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> 'Not a runaway hit' ... That quote is followed by explanations why being #1 on the non-fiction best seller list isn't meaningful. Maybe not. But sane, non-e

> 'Not a runaway hit' ... That quote is followed by explanations why being #1 on the non-fiction best seller list isn't meaningful. Maybe not. But sane, non-extremist humans seem to have an unending desire for normalcy so strong that they delude themselves every time. They will grasp at it no matter how clear the signs. When Adolf Hitler himself ran Germany, he was supported by organized violent gangs, brutally suppressed the opposition, promoted and executed a program of vicious hatred and religious discrimination, built up an army, conquered multiple neighbors, and was an obvious psychopath ... could he make the signs more clear for everyone? ... yet UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was widely supported when he said could negotiate with this monster and obtain "peace in our time" - he really said that. Churchill, who called for opposing Hitler and preparing for war, was a political outcast. Leading Americans supported and did business with Hitler; the U.S. Congress blocked the President from supporting Hitler's victims and foes; boatloads of refugees from Hitler's terror were sent away from U.S. shores, many to their deaths. So I'm not comforted at all by these claims that it's not a big deal. Either people will confront the fearful reality and stand up and fight the reborn monstrosities of racism, nationalism, and other prejudice, or those monstrosities will continue to advance unhindered. If you wait to act until the evil people to announce they are evil and tell you their secret plan, like in the movies, you'll find yourself passively, quietly herded to whatever end they have in mind for you.

mordant 10y ago
Hitler told the world his 'secret plan', in advance, with Mein Kampf. And, unlike most politicians, he did his level best to fulfill the promises he made before coming to power. So, it's hard to escape the conclusion that a substantial proportion of the German people understood and supported his program, no matter how evil he was and it was.
- hackuser 10y ago
  This isn't really true, unless that book from the 1920s spoke of some things generally. When the events were actually happening the late 1930s, multiple times Hitler said he was not interested in further conquests, promising normalcy and peace. Remember he signed a treaty with Chamberlain saying so, and also another with Molotov (which Hitler also violated). The Holocaust was hidden so effectively from the world that the Allied powers plausibly denied knowledge of it. Germans living in nearby towns denied knowledge of it. EDIT: Some edits to qualify statements that were too absolute
  - LyndsySimon 10y ago
    > The Holocaust was hidden so effectively from the world that the Allied powers plausibly denied knowledge of it. I don't believe this assertion. The Holocaust was reported in great detail by those fleeing Nazi rule, and the Allied powers absolutely knew what was happening. The general population knew as well, if they were paying attention: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11370972/Holocaust-Memorial-Day-Telegraph-revealed-Nazi-gas-chambers-three-years-before-liberation-of-Auschwitz.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11370972/Ho... > Germans living in nearby towns denied knowledge of it. While it's true that they denied knowing of the existence of extermination camps, it's an idea that has been widely rejected. See for yourself - here's a video of German residents of Weimar being forced to tour Buchenwald after liberation. Do these people looked surprised and mortified to you? https://www.ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_num=1923 https://www.ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_nu...
    - hackuser 10y ago
      Yes, I agree. To be clear, I chose my words carefully: * plausibly denied knowledge on the part of the Allied powers (i.e., their leaders) * denied knowledge on the part of the nearby Germans I agree with you that in truth, both parties likely knew. But today many/most believe that the Allied leaders did not know, and thus the denial is factually 'plausible'. But my point remains: Hitler did not announce the Holocaust to the world, but hid it. Which supports my point that if you wait for the evil-doers to step forward, don a red cape, and announce their evil plans and actions, you will be waiting forever and meanwhile they will manipulate you like a herd of sheep.
    - lispm 10y ago
      The large extermination camps were not in Germany, they were outside of Germany, built by Germans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extermination_camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extermination_camp There were no nearby German towns. Knowledge about them was not that widespread, many jews were brought there not knowing what to expect. Buchenwald was not an 'extermination camp' like Auschwitz-Birkenau. There were many concentration camps in Germany with many people being killed there. Many people knew about the Holocaust and what happened. But the biggest industrialised killing happened outside Germany in these extermination camps (over 3 million victims), and that knowledge was much less widespread. Some of those extermination camps were closed and deconstructed before the end of the war, for example Treblinka and Belzec.

mordant 10y ago

Hitler told the world his 'secret plan', in advance, with Mein Kampf. And, unlike most politicians, he did his level best to fulfill the promises he made before coming to power. So, it's hard to escape the conclusion that a substantial proportion of the German people understood and supported his program, no matter how evil he was and it was.

hackuser 10y ago
This isn't really true, unless that book from the 1920s spoke of some things generally. When the events were actually happening the late 1930s, multiple times Hitler said he was not interested in further conquests, promising normalcy and peace. Remember he signed a treaty with Chamberlain saying so, and also another with Molotov (which Hitler also violated). The Holocaust was hidden so effectively from the world that the Allied powers plausibly denied knowledge of it. Germans living in nearby towns denied knowledge of it. EDIT: Some edits to qualify statements that were too absolute
- LyndsySimon 10y ago
  > The Holocaust was hidden so effectively from the world that the Allied powers plausibly denied knowledge of it. I don't believe this assertion. The Holocaust was reported in great detail by those fleeing Nazi rule, and the Allied powers absolutely knew what was happening. The general population knew as well, if they were paying attention: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11370972/Holocaust-Memorial-Day-Telegraph-revealed-Nazi-gas-chambers-three-years-before-liberation-of-Auschwitz.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11370972/Ho... > Germans living in nearby towns denied knowledge of it. While it's true that they denied knowing of the existence of extermination camps, it's an idea that has been widely rejected. See for yourself - here's a video of German residents of Weimar being forced to tour Buchenwald after liberation. Do these people looked surprised and mortified to you? https://www.ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_num=1923 https://www.ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_nu...
  - hackuser 10y ago
    Yes, I agree. To be clear, I chose my words carefully: * plausibly denied knowledge on the part of the Allied powers (i.e., their leaders) * denied knowledge on the part of the nearby Germans I agree with you that in truth, both parties likely knew. But today many/most believe that the Allied leaders did not know, and thus the denial is factually 'plausible'. But my point remains: Hitler did not announce the Holocaust to the world, but hid it. Which supports my point that if you wait for the evil-doers to step forward, don a red cape, and announce their evil plans and actions, you will be waiting forever and meanwhile they will manipulate you like a herd of sheep.
  - lispm 10y ago
    The large extermination camps were not in Germany, they were outside of Germany, built by Germans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extermination_camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extermination_camp There were no nearby German towns. Knowledge about them was not that widespread, many jews were brought there not knowing what to expect. Buchenwald was not an 'extermination camp' like Auschwitz-Birkenau. There were many concentration camps in Germany with many people being killed there. Many people knew about the Holocaust and what happened. But the biggest industrialised killing happened outside Germany in these extermination camps (over 3 million victims), and that knowledge was much less widespread. Some of those extermination camps were closed and deconstructed before the end of the war, for example Treblinka and Belzec.