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112. The U.S.A.'s legacy of slavery, brutal conquest, and genocide gave us the privileges we enjoy today.
Mon Oct 28, 2024, 07:09 AM
Oct 28

Hard to admit, impossible to deny.

Every person has within them the capacity for empathy and community and the capacity for selfishness and cruelty.

As Jung observed, most of us reflexively avoid what he called “The Shadow” in ourselves altogether. Instead, we’d prefer to find fault in others and project our inadequacies onto them. Thus the same nation that produced Goethe and Beethoven can produce Hitler. The same society that produced Eleanor Roosevelt and Jonas Salk can produce Donald Trump.

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This hits home for someone like me who grew up in the South MaryMagdaline Oct 27 #1
You pretty much traced the evolution of my thought as well. thucythucy Oct 27 #3
The White Rose students are so inspirational MaryMagdaline Oct 27 #7
There is an excellent film about the Scholls. thucythucy Oct 27 #13
Powerful. No I've not seen it. mountain grammy Oct 27 #36
Perhaps you've seen this, but I highly recommend thucythucy Oct 27 #65
Thank you. mountain grammy Oct 27 #96
Have not seen it. Thank you for the recommendation MaryMagdaline Oct 27 #49
I remember ... that even her Executioner Dan Oct 27 #73
Schindler's List - The Liquidation of The Ghetto Scene TomCADem Oct 27 #105
With DJT in, could SCOTUS reverse integration, BadgerKid Oct 27 #14
Yup. IrishAfricanAmerican Oct 27 #20
The whole "leave it to the states" orthoclad Oct 27 #55
This reminded me of my high school years. Susan Calvin Oct 27 #23
Yes! A lot going on amongst the adults who really made it work MaryMagdaline Oct 27 #50
Adults were the reason we had so much trouble 4catsmom Oct 27 #91
Southerners like me know full well that the poor treatment of others never has been allegorical oracle Oct 27 #78
And in many non-Southerners treated the Native Americans poorly raccoon Oct 28 #117
I was struck by an account from a Russian soldier marching on Berlin through Germany Shermann Oct 27 #2
I've read accounts like that as well. thucythucy Oct 27 #5
One can't help but think of the relative luxury Americans enjoy ... Martin Eden Oct 27 #38
My mother grew up as a displaced person in Austria Marigold Oct 27 #48
Yes, that's very relevant. yardwork Oct 27 #16
It's strange, isn't it? thucythucy Oct 27 #24
I hadn't thought of that. yardwork Oct 27 #26
The Nazis wanted /lebensraum/ -- "living room" -- in order to grow and expand their society. eppur_se_muova Oct 27 #61
Lebensraum. AKA "Elbow Room" Wednesdays Oct 27 #84
Wealth and splendor moondust Oct 27 #81
This may not seem immediately applicable to your post. . . Collimator Oct 27 #87
I have always wondered about that. murielm99 Oct 27 #107
Yes, it could happen here Mysterian Oct 27 #4
People who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it...nt mitch96 Oct 27 #25
I don't know if Americans are unique in this thucythucy Oct 27 #28
" I find history so fascinating.".. Same here. When I was a kid to keep myself amused I would read the encyclopedia mitch96 Oct 27 #64
Actually, it's a good bit more... GiqueCee Oct 27 #41
In a nutshell Evolve Dammit Oct 27 #63
south america mostly et tu Oct 27 #71
"...how and why we've come so close to the abyss." J_William_Ryan Oct 27 #6
Which is a terrifying thought. thucythucy Oct 27 #10
This is why if Harris wins and there is indeed a "blue wave" its is not so much a victory hadEnuf Oct 27 #56
All DUers should read this malaise Oct 27 #8
Thank you. thucythucy Oct 27 #11
K&R demmiblue Oct 27 #9
"Inhumanity with impunity." Kid Berwyn Oct 27 #12
I was struck by that phrase as well. thucythucy Oct 27 #17
My wife's family is from Germany... Kid Berwyn Oct 27 #39
Thank you! That's a wonderful story. thucythucy Oct 27 #44
A visit to Germany Beck23 Oct 27 #47
My best friend's Mom grew up in Nazi Germany. Wonderful lady and loved kids. She was a war bride that came mitch96 Oct 27 #15
I had and have quite a few Jewish friends. thucythucy Oct 27 #19
My parents were Holocaust survivors..Auschwitz/Bergen Belsen... agingdem Oct 27 #79
When Trump was selected in 2016 thucythucy Oct 27 #88
My mom's best friend was born in Nazi Germany, but raised in Switzerland MyMission Oct 27 #67
"She passed away earlier this year at age 95, feisty until the end!". My Friends Mom died last year at 92 mitch96 Oct 27 #83
As we evolved, we became community creatures ismnotwasm Oct 27 #18
I've read some Butler, thucythucy Oct 27 #22
You will love it! ismnotwasm Oct 27 #35
