Posted by verne on November 30, 2004, at 22:53:18
In reply to Re: Spike the Ball, posted by henrietta on November 30, 2004, at 19:08:56
I'm not trivializing The Holocaust but object to a kind of reverse hyper-sensitive racism that bullies others who don't share their beliefs.
We will never run out of reasons to build monuments and memorials to those who were murdered in atrocities. But why stop there? If we are setting aside words, let's set aside half our language for the millions massacred in Cambodia, Laos, Ruwanda and countless other places. And what about the millions of ukranians and gypsies murdered in WWII? Every life is precious. Let's memorialize and remember them ALL.
The Nazis exterminated millions of Communists, Czechs, Greeks, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, mentally and physically handicapped, Poles, resistance fighters, Russians, Serbs, Socialists, Spanish Republicans, trade unionists, Ukrainians, Yugoslavians, prisoners of war of many nations, and still others whose identity may never be recognized.(1) Their victims, according to one survivor of four different concentration camps, "were of some thirty nationalities, from Nepalese to Andorrans, and of a variety of racial and linguistic stocks ranging from Basques to Buriats and from Ladinos to Lapps".(2) When people were not immediately exterminated, they were sent to work and/or concentration camps. There the prisoners were divided into six penal categories and given patches on their clothing for identification purposes. Ordinary criminals were assigned green; political prisoners wore red; black was worn by asocials (slackers, prostitutes, procurers, etc.); homosexuals wore pink; conscientious objectors wore purple, and the Jewish people wore yellow."
Estimates of Non-Combatant Lives Lost During the Holocaust:
Ukrainians 5.5 - 7 million
Jews (of all countries) 6 million +
Russian POWs 3.3 million +
Russian Civilians 2 million +
Poles 3 million +
Yugoslavians 1.5 million +
Gypsies 200,000 - 500,000
Mentally/Physically Disabled 70,000- 250,000
Homosexuals Tens of thousands
Spanish Republicans Tens of thousands
Jehovah's Witnesses 2,500 - 5,000
Boy and Girl Scouts, Clergy, Communists, Czechs, Deportees, Greeks, Political Prisoners, Other POWs, Resistance Fighters, Serbs, Socialists, Trade Unionists, Others UnknownWhy is it allright when Mel Brooks makes outrageous movies parodying the vilest atrocities - including the Holocaust - but deep offense is taken when the mere word is mentioned elsewhere? Where's the offense with "Blazing Saddles" or "The Producers"?
Would it be politically incorrect to say that I lost a GYPSY relative in the Holocaust and an aunt on the 110th floor on 9/11? Or doesn't that rate?
Being offended has become an art form.
verne
poster:verne
thread:421736
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20041109/msgs/422608.html