Re: Is white racism nec. all bad?
Lane Singer (lsd@ix.netcom.com)
29 Apr 1995 17:26:57 GMT
In <3ns930$i4h@agate.berkeley.edu> porco@pathos.Berkeley.EDU (Travis C. Porco) writes:
>>>: >Hitler is the world's most famous despot because the Jews were very
>>>: >successful in their goal to demonize him
>
>This is a pretty long attribution tree you posted, Lane; I can't find the
>original article to make sure who actually wrote this sentence.
You are certainly energetic. The original poster asked why I thought
the sentence was antisemitic, and did not include it in her request.
The original post had expired on my news server, but the one we have
at work is eons behind the modern world, so I was able to cull a
response to the original which contained the sentence in question.
I have no real argument with your statements below, since you do
acknowledge that the word "demonize" implies unjust misrepresentation.
The actual interpretation of the word "demonize" is: to convert
into a demon. The Jews have not made Hitler a demon; if he is a
demon, it's something he accomplished entirely on his own.
I will simply state my position on this:
The Jews did not demonize Hitler. Hitler demonized the Jews.
Hitler condemned himself to perpetual disgrace by his crimes against
humanity. It shouldn't be necessary for Jews or anyone else to remind
people of these crimes.
I think I will know till the day I die that Stalin murdered millions
of innocents, and that he destroyed the lives of millions more.
Nobody needs to remind me of this fact. If someone on this net were
to praise Stalin, and call him the victim of his victims, as is done
with Hitler, I would be quick to respond.
--
Lane Singer
-------------------------------
>If fact, the sentence you quote is true, because:
> (1) Hitler was a despot.
> (2) Hitler may well be the world's most famous despot.
> (3) Since Auschwitz was a hell on earth, its ultimate master probably
> should be demonized.
> (4) Because Hitler tried to kill all the Jews, the Jews have made sure
> that his barbarism is not forgotten.
>
>As far as I can tell, the above four sentences are either true, probably
>true, or reasonable.
>The word "demonize" often has a disapproving connotation, as if the
>criticism were unjust. Perhaps this is the reason you suspect that the
>sentence you quoted suggests that its author hated the Jews, though of
>course the author may not.
>
>Efforts to demonize Hitler are quite reasonable, as are efforts to demonize
>other great butchers. Naturally Jews will be more concerned with Hitler,
>but almost all generalize from the experience and oppose all prejudice.
>It is thanks to these efforts that the German events are not forgotten in
>the way that the shocking annihilation of Armenians in Turkey seems to have
>been, or in the way that the millions of death groans in Stalin's Kolyma
>camps in Siberia seem to have been.
>
>Of course, it is an error to assume that any nationalism, patriotism, or
>awareness of race is Nazi or "leads to" Naziism, just as not all concern
>with working conditions makes one a Communist.
>
>--Travis
>(not speaking on behalf of UCBerkeley)
>
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