Eighty years ago today, Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated, and any survivors left had a harrowing future ahead of them: survivor guilt, PTSD, and physical problems, which most often resulted in a lifetime of struggle, displacement, and, naturally, anger.
The first concentration camp of note to open was Dachau in March of 1933. Designed primarily to be a facility to house Hitler’s enemies, social democrats, communists, and political dissidents. As a student in Germany from 1974 to 1076, while my father was employed by the Canadian Armed Forces in Lahr, West Germany, I got to visit Dachau. It was an experience I never forgot. Although I was only 12 then, it was impossible to escape the moment’s weight. We had prepared for the visit by discussing the history of this brutal period, which alone was daunting for a young person, but it proved to be a key moment in my evolution as a human being. I could not fathom how anybody could perpetrate these atrocities on other human beings and still struggle with how society can be manipulated into thinking that it is okay.
I have seen a spate of comments on social media of late where people are thinking of leaving Facebook and other platforms because of the hate and vitriol, and I can understand this. Most of us would rather go through life in peace, and not engage with the negative portion of our society. It would be a great way to live, honestly. But also dangerous.
At this particular moment, tech companies are capitulating with the leader of the most powerful nation on earth; Information is being controlled, white-washing both history and the present. And however unpleasant the news has been, and how we wish these things would ‘go away,’ the reality is that, sadly, it will get worse. Immigrants are being rounded up in the U.S. now for just trying to live their lives. Yes, many are illegal immigrants, and yes, some are criminals; however, when you consider that the president in charge of this country is more of a felon than the average immigrant, it doesn’t require a degree in social sciences to figure out just how messed up this is.
Social media is rife with misinformation. But it is also full of real information. Our duty as humane individuals is to read, research honest and vetted sources, and make informed decisions for ourselves. If we allow the wrong element to control what we see, we are being no different than the millions in Nazi Germany that looked the other way when concentration camps were born. It is more important now than ever in our lifetimes. Suppose we don’t at least make an effort to record what is happening before our very eyes. In that case, it will be removed to allow the worst elements of our society to operate and even thrive in this environment. A country has already proven that they are okay with allowing an individual who has broken their laws repeatedly to be their leader again, despite all logic to the contrary.
We have been manipulated into being polarized politically. You are either conservative or liberal now. So, if you support a candidate, you are now ‘all in.’ You have to agree with whatever your side does because you now think that is what you are. Let’s not forget that politicians are human beings and corruptible, and more and more are powerless unless they succumb to the pressure of the few rather than serve the people.
I am a ‘small-l’ liberal. I believe in equality, decency, and opportunity for all. And I know that most of my friends who are ‘small-c’ conservatives also feel this way. I don’t personally know anyone who would look at someone and say, ‘That person is less important than me. Therefore, we can justify treating them as animals,’ but I know they exist. I refuse to even think like that. It’s a slippery slope, and that’s what leads us to lose our humanity.
It’s time we stop treating our leaders as rock stars and remind them that they serve all of us, not just some of us. It’s time we acknowledge that we can all be put into a sub-group that can be made out to be the next boogeyman. It’s time to speak up, not bury our heads in the sand and wait for all this to disappear.
Bravery comes in many forms. You don’t have to be crass. You don’t need to hate your neighbours because their politics are not yours. You don’t need to abandon family members and friends because they support someone you just cannot. This just helps the minority of people doing unsavoury, inhumane things in the name of Politics.
Bring back humanity. We will all benefit from it.
Bill's Musings 