4 ms·
The point of using Mein Kampf is not that it's a great work. It's a terrible one, poorly written and full of platitudes and barely competent thinking. It's also
by GauntletWizard 5y ago
The point of using Mein Kampf is not that it's a great work. It's a terrible one, poorly written and full of platitudes and barely competent thinking. It's also an important one, being the "Magnum Opus" of Hitler. If you're going to teach the holocaust properly, you should let his own words speak against him. Anyone can write a crappy book. Anyone can get the wrong message from a crappy book. The import of Mein Kampf is that you are directly refuting Hitler and are unafraid of taking him on. If you're too afraid to talk directly to his "points", you are giving him power even in death, giving the power of mystique to his followers.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoI don't imagine my high school literature or history teachers easily challenging him. My class lecture's would have sounded like "and here Hitler said x, it's not true because of y and he was saying it to blame Jewish people for z problem." And the multiple choice quiz at the end of the week sounds like a complete mess. If it were trivial to counter it as a poorly written book, it never would have gained the influence it has. A well intentioned mediocre teacher could lead to people agreeing with the book, and I'd guess making Mein Kampf a mandatory study would also draw in a lot of teachers that aren't well intentioned.