The influence of Murdoch and the like should be underestimated. The Commuication Act of 1996, led us to where JohnSJ Oct 27 #21
Joe Rogan represents the "martial arts" subculture that thinks violence is entertaining William Seger Oct 27 #27
As a group, Germans have been cleaning up their act. Turbineguy Oct 27 #29
There's a book you might find interesting thucythucy Oct 27 #32
Thanks! Turbineguy Oct 27 #34
Thank you for this very thoughtful, thorough, post. One thing that I notice niyad Oct 27 #30
You have to follow the money to see the full picture Farmer-Rick Oct 27 #75
Two things come immediately to mind: Joinfortmill Oct 27 #31
Be careful with revenge Beck23 Oct 27 #33
Great post, thank you! Martin Eden Oct 27 #37
I empathize with Shirer as well. thucythucy Oct 27 #40
Privileged groups are aggrieved when the formerly oppressed start winning the struggle for equality Martin Eden Oct 27 #51
Some German churches displayed the swastika Beck23 Oct 27 #43
Some Germans I know who have visited America thucythucy Oct 27 #45
I was given a free copy of a biography of Morgenthau, FDR's advisor, at an event at the FDR historical site. NNadir Oct 27 #42
Shirer's thoughts on dealing with post war Germany thucythucy Oct 27 #54
I know I've looked at, and contemplated reading Berlin Diary, but didn't and probably never will. NNadir Oct 27 #68
I forget who said this, maybe Clemenceau, thucythucy Oct 27 #85
I am mostly familiar with Ludendorff for his beer hall adventures with Hitler; your description validates his... NNadir Oct 27 #104
Thank you so much for your very interesting and informative post. llmart Oct 27 #46
I'm saddened to read about your experience growing up. thucythucy Oct 27 #59
Well written DemonGoddess Oct 27 #52
My father fled Europe orthoclad Oct 27 #53
My brother married a German girl. Swede Oct 27 #57
That's a sound assessment. bucolic_frolic Oct 27 #58
Thank you for your thoughtful essay! BlueMTexpat Oct 27 #60
Have you seen this film? thucythucy Oct 27 #66
No, I haven't seen the film. BlueMTexpat Oct 28 #109
"..we need as a society to explore seriously how and why we've come so close to the abyss." Well said. paleotn Oct 27 #62
Cultural toxicity is the greatest challenge our species faced... TygrBright Oct 27 #69
I think of our entire collective psyche as basically fascist. ananda Oct 27 #70
Fascinating and illuminating thread! cilla4progress Oct 27 #72
I believe it's human gravity, we're all literally made of stardust, Uncle Joe Oct 27 #74
Thank you for this very thoughtful post Wild blueberry Oct 27 #76
I read "Hitler's Willing Executioners" in 1998 Envirogal Oct 27 #77
K&R Blue Owl Oct 27 #80
For what it's worth many of the questions we ask moniss Oct 27 #82
Thank you for your reply. thucythucy Oct 27 #90
Thank you for the kind words and moniss Oct 27 #98
I watched the episode. thucythucy Oct 29 #122
Thank you for the book moniss Oct 29 #123
Remember, ForgedCrank Oct 27 #86
Before Trump I would have agreed with you. thucythucy Oct 27 #93
Great post! Your question was answered by the psychologist, Alice Miller. Bozvotros Oct 27 #89
To a certain extent yes but moniss Oct 27 #100
I am reminded of this UpInArms Oct 27 #92
Thank you for the link. thucythucy Oct 27 #94
Thanks for that link. Bozvotros Oct 27 #95
When he menaced Hillary Clinton at the debate UpInArms Oct 27 #97
Thank you so much for your post Sparkly Oct 27 #99
Sad to say, no. thucythucy Oct 27 #102
It is a mistake to think the Germans were unique or worse than other people alarimer Oct 27 #101
I can't help but think of . . . Richard D Oct 27 #103
Thank you for this thoughtful piece... Trueblue Texan Oct 27 #106
What an interesting post soandso Oct 27 #108
Sadly, that won't happen. OldBaldy1701E Oct 28 #110
There has been a war on education. the_sly_pig Oct 28 #111
The U.S.A.'s legacy of slavery, brutal conquest, and genocide gave us the privileges we enjoy today. Pinback Oct 28 #112
"Granted, we haven't come close to the sort of madness and horror and sadism of Germany 1933 to 1945." BumRushDaShow Oct 28 #113
You're right about these horrid aspects of American history, thucythucy Oct 28 #115
I live a few miles from "Germantown" BumRushDaShow Oct 28 #116
This statement from your post "triggered" me. Collimator Oct 28 #118
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) BumRushDaShow Oct 29 #119
Thank you again for this thoughtful and informative post. thucythucy Oct 29 #121
Well said. K & R nt Persondem Oct 28 #114
My wife is German, and her parents grew up in the Germany of the National Socialists. DFW Oct 29 #120
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