The 11 million
Although more than six million Jewish people were victims of the Nazis, more than 5 million non-Jews were also victims. The yellow star was only one of the badges individual were forced to wear to identify them as “the other”; as those who could be killed, denied basic rights or otherwise legally mistreated by the officials of the Nazi state. It would be comforting to think that those who supported this theory of the master race (Blue-eyed, blond-haired people of supposedly Nordic Stock or Aryans) were an isolated few such as the under educated who could not find a job. Yet, many researchers have documented that health care professionals, including doctors and psychologists, social scientists such as anthropologist and many others were willing participants in this mass genocide. Robert Jay Lifton in his book, The Nazi Doctors, details the role of health care professionals and how they justified their role while holding fast to their professional code of ethics or, in the case of physicians, to their commitment to the Hippocratic Oath. Mentally retarded, the deaf, the blind, the physically disabled, the mentally ill, homosexuals, alcoholics, repeat offenders, those labeled as political enemies of the state and others were targets of elimination. Forced sterilization of the mentally retarded was one of the early steps in the process of this organized effort to create this delusional society composed only of Aryans. The Star of David was not the only insignia used to identify these enemies of the people. There were eight initial badges which could be altered or added to more specifically identify those who were the enemy of the state. For example, the pink triangle identified the homosexual but that could be alters if the person was also a repeat offended, an alcoholic, mentally defective or otherwise not fit for the master race.
Yesterday I attended a local production of The Diary of Anne Frank. During intermission, I was talking to a friend and colleague who has a master’s degree in the social sciences. He had not previously seen, read or watched the movie of this play. That was not as shocking as his statement that his statement about how difficult it was to imagine that something like this had gone on. He was thinking that the current wars, the millions of refugees fleeing and living in camps, all those fleeing violence and attempting to immigrate to the United States or other countries, the ongoing oppression and killing of homosexuals and many others in various countries, and the acute mistreatment of those attempting to immigrate to the United States is different than the Nazi era actions. I was again reminded of the now famous quote by Martin Niemoeller who, as a Lutheran pastor, spent seven years in a concentration camp from 1938 to 1945:
“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists and I didn’t speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jew and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionists. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.”
I understand that none of us want to deal with the possibility of us or our family being labels as a criminals or as undesirables by the community as large as represented by public officials. I understand that it is comforting to think of “those people” as different than I. Yet, we can all be labeled as the other in some way. The man to whom I was talking lives with a mental illness and is in recovery from active addiction to drugs. For many he is an undesirable. As a traditionally attractive, apparent Caucasian, he appears “normal” but many of the policies of this country and many other countries would deny him access to basic needs and rights. He is able to work and support himself today, but could easily be unable to do so tomorrow. This is true for all of us. As long as one person is vulnerable we are all vulnerable to be labeled and treated as “the other”.
Millions of people in the United States whose primary diagnoses is addiction are labeled as criminals and spend years in prison. This is equally true for many who have a mental illness. Even among those with the disease of addiction sexual addiction is often grounds for another level of oppression/mistreatment.
Every time we convince ourselves that we are exempt from mistreatment; every time we convince ourselves that we are not one of “the others” we become a co-conspirator in the oppression.
Delusion, as is true for addiction, does provide a moment of comfort. Yet, it is imperative that all of us come to terms with the fact that we are all members of the village of humans. Either we are all sacred or none of us are.
We must, as a community, instill in our young people that we have the power to claim our village – one person at a time – one immigrant at a time – one mentally ill personal as time – one addict at a time – one religious minority at a time.
Then as Donna Summers so proudly proclaims, “We will survive”.
Written September 24, 2018
Although more than six million Jewish people were victims of the Nazis, more than 5 million non-Jews were also victims. The yellow star was only one of the badges individual were forced to wear to identify them as “the other”; as those who could be killed, denied basic rights or otherwise legally mistreated by the officials of the Nazi state. It would be comforting to think that those who supported this theory of the master race (Blue-eyed, blond-haired people of supposedly Nordic Stock or Aryans) were an isolated few such as the under educated who could not find a job. Yet, many researchers have documented that health care professionals, including doctors and psychologists, social scientists such as anthropologist and many others were willing participants in this mass genocide. Robert Jay Lifton in his book, The Nazi Doctors, details the role of health care professionals and how they justified their role while holding fast to their professional code of ethics or, in the case of physicians, to their commitment to the Hippocratic Oath. Mentally retarded, the deaf, the blind, the physically disabled, the mentally ill, homosexuals, alcoholics, repeat offenders, those labeled as political enemies of the state and others were targets of elimination. Forced sterilization of the mentally retarded was one of the early steps in the process of this organized effort to create this delusional society composed only of Aryans. The Star of David was not the only insignia used to identify these enemies of the people. There were eight initial badges which could be altered or added to more specifically identify those who were the enemy of the state. For example, the pink triangle identified the homosexual but that could be alters if the person was also a repeat offended, an alcoholic, mentally defective or otherwise not fit for the master race.
Yesterday I attended a local production of The Diary of Anne Frank. During intermission, I was talking to a friend and colleague who has a master’s degree in the social sciences. He had not previously seen, read or watched the movie of this play. That was not as shocking as his statement that his statement about how difficult it was to imagine that something like this had gone on. He was thinking that the current wars, the millions of refugees fleeing and living in camps, all those fleeing violence and attempting to immigrate to the United States or other countries, the ongoing oppression and killing of homosexuals and many others in various countries, and the acute mistreatment of those attempting to immigrate to the United States is different than the Nazi era actions. I was again reminded of the now famous quote by Martin Niemoeller who, as a Lutheran pastor, spent seven years in a concentration camp from 1938 to 1945:
“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists and I didn’t speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jew and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionists. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.”
I understand that none of us want to deal with the possibility of us or our family being labels as a criminals or as undesirables by the community as large as represented by public officials. I understand that it is comforting to think of “those people” as different than I. Yet, we can all be labeled as the other in some way. The man to whom I was talking lives with a mental illness and is in recovery from active addiction to drugs. For many he is an undesirable. As a traditionally attractive, apparent Caucasian, he appears “normal” but many of the policies of this country and many other countries would deny him access to basic needs and rights. He is able to work and support himself today, but could easily be unable to do so tomorrow. This is true for all of us. As long as one person is vulnerable we are all vulnerable to be labeled and treated as “the other”.
Millions of people in the United States whose primary diagnoses is addiction are labeled as criminals and spend years in prison. This is equally true for many who have a mental illness. Even among those with the disease of addiction sexual addiction is often grounds for another level of oppression/mistreatment.
Every time we convince ourselves that we are exempt from mistreatment; every time we convince ourselves that we are not one of “the others” we become a co-conspirator in the oppression.
Delusion, as is true for addiction, does provide a moment of comfort. Yet, it is imperative that all of us come to terms with the fact that we are all members of the village of humans. Either we are all sacred or none of us are.
We must, as a community, instill in our young people that we have the power to claim our village – one person at a time – one immigrant at a time – one mentally ill personal as time – one addict at a time – one religious minority at a time.
Then as Donna Summers so proudly proclaims, “We will survive”.
Written September 24, 2018
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