Okay, I have not posted here in a while and I have no good excuse. In fact, I probably wouldn't be posting now if I didn't feel like I was burning from the inside because someone compared me to a Nazi. Go ahead and let that shit sink in. You remember the Nazis, whose goal was to commit genocide. You know how that is in no way similar to anything happening currently in the U.S.? Alright then I can get on with this post.
I am just going to come right out and say that nothing that anyone is doing in America is similar to the Nazis. Are there people in America who think that the Nazis had the right idea? Yes. Are there people in America that claim to uphold these ideals? Yep. Do you see any of them openly committing mass murder? I sure don't. Do you see anyone killing thousands upon thousands of people in America? If you said "no" then you have illustrated my point perfectly.
Now I want you to think of something that is as bad as what the Nazis did. Maybe you thought of a few and chances are, they were also genocide. Try and think of something that happened recently that is as bad as what the Nazis did. If something like Westboro Baptist Church picketing funerals came to mind, think again. I mean honestly, compare the two. One is a protest and one is genocide. One is verbal and one is physical. One is an on and off occurrence, one spans many years. One is an isolated incident, and one was widespread. What I am coming up with here on my end is that the two are really not comparable at all. Maybe you thought of a personal attack on a gay person. This is a little warmer, I must admit. Both instances include murder of a homosexual. Still, this is a really thin and far stretched comparison. We don't often compare the murder of one black person to the many deaths that occurred as a result of poor treatment of slaves. We don't usually compare a fishing boat sinking to the tragic sinking of the Titanic.
I think it is very important that we do not compare things to the acts of Nazis. The main reason I discourage this is because I think it cheapens the history. I think if we compare smaller and smaller issues to the mass genocide cause by the Nazis, we are only making it appear as a smaller and smaller issue. The reason we struggle to listen to the classes that discuss the reign of the Nazis is because it was so horrible. The amount of people who were killed, the ways they were killed, the true hatred in the hearts of the Nazis, those are the things we can't truly comprehend. This is one of the most vital points in history and most everything else will forever be in its shadow. I hope and pray that nothing that is honestly comparable ever happens again.
I don't know what leads people to use this comparison. I am not sure if we have some sort of need to dramatize things so much that we feel it is appropriate. I don't know if we are so upset that the much smaller issue really feels as devastating as this ethnic cleansing. I don't know if we really have so little concept of the tragedy that occurred that we honestly believe it can be compared to anything happening now. All I know is that it turns my stomach. This comparison will bring bile up into my throat and I'm not sure there's a phrase I hate more.
From what I have seen, it is becoming less and less acceptable to compare things to rape. We know that losing a video game should not be referred to as "getting raped." We know that the way your boss treated you or the fine you occurred on a past due bill is not the same as them "raping you." Many people get embarrassed when these words leave their mouths, and they should. So why shouldn't the same be true when comparing something to the Nazis? Have we really grown so insensitive? Has it been long enough that we believe there is no reason to regard this issue with the same respect?
Today I got compared to a Nazi. Today I stood up and said that despite the fact that the leader of the Salvation Army has said that he believes the bible preaches that homosexuals deserve death, I will still donate to them. I spoke intimately about how upsetting it is to hear such vile words be associated with an organization that does so much good. My family benefited from the Salvation Army and I am not shallow enough to believe that we were the only ones. I felt a tear in my heart when I decided that I will not let my own anger over these words dictate where my money goes. A statement was released stating that not all members feel this way and that volunteers come with their own ideals. I know from experience that the Salvation Army does much more than some other organizations. I know that every dollar I donate is going to feed the hungry. I know the cheer that the Salvation Army brings and I am not going to let one hateful comment take food away from that empty belly. I said that I will honestly be concerned that when I donate this season, I will be judged or even harassed by my community. I will be looking over my shoulder because I am scared that someone else will let their anger dictate what they do-and they will take it out on me. So there you have it folks, because I am standing up for my own moral decisions, I am in no way similar to a Nazi. But a man who made a very clear point to bring up the fact that he is a Jew and he lived in Germany, has compared me to a Nazi.
I'd like to start a movement where we agree to stop using this comparison. Who is with me?
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