A very thought provoking column, Graham. I have never been to Germany, nor have I ever desired to visit there. [I am sorry that I will die never have seen some places I would have liked to see, like Alaska, Athens, and the pyramids in Giza]
But my thoughts on the Jews are slightly different. Authoritarians have to have people to hate, it is absolutely essential. Authoritarianism has no appeal to the 'masses' without it. [How could you tell people I want to be your dictator, you will have no freedom to live or think as you choose, you will work and live in abject poverty, live or die at my whim, and only my cronies will be wealthy and have a life of ease - and even that can change at my whim.]
But, you can't expect people to hate themselves, so you need to select a minority. In United States we have become a Nation of Minorities so we have an abundance to choose from.
The Jewish people as a whole fit the bill. They are a minority religion. They are a distinctive group, As a small minority group they are very successful. They have several brilliant scientists (Einstein, the Oppenheimer brothers) musicians (Bernstein, Berlin, Gershwin) business people (Rothschild's) For such a relatively small group they've achieved amazing success - that makes them easy to envy and thus hate.
In America of course, we also have people of varying shades of brown - from almost pasty white to very dark brown and all shades in between. We also have enormous varieties of religious beliefs so we have a superfluity of people to hate,
Now, with Netanahu (a truly rotten human being who happens to be Jewish) he is giving those wannabe authoritarians in Europe an 'excuse' to once again hate Jews. And it is funny but authoritarians can always find flocks of sheep to bleat for them.
In short, so long as we have wannabe authoritarians the real motto will be never say never, much to the detriment of Homo sapiens who are much better off with never again.
A very thought provoking column, Graham. I have never been to Germany, nor have I ever desired to visit there. [I am sorry that I will die never have seen some places I would have liked to see, like Alaska, Athens, and the pyramids in Giza]
But my thoughts on the Jews are slightly different. Authoritarians have to have people to hate, it is absolutely essential. Authoritarianism has no appeal to the 'masses' without it. [How could you tell people I want to be your dictator, you will have no freedom to live or think as you choose, you will work and live in abject poverty, live or die at my whim, and only my cronies will be wealthy and have a life of ease - and even that can change at my whim.]
But, you can't expect people to hate themselves, so you need to select a minority. In United States we have become a Nation of Minorities so we have an abundance to choose from.
The Jewish people as a whole fit the bill. They are a minority religion. They are a distinctive group, As a small minority group they are very successful. They have several brilliant scientists (Einstein, the Oppenheimer brothers) musicians (Bernstein, Berlin, Gershwin) business people (Rothschild's) For such a relatively small group they've achieved amazing success - that makes them easy to envy and thus hate.
In America of course, we also have people of varying shades of brown - from almost pasty white to very dark brown and all shades in between. We also have enormous varieties of religious beliefs so we have a superfluity of people to hate,
Now, with Netanahu (a truly rotten human being who happens to be Jewish) he is giving those wannabe authoritarians in Europe an 'excuse' to once again hate Jews. And it is funny but authoritarians can always find flocks of sheep to bleat for them.
In short, so long as we have wannabe authoritarians the real motto will be never say never, much to the detriment of Homo sapiens who are much better off with never again.