Looking through an expert's prism on US. - Germany parallels

Hugh Trevor-Roper

Carol Forsloff - Trevor Roper, the British historian of Adolph Hitler, spoke at the University of Washington of parallels between Germany and the United States and the risks from their histories that mirror news today.

It was a different time, when Roper spoke.  It was early 1965.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been passed.  John F. Kennedy's death, howeverfresh, had been absorbed, the grief had passed, the country had moved on.  It was a time of optimism mostly, with a belief in the power to change and with a relatively new President Johnson promising to eradicate poverty and racism along with it.  Women gained new opportunities. American looked ahead.  The War in Vietnam was debated, but the country believed it would be over in time and folks would carry on.

These days the conflicts in the press reveal great political divisions,
issues so greatly espoused that it is debated by experts whether people
will even read or listen to another view.

It is a time when the President of the United States Barack Obama has been compared to Hitler; some associate Hitler with the last President of the United States,George Bush,  by those whose agendas are different and who may or may not understand the specifics of German and American history as Roper knew so well.

And the fear for the future, if all things happened in the right way, according to Roper, was from the right, with the values that reflect where that place is on today's spectrum of political and social concerrns.

Roper was considered the foremost authority on the life of Adolph
Hitler at the time he spoke at the University of Washington, as he had tracked the rise and fall of the dictator in the context of Germany and the history of the world.  He knew beyond the superficial the risks that had occurred in Germany and what America could face without its people using reason and commitment to rise above the foolish and the vain.  He was an admirer of the works of Locke and Rousseau.

In the context of his work,Roper is considered to be by his  peers to be right of center on his political views,significantly anti-Communist at the time of his flowering as a historian, and someone who brought to bear a broad spectrum from the social sciences to support his views.  He was not without controversy
either, having at one time authenticated the Hitler diaries and then withdrew his support.  But his knowledge of Hitler's last days has been accepted by others as substantial enough for realistic discussion, as he is considered an authoritative source of that period.

At the time of Roper's presentation at the University of Washington,  a
reporter was yet somewhat a girl, naively, blithely believing in the best.  As years have passed the reporter has turned gray, the words, the message fresh as it was heard.

Roper said this, as I paraphrased it in notes at the time, as he made the parallels about the United States and Germany and whether America could experience the trauma of Germany and the dissolution of its democratic ways.

"Germany and the United States were both expanded through violence,
through the submission of minorities to the will of the richer and more
powerful groups, " Roper said, outlining his first comparison.  "Both
worship the gun and uniforms.  Both have had a history of admiration and
glorification of war and the military.  Both are democratic countries,
with highly literate populations and Christian majorities.  Both believe
they are superior to others."

What might happen that could catapult the United States into a cauldron
where untruths could surface, where idle stories would become
pronounced, where liberty would become license and lies transformed to
false realities while people marched along?  Roper was asked by that
young journalist, who stood and trembled with the question from the
floor.

This is what Roper said, in words that journalist remembers, on pieces of paper scratched and soiled and barely readable now.

"It would take a time of great strife, an economic devastation not
unlike Germany had before World War II,"  Roper explained.   His words
are paraphrased as these:   "From that problem people could become
chaotic and fix on leaders, empty promises and lose trust.  They would
respond to slogans, paranoia, parades that could grow to mobs."


Roper's warning recalled from those decades when America held such
promise for its young, is brought forward as context for the news today.  ISIS is the terror of the moment, as the Republicans have now gained control of both houses of Congress as well as dominance of the Supreme Court.  

The election of 2016 will determine whether all the elements of Roper's conditions are met and if indeed the United States could face a right-wing thrust that would make it the inheritor of the type of mantle it once fought valiantly against.

Apathy is a reflection of the times and the trouble we're in

[caption id="attachment_16648" align="alignleft" width="322"] Virginia Woolf - renowned author with severe depression[/caption]

Carol Forsloff — The world's environment is said to be in great trouble in most of the world. The Catholic Church is torn asunder by allegations, and evidence, of sexual abuse. Great leaders fall from grace, while others, like North Korea, rattle the nuclear saber in terrifying ways. And the rest of us? We give our views in gatherings large and small, at cocktail parties and Internet groups. So what stands in the way of our personal progress and group advancement? Apathy, the killer of ourselves and others.

It has long been written about that during the time of the Nazi regime, Hitler was able to take over Germany primarily because people thought what Hitler said sounded good, sounded true, and besides, given the economic instability, it was easy to shift the blame for that instability onto the weakest members of the community: the disabled, the old, the ignorant, the Jew. And it had a multiplier effect so that millions of people were killed and still many more millions emotionally and physically disabled the rest of their lives.

