[johncoltrane]

Every human above the age of five who lives or has been educated in "the west" or "the north" knows at least the basics about concentration camps and the jewish genocide or what it's like to live under dictatorship. Every single one of us knows how horrible it was. None of us would want to be a victim or a witness or an actor of such a monstrosity.

But it happened again and it will happen again because there have been, there are and there will always be sociopathic leaders who don't give a fuck how many people they crush on their way to power. They know full well the hows and whys of previous genocides and wasteful wars, they know lots of people suffered but they also know that some people benefited — at least for a while — from all this misery.

They did/do/will seriously consider chasing down minorities, limiting free speech, blocking scientific research, declaring wars.

As long as they get some benefit.

As long as they aren't on the wrong side of the stick.

[lutorm]

Every human above the age of five who lives or has been educated in "the west" or "the north" knows at least the basics about concentration camps and the jewish genocide or what it's like to live under dictatorship. Every single one of us knows how horrible it was. None of us would want to be a victim or a witness or an actor of such a monstrosity.

I disagree. The resurgence of neo-Nazi movements and Holocaust denial suggests that your argument is incorrect.

[johncoltrane]

I have been a member of a very active french anti-fascist group called SCALP in the early 90s. I know too much about those neo-Nazis you talk about. They would be a good illustration of the second part of my comment regarding SOME people who don't care about the suffering they might be responsible of.

Most of these movements are built around a leader's father-like character and the removal of all responsibility from the shoulders of the small guys.

That's how you push a nation to slaughter its minorities. That's how all the small guys can manage their guilt.

All of the fascist skinheads and young royalists and whatnots I've fought against have had the exact same education as me. All of them knew about the holocaust, the armenian genocide and so on because - like me - they were exposed to the same books and classes and documentaries.

Watching hours of emaciated prisoners and dumped corpses is guaranteed to disturb anybody. Most people will react by rejecting the images and the causes: they will say this shit is horrible and, for the rest of their lives, will be able to connect the dots.

Some people, the sociopaths I was talking about, will react by thinking that all these horrors were deserved, that the perpretators were right, that the west betrayed them and so on. They won't be a lot but they will find each others. The coldest and the more charismatic among them will take the role of leader and you'll have a new group of neo-Nazis.

A shorter version of my argument would be "They are perfectly capable of connecting the dots. But what disgusts most of us is somehow seen by them as acceptable.". I don't think the resurgence of neo-Nazis invalidates my point.

Quite the contrary.

[nobody314159265]

"the jewish genocide"

But how many know about any other victims?

When church leaders in the US talk about removing homosexuals from the community, or councils in the UK evict gypsies - do they get the hint?

[johncoltrane]

Do you ask if those church leaders and councils (everywhere, not only in the UK) are able to link their decisions/ideas to past horrors? Of course they do. And they rationalize the hell out of it by talking convincingly about a greater good or whatever.

And by choosing helpless/"immoral" victims.

And it works. Obviously.