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Wise Old Woman in the Woods's avatar

The use of Nazism for anyone who disagrees with those on the Left is repugnant. It is a lazy attack bereft of an understanding of Nazism. That said, the bizarre alt-right denial of the Reich is disturbing as well. The historian who went on Tucker's show claiming Hitler didn't have designs on expansion, but was forced to do so by the Allies, is shockingly ignorant. Fascism, like Marxism, is a derivative of Hegel. By its very nature, expansion and war are the goal. The series Man in the High Castle does a great job encapsulating this concept, with characters explaining that a planned war will bring about utopia. Such history reveals itself in unexpected places if one pays attention. A documentary on Russian ballet in the late 1800s references how Russia and France were briefly allies because of the threat posed by Germany with its military ambitions. The real problem is that no one says "Maoist" as a slur. The numbers killed by Marxist ideology dwarf those of Nazism. Unfortunately, intellectuals have ensured the young are kept ignorant of this truth.

Stefan Grossman's avatar

Well said! There aren’t many mainstream movies with Communists as the bad guys, either Russian or Chinese. (Any beyond “The Killing Fields”?)

Wise Old Woman in the Woods's avatar

Being crass, I used to ask is it the uniforms?

Stefan Grossman's avatar

Sadly, you’ve fallen for the “only Jews were killed by the Nazis” propaganda. Approximately 12 million civilians were killed, roughly half of them non-Jews.

Does this matter? Yes indeed; historical accuracy is important.

Greg Jaeger's avatar

Stefan - I did note 'Jews and others' without going into detail. We know that Hitler went after Gypsies and homosexuals as well as any person that he felt inferior to his ideal, but the Jews were the primary target of the Holocaust. In addition, I specify 'the Holocaust' and not casualties of the war. European theater casualties can all be laid at Hitler's feet, but I do see a distinction between those deliberately targeted for genocide and those killed during Hitler's war.

Stefan Grossman's avatar

Thank you for the response; my apologies for missing "and others." However, your wrap-up (Point 8) cites "over 6 million erased," which virtually everyone understands refers to Jews. Perhaps "over 12 million" would have been better (and more accurate)?

Greg Jaeger's avatar

Appreciate the thoughtful comments. My perspective on the above is based on Colbert's comments and my interpretation of that. To my ears, the Nazi label as used by folks like Colbert is driven by the engineered genocide, rather than the total outcomes of the war. Nazis killed political opponents, prisoners of war, and civilians in combatant countries, but when I hear the idiot left make comparisons between ICE and Nazi's I assume they are comparing to the Nazi genocide specifically and not the entirety of Hitler's actions. Getting the left more education on WWII and the atrocities committed in both the European and Pacific theaters is well beyond the scope of my short article, although a very worthwhile endeavor!

Harold Masters's avatar

Don't worry, it was just locker room talk. Rightwingers love locker room talk.