While the example of Germany is often used for illustration, it is indeed true that the extreme nature of the apathetic response became so pronounced that history will always turn to it as a dramatic example of how inhumane people can be when they wish to dominate or deny a problem.

Few people, however, when thinking about Nazism know about the White Rose Society, the group of students and professors who defied the Nazi agenda. Many were martyred and knew they were sacrificing their lives when they took action against the Nazis through leaflets, speeches and other defiant behavior they knew would get them arrested, tortured, and often killed. Yet they did what they believed was right, not just speaking out but willing to take great risks in order to stop an evil. And what if their behavior was multiplied by many? How easy would it have been then for Hitler to continue his march of mayhem? Likely it would have been far more difficult, but for the apathy, which was widespread and formed the excuse for "not knowing" that became many of the statements individuals gave when faced with their lack of action against an evil.

That is the lesson. Apathy is an obstacle we often face in our daily lives, and how to overcome that apathy is a continuous challenge.  I often do not openly use myself as an example, but a personal one affords an opportunity to illustrate it and reflect on how destructive it can be and how it can impede positive performance in ways that can cause great risks for others.

We live in a community of condominium owners. Two experts have agreed that the complex needs immediate repairs, including new siding because of dry rot, which is expensive and a process that could uncover many more problems. Most of the outside decks on the upper floors have been shown to have sufficient moisture damage to require supports and repairs. Ours is said to be the worse. The problem has continued for six months with no agreement on proceeding to make the urgent repairs. The people who live below us are renters and have not been told of the risks to their personal safety by just going in and out of their doorway, the only entry and exit into their apartment. We don't own the decks, as we are consistently reminded, and thus legally restricted from making the repairs.  The landlord of the tenants just below us has not advised the tenants of the risks because he fears losing income he needs from their rents. We have neither their phone numbers or names to provide the information ourselves, and the only way to reach them is by going through a dangerous doorway.

We are not apathetic about the problems, but many are, still knowing the problems in the community. One person has managed to interrupt the repairs through lawsuits, disagreements, petitions and private meetings; but at public meetings where the major concerns are to be addressed, most people either don't attend or refuse to speak or be active in any way to allow the repairs to take place.

In 2009 we were accidentally locked out of condo when we had a light fixture put over our doorway, having moved into our place during the dead of winter. We stood outside the door to admire the new light, not thinking when we closed the door behind us that it was locked from the inside. There we were in 39 degree weather, two elderly people shivering and knowing no one in the complex. So we knocked on the doors of eight places in our immediate area, all of which had lights on and people inside. Some people never even looked out their windows near the doors where we were knocking. A few looked at us, drew the curtains, and did not go to the doors.

No money, no keys for our car, and no way to get inside, my husband and I decided we would have to walk the quarter mile to a convenience store to ask to use a phone, when a young man happened to be walking in the main area of the complex; and we ran and asked if he might help. Even though he too is an owner in the complex himself, he took us to the home of someone else, who happened to be home, who brought us a portable phone down the stairway, declaring we should only stay a few minutes please. We stayed just long enough to call a locksmith.

Is this a rare occurrence? It turns out not to be, although one might be surprised to learn of the particulars. Still it is commonplace for people to be stranded, for a brief time or for years, because of apathy. That apathy is translated into fear and a lack of willingness to be involved in anything outside the comfort zone.

Apathy can be evidence of depression on a personal level, on a group-wide way it can also reflect that feeling of being overwhelmed, so much that many people feel almost paralyzed by their emotions. So in not knowing what to do, they do nothing. And by doing nothing, the problem worsens.

Knowing when we are apathetic, and looking for ways to get past it, however can serve us well. It is often the knowing that makes the difference and the denial that keeps us entrenched.

So the next time you are faced with a problem that can impact many other people, think beyond yourself to the multiplication of that apathy that can eventually hurt you as well, either in the short or long term and get involved so that your problem does not become greater and you don't need to excuse your lack of inaction by the "I didn't know" excuse. In other words, take personal action as the life and health you save starts with you.

The term 'racist' no longer holds as much impact

The world of politics cannot function without one major rule recorded by the late Saul Alinsky.

 "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.

This previously unwritten rule was and is used frequently by both sides of the political isle. Politicians and blowhards have often used emotionally charged words to lob at opponents as paper bullets of the brain. The words usually fit in with immediate culture and the latest news.  One insult often used by the left and the right in tandem is to compare a person to Hitler or the Nazis. The comparison used to carry weight. It was a dreaded idea that one would do to his or her country what  Hitler and the Nazi’s promoted such as genocide and eugenics. The insult has been used so often that it has become a very recognizable as an ad hominem that is not taken seriously.

