Remember: Nazi Propaganda taught Germans to hate the Jews.

[riqster]

https://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/remember-nazi-propaganda-taught-germans-to-hate-the-jews/

Source info at the link

Before the Nazis started dehumanizing West European Jewry, Jews got along pretty well. Really. Not a perfect life, but no Holocaust. Then came years of hate speech, and voila! The Holocaust.

On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is a good idea to be mindful of how easily masses of people can be led down paths of evil; how they can made to hate; and how people who used to be our friends can be “othered” and thus be made into enemies:









Or THIS Foxbot sicko:
http://m.

Remember, Gentle Reader: we are not immune. The voices of hate are still urging us to commit mass atrocities upon Gays, Moslems, Sunnis, Abortion providers, women, Hindus and all manner of “others”. Those who use propaganda today are no better their predecessors.

And those who follow the siren song of hate are likewise just as stupidly gullible as their predecessors.

[Fred Sanders]

1. Easy to hate, easy to forget history. The Kochs are depending on it.

And the American media seems to be fully aboard.

Snow jobs and footballs.

Good thing Obama is back in the country soon, he may want to cut down on these trips when his own media is still debating whether it was good or bad that he got stabbed in the back by Bibi and Netanyahu.

If folks can be led to flee in terror from Ebola, should be easy to get them to flee in terror from Muslims...including the one in the White House, which is the ultimate target.

A good economy, an uncooperative Europe, and now plunging energy prices sure to fuel the economy some more, is throwing a huge wrench into the whole thing...what to do about that?

Throw in the towel or go for some more political treachery?

[kelliekat44]

2. you have to be taught to hate and to hate. You have to be carefully taught.

[riqster]

4. Very good point, and song.

R&H had to fight to keep that song in the film, believe it or not.

[DetlefK]

3. The past's "Look at that shitty product. I bet, a Jew made that." vs today's "That's gay."

[riqster]

6. The more things change...

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Worse than that, Rick Warren called us horrible things like pedophiles and was rewarded with

the Inaugural Prayer by people too well educated to say 'that's so gay'. People who smile, and say they are friends....

[BlancheSplanchnik]

31. or vs. everyone's favorite slur: Douchebag

And all variations thereof.

It's as bad as gay slurs....it furthers the age-old cultural lesson: sexualize, and dehumanize women. Simultaneously, make disgusting all things Feminine.

We seem to understand the links between propaganda and violence when it comes to "other" races. Then we shrug helplessly as the numbers show violence against women is the most prevalent aggression. Everywhere.

[riqster]

43. True. Which is why I mentioned women in the OP.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

53. yep.

just wanted to highlight it, since it's become so popular.

[riqster]

54. People need reminded.

[treestar]

51. And the Chinese re: their products.

[riqster]

55. Indeed.

[BlueCaliDem]

5. Propaganda is a powerful tool of the moneyed elite against the "unwashed masses". It works

no matter what decade or century we find ourselves in. And despite history, too many people are still reliant upon M$M for their news without considering that incorporated organizations that can easily be bought and infiltrated and used against us and our fellow "unwashed" in favor and to the benefit of the wealthy Puppet Masters.

It's incumbent upon us to discern fact from fiction. We need to do our due diligence. As Obama has said time and again, WE are the change we've been waiting for. We must never lose sight of the bigger picture and whether that would benefit the majority or the elite.

This is why purity tests on political candidates are self-defeating. We'll never find the "perfect" political candidate. So, in lieu of that fact, we need to keep our eye on the bigger picture and get out of it as much as we can. That's why I don't understand how some people can refuse to vote for a political candidate they don't agree with 100% or even 90%, choosing to either vote for a fringe candidate that has zero chance of winning (but a 100% chance of being a spoiler) or choosing not to vote at all, thereby giving, by default, power to the other side. Because those are the only choices in the American two-Party system of winner-take-all democracy.

Once helpful thought when deciding who to support...it's better to have one bird in the hand than two in the bush.

[riqster]

7. Indeed, it works even when we deny it.

[BlueCaliDem]

19. To deny the existence of propaganda is to surrender to it - willingly or unwillingly.

That's my take.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. And our President who has claimed to oppose LGBT rights because of his own religion is packing a jet

full of anti gay Republicans and others to go pay honors to a monarch who orders the death of LGBT people simply for existing. And Straight Democrats will excuse that, as if he'd do the same for a monarch that was executing people from another minority group.

[BillZBubb]

10. Historically in Europe, the Jews have almost always been treated poorly.

If not outright hatred, widespread dislike for the Jews has existed there for centuries. Many governments were OK with that and used it for their own ends. The Jews offered a handy scapegoat in times of trouble.

Nazi propaganda may have made things worse, but for a lot of Germans, it was an easy sell. Perhaps it wasn't the propaganda that worked so much as the government endorsing what many Germans already felt. The Nazis made it OK to be an anti-Semitic fanatic in public and to do violence to Jews. At the same time, those who knew this was wrong were at great risk if they spoke in opposition.

