of his first tasks in government was to squelch any possible opposition to Hitler – and he has the gall to say “voice or no voice”? I beg to differ.
In fact, I find it hard to stake worth in any of Herr Goering’s words, considering what I know about his worldview how warped an individual he was. If he was so far off base in so many other critical areas, why should I put any stock in anything he posits as universal political tactic or reality?
Hermann Goering was not only sick, he was evil. We are silly to care about what a sick, evil man had to say about the world. We have better things to do.
I heard a good quote this week: It is better to have a benevolent dictator than a chaotic democracy.
On a slight tangent – the Rwandan genocide is a clear example of the type of madness that can erupt as a result of fostering fear and distrust. This can be compounded by poverty and lack of education, but it’s too simplistic to discount what has happened in Rwanda or the Balkans as being far removed from our Western existence, something that can only impact the lives of the “other”. Slavena Drakulic wrote a fascinating book called “They Would Never Hurt a Fly: War Criminals on Trial in The Hague.” She writes from the point of perpetrators of violence, as opposed to their victims, in order to make the point that many led very normal lives, were good neighbours, went fishing with their sons, and were described as people who “would never hurt a fly”. It’s comforting for us to view seemingly inexplicable rampant violence as the actions of monsters, of people who are somehow inhuman... but it’s much more disconcerting if we see those responsible as human beings not so different from ourselves or our neighbours. Drakulic begs the question: “What would I do in their situation?” The answer is maybe not as clear-cut as we would like to think.