The lack of shame in America is an example of using a strategic attitude or word to the point that its potency is diluted. Public shame, or ‘the shame finger’ was a strategy that drew attention to the immoral actions of an individual. The left and the right have used this tactic ad nauseam with the result that people now have little shame. Their heart strings have been plucked to the breaking point and caring comes only after a huge emotional investment. The shame finger has backfired causing a fight reaction instead of a flight reaction.  Whether it is a Christian, a Pagan, a promiscuous girl, or a member of the LGBT community, they all have responded to the label of shame by standing up and declaring loudly that they will be accepted and if not then tough.  Shame is a universal trigger word that has been cheapened. While shame is a universal trigger each party also has its own unique phrase to hurl at a political opponent

In recent years since President Obama has taken office the old insults of the Red Scare era have come to the forefront in conservative circles. Most debates, arguments, and campaign attack ads have either insinuated or outright referred to a liberal opponent as a communist or a socialist. The word invokes caution and suspicion towards big government and a Brave New World type of outcome.  Typically liberals and Democrats attempted to thwart this label by ridiculing the term because if the label of socialist stuck it could mean losing independent voters. The ridicule of those using the phrases of socialist or communist and the frequency in which those words are used have diminished the effect and numbed the public to the ideas.

Liberals are not innocent of using an idea, term, or insult to death.  However the term they picked to bastardize and cheapen is far more serious, it is the term racist. Now it is accepted that there are racists just like there are socialists and communists, but the truth behind the statement no longer holds the impact it once held. Being labeled a racist or a bigot, until recently, was not only a high insult it could ruin your life. In some ways it still can, but because of the misapplication more people have been counteracting the accusation. Again, people have chosen fight as opposed to flight and in doing so further misused the term racist.

During the Obama campaign pretty much anyone who did not support him was labeled a racist. This accusation took many people, who legitimately opposed his ideas, off guard. People asked how they could be called a racist for not agreeing with his stances.  The answer is simple, the conservative agenda has been labeled racist. If a conservative calls for less government involvement the liberal stance is to accuse the person of being racist and mislabel the small government stance as an anti-minority stance. Big government means laws and programs that help the poor and minorities. Conservatives began to fight back by labeling big government programs as racist because conservatives claim these programs are designed to keep people poor and voting for the liberal supported party. They liken welfare and social programs as tools of the ‘Democrat Plantation,’ alluding to these programs as modern tools for enslavement and subjugation. Conservatives and whites began to cry racism against programs that were designed to teach tolerance, granted some of those programs did cross a line but many were appropriate. Finally, Obama was called a racist for attending a black liberation theology church and for many of the ideas he expressed or agreed with in his books.

Now the claims of racism against a person are holding very little weight when perhaps there are legitimate concerns.  Just like the little boy who cried wolf, our society has cried racist so many times that we can no longer trust the word. Even though more people have become numb to the accusation it seems it has been brought up again in the Presidential race and a legitimate concern about a candidate may be swept under the rug because the media has gone overboard.

Ron Paul was the publisher of a newsletter in the late 80’s and early 90’s. These newsletters at times held articles that were racist and bigoted. Paul has disavowed the newsletters claiming he did not read them and that he was a poor publisher for not reading them. His money was behind the newsletters and enabled racists statements to be published unfettered. Every year that Paul runs for political office these newsletters and the support of various extremist groups are brought forth as a brand new discovery and that he is not fit to run for being a racist. Are these claims legitimate? That would be up to the reader to research and decide.

The claim of racism against Ron Paul seem legitimated to Jonathan Capehart  a writer at the Washington Post who recently published an article about the inherent racism of the Republican party.  His accusations piled one on top of the other with some being legitimate and others being ridiculous. The worst statement he made was to accuse voters in the Iowa caucus of inherent racism. During his rant he claimed the Republican party must admit to how racist it is because Ron Paul has a chance at winning the Iowa caucus the admission will not come anytime soon.

Sooner or later, a major candidate for the Republican nomination will have to give the equivalent of President Obama’s speech on race during the 2008 campaign. A frank assessment of the issue that discusses the party’s role in exacerbating tensions and sowing division, the state of race relations from his or her perspective and how they see their role in making this a more perfect union. That Ron Paul rides high in Iowa demonstrates how far off that day is. -Jonathan Capehart 

If one reads between the lines he is saying that the voters in Iowa are racist and voted for Paul because of his racist newsletters.