I do agree with your central message, but propaganda to be successful has to offer something people want to hear at some level.

[riqster]

11. Fair points. I could have said that more explicity.

[mountain grammy]

14. So true and very good point..

and in the case of LGBT and Muslims, too many Americans do want to hear it, making the propaganda even more dangerous.

[riqster]

16. Just so.

And they are hearing lots of it.

[olegramps]

17. Outright hatred of Jews was firmly ingrained in Europe for centuries before the Nazis.

All they had to do was blame the Jews for their tragic circumstances that they had brought on themselves. It was an easy sell. Throughout the Crusades as the crusaders marched through Europe they entertained themselves with the massacre of Jews and seized their property in city after city.

In 1492 for example Jews were expelled from Spain if they didn't convert to Christianity and forced to flee to Africa or Portugal, where the were latter expelled. Their property was confiscated with the blessing of the church filling the coffers of the monarchy and church. Thousands perished. This was common throughout Europe. For example centuries before the Nazis made Jews wear identification the French imposed the same requirements on Jews, stole their property and expelled them. Facts about their abuse for centuries have been greatly under emphasized by Western historians.

[treestar]

52. good point

and the totalitarian nature of the Nazi government - in the US the opposition would be loud and clear.

[jtuck004]

12. Like Americans have been taught to care more for money than their neighbor. n/t

[riqster]

13. S'truth.

A millionaire, a union worker, and a tea partier are sitting around a plate of 12 cookies. The millionaire takes 11 cookies, looks at the tea partier and says " Watch out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.""

[zeemike]

15. And that is exactly how it works.

Get them to fight over that last cookie.

[Beowulf42]

18. And?

Just a heads up, but in the past 40 years the RWNJ and their media networks have done that to liberals, teachers, education, public workers, and the ordinary laborers in this country. This is driven by the central philosophy of the plutocrats because of their love of money. Remember: the rich don't want some of the money, they don't want most of the money, THEY WANT ALL OF THE MONEY. Sorry for shouting.

[riqster]

23. Uhhhhmmmm...that is the point of the OP.

[Codeine]

20. Antisemitism was already well-established

in Europe. Hitler merely exploited and pandered to that pre-existing hate.

[Bonobo]

21. Correct. Do people really not realize how ancient and deep anti-semitism is?

I don't mean this to be hurtful or snide sounding, but I think most people really just don't understand the depth of it, the history of it.

[riqster]

22. Granted. Just as homophobia has existed for millenia.

That does not mean we needn't call out the propagandists who amplify the existing phobias and prejudices, thereby causing events like the Holocaust, Rwandan genocide, etc.

[Bonobo]

24. No, by all means call them out. I'm with you on that and didn't mean to single you out.

Lately the vibe has been growing for me that people don't get it --which shouldn't really be surprising given a lack of life experiences, education and interest in learning the subject in its complexity.

[riqster]

25. No worries.

It's a sore subject for me, too. My people were not served as badly as the Jewish folk, but we were treated badly enough. Now we're rarely even a footnote in the history books.

Good on you for educating!

[Bluenorthwest]

30. Can you offer any citations for your claim of thousands of years of anti gay bullshit?

I suggest you read this:
"In modern cultures, a myth has been spread, mostly by homophobic religious groups, that homosexuality is primarily a modern phenomenon, that it is a chosen orientation, and it is a symptom of moral decline.

Such a notion runs counter to what we know of homosexuality, and what we know of its history and its biological origins. We now know, for example, that most men in ancient Greece and Rome engaged in at least occasional homosexual contact, and a not insignificant number of the marriages consummated in both civilizations were homosexual. We know that homosexuality, though not known by that name, was not only tolerated, but even celebrated in the arts, theater and in cultural activities. The ancients did not view gender as a determining factor of who should love or be married to who; the qualifications related solely to matters of age and biological relationship (incest).

We know that the ancient view of homosexual sex was that it was innocuous, harmless (so long as both parties were fully consenting), and could be as much a symbol of love between the participants as heterosexual sex. "
http://www.bidstrup.com/phobiahistory.htm

[Dreamer Tatum]

26. Suggest you learn history before being sanctimonious

Jew hatred predates the Nazis by a LONG shot.

[riqster]

32. Suggest you read Post 22.

[Bluenorthwest]

37. I read post 22 and my response was also that you should learn the history prior to preaching....

sorry but you should.

[riqster]

40. Letting the propagandists off the hook enables them to repeat their actions.

That is the point of the OP: Teapubbies are using the same techniques today.

You should focus on the danger they present. Sorry, but you should.

