Nazis, George W. Bush, loss of memory and other fun topics!
December 4, 2009 | 2:21 amSo it seems i’ve reached an unfortunate milestone in this blog: the first time i can’t remember whether or not i have already blogged about a specific topic :-S My confusion, I believe is due to the fact that i actually discovered the following quote a few years back, I just don’t think I ever wrote about it before.
I’m a history buff, and i was watching this documentary on the German Nazi Regime. That lead me to read about Hitler’s no2 man: Hermann Goering. Did you know he was quoted saying:
“Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. But, [...] voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
The first time I read this, George W. Bush had ordered war against Iraq claiming they had WMDs. Do you remember? Liberals opposed him and his responses that they were being unpatriotic and dangerous? Remember how the terror alert in the US kept on changing, from orange to red back to orange, just to keep the fear going, to keep us worried?
Anyway… I just remember thinking how prophetic Goering’s words seemed to me. How wars can be marketed and sold to the masses. How the masses can be fooled and controlled. Huh. Control of the masses… a WHOLE other topic for another day and another post.
Just thought I’d share that quote, as I stumbled on it again today.
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Alas it is true. As such I fear we do not learn from our past. A relative of mine that is also a history buff once told me: “If studying history can teach us anything it’s that we haven’t evolved much at all… yet continue to hope that we will. there will always be a “war to end war” but war can never be the answer.”
This quote is telling in that it stands the test of time.
Very good post.