I am reading 'Remember This', the play written about Jan Karski, written by Clark Young and Derek Goldman. A short biography of Karski (written by Madeline Albright) precedes the play to provide an overview of his life. It attempts to set the Nazi horrors of Europe into a complex setting of the bigger world.
This was written: ."...I canot conclude this without reminding readers that the enablers of evil are not confined to one side of the Atlantic. In the period just before World War II, there was a multidimensional pro-fascist network within the United States, spurred on by German agents. fueled by demogogic media personalities, enamored of the slogan 'America First' and built on a foundation of antisemitism. racism, isolationism, and fear. This was no trivial movement. It had prominient allies in the private sector, on the newspaper editorial boards, in Congress, and in the military sector. It also had a strong popular base, appealing to citizens eager to cast blame on those they held responsible for the Great Depression, especially bankers and East Coast politicians and financiars. The movement trafficked widely in conspiracy theories. most particularly in the belief that Jews were plotting to dominate the globe and that Franklin Roosevelt was himself a Jew. The fascist sympathizers held huge public rallies and even started their own schools. "
Tim and I sat in a waiting room and I quietly read the words to him. We looked at each other.
This is history. It is now considered controversial. There are those who don't think it should be taught in school. Books on the subject are being removed from school libraries. There are those that will be reading this post and they will be disgusted. Sadly, what will disgust them is me.
I say: These people were wrong 90 years ago. They are no less wrong today.
Remember this.
We don't like to think that thee were many supporters of Nazism in North America.
ReplyDeleteWe also don't like to think that there ARE so many supporters of Nazism in North America.
DeleteYes, this is true. They are a minority, thankfully, I hope. I read a book about the KKK in Canada.
DeleteThis we have heard little about in Britain - McCarthyism yes, but the pro-fascism movement, no.
ReplyDeletetRUMP thought president for life was a great idea. He also thought the press should be imprisoned. His talk was, and still is, reckless bullshit.
DeleteSome things just don't seem to go away.
ReplyDeleteYeah....
DeleteI am truly glad I don't have a lot more time to live in this world. It has come to a point where if people don't want to believe what's happening right in front of them, they call it fake news and go on their happy way. I see no solutions. Beam me up, Scotty.
ReplyDeleteI worry for my grandchildren, Donna.
DeleteSame here
DeleteMy aunt was reading an interesting history about the same subject matter not so long ago. I must find out what it was.
ReplyDeletePass it along, Jeanie.
DeletePBS showed the Karski play / documentary again this past week. Check your listings, starts with "Remember...." I saw a PBS today about Dr. Tony Fauci. His explanation how he uses science for decisions and not current politics is interesting. At a recent point in his life, he realized that the country and world had evil factions lurking around the corner, but they've become more outward, and so divisive as to promote hate so outwardly just to the messenger, that he's not sure that will ever diminish again. (He's had 24/7 security and threats to himself, wife and children.) Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteThat poor man. I've never seen science so soundly rejected.
DeleteThank you so much for posting this. It needs to be said again and again. Our state is down that slippery slope of denial of all things true. Phillis
ReplyDeleteTake heart, Phillis.
DeleteI do not believe that at our most central core, humans are evolving into better people. We seem to have traits and characteristics that repeat and repeat and repeat.
ReplyDeleteThere are always shit people out there, but there are also, ALWAYS, the people who oppose them.
DeleteOswald Mosley was a Fascist in England in the thirties.
ReplyDeleteI live in a country where Antifa (Antifascists) are considered to be dangerous. It's a misinformation campaign, and people are really eager to gobble up misinformation, it seems. https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/who-are-antifa?gclid=CjwKCAjwzuqgBhAcEiwAdj5dRsC4cQkUeDdgxMjliF_A4JTEB_UK0wK8i26EQbLyUl7hKqaIq60PkBoCMy4QAvD_BwE
DeleteMakes me want to scream. I don't know if the hateful followers really believe in the lies they spread or if they are being duped.
ReplyDeleteIt seems so obvious to me that Trump and DeSantis, etal. are just using the same old hate to try to win power. I don't know why anyone believes in them.
It is obvious to almost everyone Ellen. It's just that the hateful people are louder at this point.
DeleteI've read a lot of history over the years and despite all our warnings that it will never happen again, I find that many of the same mistakes we made in the past our repeated over and over, just presented in different ways. I've come to conclude it is just human nature.
ReplyDeleteI believe that sort of thinking allows you to remain silent.
DeleteOh I don't stay silent. But I don't expect that pointing out the problems will prevent it from happening again in the future. My solution has been to try and find middle ground solutions that are more likely to stick for the long term because everyone gets something and concedes something than the polar yin and yang stuff going on now.
DeleteMy Episcopal church had anti-semitic graffiti spray painted on it over the weekend. And, oddly enough, there probably isn't a handful of Jews in our entire county (none observant).
ReplyDeleteYou know, Kelly, I think that the smaller the population is, the easier it is to target it. I live in a very homogenous community. Most of the people who rail about blacks, for instance, have never met one...but they have very strong opinions about them anyway. It's easier to target someone when you don't have to look them in the eye, I think.
DeleteThanks for this - I have to buy this book. It reminds me of a book I randomly picked up in the school library when (momentarily) bored of revising physics (I know, hard to imagine how someone could be bored of that...). I only read the foreword but it stuck in my head forever (in fairness - probably some of the physics did too - young brains!) - that the rise in "national socialism" in germany was successful because they just said what their audience wanted to hear... (I think it was published before 1939) .. In retrospect I wish I had nicked it - because I maybe could have used it to stop my school friends voting for Brexit. Cat.
ReplyDeleteIt is so very good, Cat. I'm riveted by the courage of the resistance.
DeleteI was very moved by watching the recent PBS film about Karski. The U.S. was complicit in many atrocities then -- and now. I appreciate brave souls like Karski who can tell it like it is. Thanks for the reminder. I think I need to read the book, as well.
ReplyDeleteBonnie in Minneapolis
Can you imagine how discouraging it was to be living in Poland at that awful time. Yet they challenged it. I read a thing that he was captured and beaten. He was hospitalized and afraid that he would break. He requested poison be brought to him so that he could kill himself before divulging the names of the resistance. They were able to help him escape. I mean these stories are amazing.
DeleteVery disturbing. It is rather amazing that people think history can be switched off.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteExcellent post Debby, I for one am not the least bit disgusted by what you wrote. As the son of a decorated field grade Army officer who fought in Europe from June 1944 until VE day I will never understand the people who think Nazis and Fascism are a good thing, they are not, they are pure evil, full stop. Revisionist history is a bad thing, and there is way too much of it going on in the US today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jim.
DeleteRemember This was truly riveting. I believe Charles Lindbergh was part of the America First group and in fact 80% of the country at the time was of the Anti-Interventionist mood. Sadly, frighteningly... I'm hearing again of the Anti-Jewish sentiment that is rearing its ugly head now.
ReplyDeleteYour people paid a heavy price for the racism of the day as well.
DeleteThere is so much going on that I would have thought was over, or should be over. I think much of it has to do with true ignorance and lack of education. And of course that education is being more guided again now with the reality of past racism being exorcised from textbooks. I think I just read that in Florida, teachers are now not permitted by law to utter the word, gay.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Jonathan Harris and his painting 'Critical Race Theory'.
DeleteBrilliant post. Thanks so much for that quote. The experience I've been going through recently -- regarding the challenged books in our school library -- really drives home for me how scary the world has become.
ReplyDelete