[Bluenorthwest]

45. I am focused on the less than authentic 'support' among my own Party thanks.

The 'point' of your OP is convoluted and that is not assisted by the rather casual attitude toward historical fact. I asked you for citation for your claims. I offered you reading to inform you.
I am not under the delusion that anti gay propagandists are all Republicans. It is an issue that is global, and our own Party is not innocent of exploiting intolerance toward LGBT people for the advantage of straight politicians, you know that, I know that. When you place the entire thing with 'the others' that serves the bigots who are not 'Teapbubbies' or whatever cute name you have for them. I oppose bigots for their bigotry. I do not hand out passes that allow bigotry out of Democrats or 'people of faith'.

[Baitball Blogger]

27. Has anyone ever read the book "Painted Bird"?

Technically, it's a fiction, but the premise is that the racist and closed-minded perspectives that the boy encountered as he ran through the countryside were already there. Hitler just tapped into those insular ideas and used it to push his tragic objectives.

[riqster]

35. I shall look it up. Thanks!

[Iliyah]

28. Apparently BiBi and his cronies think these so

called "Christians" are on their side. They are not. The first chance they get, they will try to do what happened in Spain (Inquisition) since many Christian cults truly "believe" that the promise land will determine the fate of the world wherein true believers (Christians) will re-populate the new earth.

[riqster]

50. And the Fundies say so, right up front.

Bibi's an idiot.

[Rhinodawg]

29. Exactly how much teaching did it require ?

[riqster]

34. Well, some was obviously required.

Since labor camps and gas chambers weren't there previously.

Let's not give the propagandists a pass.

[Rhinodawg]

36. May I politely recommend a book to you?

[riqster]

38. Good book. Thanks. You are missing my point, however.

Today, as in the past, propagandists amplify and focus such animus. We need to be vigilant, and work to counter Goebbel's modern-day counterparts.

Or we'll have more mass graves, crematoria, labor camps, and the like.

[Rhinodawg]

39. Thank you.

good post.....I agree.

[riqster]

44. And to you for posting the book.

That was a truly scary read.

[truedelphi]

60. Your thinking was reflected in a quote made by a

Supreme Court Justice:

“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of changes in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” ~ Supreme Court Justice William Douglas

Douglas was a great statesman, and we won't see his like again.

[riqster]

61. Magnificent quote.

And yes, Douglas was unique, sad to say.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

33. There are 2 camps of thought

And if there aren't, I'm saying there are now.

1. Polls show that young people are finding race and sexual orientation less important than than previous generations. Those are really old people's problems.

2. The Internet is fueling a raging inferno within a certain sect of the population. Although it will increase recruits, it's probably not going to grow too broadly, but it will burn with greater intensity than before.

We're moving increasingly and quickly to two distinct cultures with distinct histories, sets of historians and scientists, constitutions, and religions.

Don't tell me it's always been that way. I know. But Conservatives are masters of the systematic, methodical, long game. They discouraged, disenfranchised, jerry-rigged and wrapped up the country and put a bow on it. They don't need the presidency: (1) the status quo suits them just fine, and (2) they've had 2 Democratic presidents carry their water, anyway, with a 3rd waiting in the wings in Hillary.

I hope I live to see the day we split up into the 2 distinct cultures we are.

[Bluenorthwest]

41. I'm always going to speak out against anti gay, anti woman bigots, religion or no religion. Got it?

Good.

[riqster]

42. Glad to hear it.

[Bluenorthwest]

46. Your OP suggests the very opposite of that.

I think perhaps you did not make the point you thought you were making.

[riqster]

47. No, I think rather that you would prefer a different topic.

Thus the pattern of your posts today. As I have seen on prior occasions.

[Bluenorthwest]

62. And again with the personal attacks and insinuations and denigrations and insults

You make arch implications without specifics. I'm not the only person who took issue with your presentation of 'facts' about our own cultural histories. It's rude and bigoted.

[riqster]

63. I made no attack. I made an observation based on this and prior encounters.

And I phrased it politely. I do not see refusing to be dragged off topic as an "attack." You are free to disagree, of course.

[Violet_Crumble]

64. The article mentioned several groups that are the target of hate in the US...

From the article: 'The voices of hate are still urging us to commit holocausts upon Gays, Moslems, Sunnis, Abortion providers, women, Hindus and all manner of “others”. '

We should be speaking out against the voices of hate aimed at all those minority groups in the US, not picking one or two of them...

[riqster]

65. No argument.

[Orsino]

48. But how much of the hate was already there?

I've long wondered just how much extra was needed.

[riqster]

49. Upthread, a good book is mentioned that answers the question.

The seeds of hate fell on fertile ground, just as they do today.

[Octafish]

56. Also taught America to hate Blacks.

Also taught America to hate Liberals.

[riqster]

57. Just so.

[btrflykng9]

58. Labeling people and sectioning them off into little tiny groups is a way of dehumanizing others

and that in itself is a narrow-minded attitude that can easily lead to hateful action.

[pansypoo53219]

59. i missed the wdiot asshat on the 9/11 pile w/ bullhorn.

OUT of his suit, jeez he is puny.