The accusation of racism towards these voters is one more example of the tactical usage of racism. People who may not know about the newsletters, or are not sure what to believe, but do agree with the minimalist federal government stance with more powerful state governments, want to vote for Ron Paul. Mr. Capehart has turned their consideration of the platforms of many Republican candidates into a simple mindless action of a group of troglodytes who have not moved forward into enlightenment.

There was a time a racist was a person who denied a minority a job and made them ride at the back of the bus. Racists made people drink from separate water fountains based on skin color and condemned mixed unions for being unclean. Racists made minorities enter from the back of buildings and dine in separate dining areas. Racists killed black men for looking at a white woman.  Those are examples of racist actions.

Jonathan Capehart and many other people have slapped American society in the face by not acknowledging how far we have come. They call people racist who have been raised better and who have never had a racist thought. They will not let some matters drop and insist black and white children be introduced to victimizing and blaming one another. They have changed the word racist so now it is only a menial insult and so it has little meaning. The word ‘racist’ is now akin to the words ‘Hitler’ and ‘Nazi.’ From now on when a person says racist they will lose the argument just like they would if they said Hitler or Nazi. It is a sad day when a word that helped shine the light on the pain and suffering endured by many people becomes nothing more than a logical fallacy.

People have listened to Saul Alinsky with how to polarize a target, but perhaps they have forgotten another rule that is just as important.

“A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”

American extremism: Nothing to fear but fear itself.

[caption id="attachment_7607" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Roosevelt speaking to Congress in 1941"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - The letter came from a friend.  It is the kind that is forwarded again and again over the Internet, identifying Barack Obama as the anti­-Christ who is trying to take over the country with Islamic beliefs with his Chicago goon squad, but the highlight is on his so-called Muslim background from someone identified as a former classmate, revealing another example of extremism that creates an atmosphere for violence from fear.

It is that fear we should fear the most, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared in his inaugural address.

The letter has been making the rounds for certain, for more than a year.  Therefore it has likely been read by many people.  Email news is often what fuels debate and where “facts” are presented at small and large gatherings as evidence.  But they are often of the same ilk, basing information on emotionally-laden words designed to create fear and hatred in the reader.

Wayne Allyn Root is the author of a letter dated June 6th, 2010

Barack Hussien Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. who writes this:

To the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing.

He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure,
economic crisis and social chaos -- thereby destroying capitalism and
our country from within.

Then Root goes on to explain that his information  comes from the fact he was Obama’s classmate in college, not a roommate or close friend, but someone who happened to be in Obama’s college and that Obama is Muslim and working with extremists to bring the country to ruin.

The rest of the letter merits no recitation, because it is of the type that makes the rounds and rounds these days.  It isn’t written with logic nor read with it as well, as the motive becomes apparent as the drivel continues on.  The letter itself is deemed authentic by Snopes.com, which encourages the reader’s belief in the contents itself.

But how many of us would be able to define a fellow classmate in a large University class unless that person had been a close friend or a well-known individual in the school with whom the person becomes acquainted over time?  Most of us could not.    Yet there is no mention in the letter of any special relationship that would give Mr. Root any information that would be more authentic than what one might read in a right-wing brochure or an Internet piece sometime.

These letters are passed along from one to another, some simply asking rhetorically what the reader might think.  This means the audience grows until more and more people wonder if the accusations are true.  For enough smoke that is sent up the chimney, some people believe is a fire.  And those motivated to write and send on these letters recognize that even those who disagree with the contents will have some small reservation, just because of that scent of smoke.

This is called propaganda, which differs from education in that its intent is to persuade using tactics of manipulation for negative purposes and power. It’s the kind of propaganda that leads to ruin not enlightenment and mirrors the history of earlier times.

In the 20^th century one great leader who knew the value of propaganda said this: "Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea.”

There were several audiences for this propaganda.  There were those who feared foreign immigration and believed they would dominate the culture.  There were those who feared domination by those of different beliefs.  And there were still others who believed that economic chaos had been visited on the country specifically to create schisms so that a takeover by these foreign folks could occur with sureness and speed.

The propaganda machine and the quote came from a man who knew the value of twisted facts and emotionally-laden words.  It is that propaganda provided in the way defined by his words that continues to be mimicked by those folks who have learned that same lesson and practiced it years later in places like Norway by an extremist whose manufactured beliefs led to violence.  It plays out In email exchanges from person to person and blogs like that of Pamela Gellar, whose writings are dedicated to creating fear of Islam.

It is that fear, that propaganda,  that presents us with danger.  It is the reason to stop the email forwards and the tactics used to undermine government, create suspicion and distrust and gets in the way of reasoned exchange.  It is the reason the letter from “Obama’s classmate” is an insult to democracy too and those folks who read and know history and when its worst parts don't need repetition.