Mindless Followers

[OpIvy420]

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party killed millions in a systematic genocide and millions more in a massive world war. The Nazi Party only represented less than half of the people of Germany, but the whole country seemed to go along with his plan. Hitler was able to take over because the people “bought into” what he said. There were obvious, glaring negative aspects of Nazi control, but the people didn’t question them because the positives (having money, having a strong country, not being killed for dissent) seemed to outweigh the horrible negatives. Hitler was not the sole person responsible for the Hollocaust. He did not pull the switches at Auschwitz, he did not torture and kill people simply because they were slightly different than his “master race.” Because the people bought into his ideas, one of the worst atrocities in the history of the world took place.
2003, America. The leader is not a dictator, but a president. George W. Bush and the Republican Party killed as many as 7,000 civilians in a war*. The Republican Party represents less than half of the people of America, but nearly the whole country seemed to go along with his plan. Why didn’t anyone protest this war? The same reasons the people of Germany didn’t protest what Hitler was doing. The people of America bought into Bush’s war because of a feeling of “for us or against us” nationalism crept into the national psyche. Anyone who even considered stopping to think before attacking Iraq was ostracized. France and Germany were threatened by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, any celebrity who spoke out against the war was boycotted, and even here in the Bay Area, anti-war protestors were looked down upon and mocked. The war was accepted as the right choice by Americans because the president of the “greatest country in the world” said so.
Ever since September 11th, the majority of Americans decided to forget their rights, their civil liberties, and their freedom because they feel the president and his administration have nothing but the best intentions for the country, and they know better than we do what should be done for the country. They have been backed up by government controlled media, in the same way Hitler controlled radio and newspapers to sway the populace to his ideology.
This scenario is not the sole instance of Americans going along with something in an unquestioning, mindless manner. The “normal” American life consists of 12-16 years of school, followed by 50 years of work at a job you don’t like, followed by retirement, then death. This lifestyle, much like the ancient Egyptian concept of Maat, or “the way,” is the only acceptable way of living in this country, and people who chose to live life in a way any different from this are considered just that: “different”. We become accustomed to the belief that someone who strays from this lifestyle is going to die poor and alone.
People go along with what they are told all the time. A vast majority of people listen to manufactued music, see awful high-budget Holywood movies, and watch mind-numbing TV shows not because they actually like them, but because it is what they have been told is good, and is easier to submit to popular culture than to actually find something that intrests you. People in America believe that it is easier to be told what you like by huge media corporations then to think for yourself.
American culture suffers from the same problem of mindlessly accepting concepts as Nazi Germany did. The punishments for dissent, in our case, are not as extreme, and the concepts we are pressured into accepting are in most cases not as evil as those of Adolf Hitler, but we accept them in the same way. The people of America need to think for themselves and not go along with pressure from the government and the corporate media. I think that if they took a look at the real situation they would see that what they have allowed to happen to this country is horrible enough, and they should do everything they can to not make it happen again.

[RoboTripper]

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it."
-Joseph Goebels, Nazi propagandist

"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the State."
-Joseph Goebels, Nazi propagandist

“Naturally the common people don’t want war… but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along. Whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship… all you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”
-Hermann Goering, president of the Reichstagg

[Commander-K25]

At 6/2/03 10:25 PM, OpIvy420 wrote: 2003, America. The leader is not a dictator, but a president. George W. Bush and the Republican Party killed as many as 7,000 civilians in a war*.

Statistics?

The Republican Party represents less than half of the people of America, but nearly the whole country seemed to go along with his plan.

The country is nearly evenly split between Democrat and Republican. The last election certainly showed this.

Why didn’t anyone protest this war?

You mean that you missed all the protests? Where have you been?

[FUNKbrs]

strange how the topics that are full of lies that are religiously repeated are the "I hate America" threads. The whole Nazi quoting only proves my point of you using sensationalistic propaganda to support your extremist views. It's sad to be one of the few moderates around these days to see through this horrible brainwashing.

[Jlop985]

To what extremes will people go to to bash America? I mean, connecting the US to Nazi Germany? Sure, we may not be that good, but we're not that bad. This is getting ridiculous.

[antiqkk]

At 6/3/03 08:56 AM, Jlop985 wrote: To what extremes will people go to to bash America? I mean, connecting the US to Nazi Germany? Sure, we may not be that good, but we're not that bad. This is getting ridiculous.

I have to agree that comparing USA's policy to Nazi Germany is something that is not very realistic. It is rather an attempt to present the country in the most gruesome way possible. Even though I have to agree that there is a degree of a political regime developing within the USA, I believe comparing it to Nazis is not entirely correct, as the Nazis were a different system of power in the past.
I am not a fan of Bush ideology, rather against it.

[Shih]

Well I'd like to say something new here but it seems to have been fairly well covered.
But in the DAG: Yea war, kill kill kill. Thank you.

[bumcheekcity]

At 6/2/03 10:25 PM, OpIvy420 wrote: A load of propoganda.

How can you do that? I am as against Bush as you are but comparing him to Hitler is pathetic. You are a good debator when you want to be, but you make too many of these topics.

[Kenney333]

ok while i generally agree somewhat wiith your thought, ive found some mistakes

At 6/2/03 10:25 PM, OpIvy420 wrote: The Nazi Party only represented less than half of the people of Germany, but the whole country seemed to go along with his plan. Hitler was able to take over because the people “bought into” what he said.

It was actually manipulation of government policy by the german governent which brought hitler into power, he was the chancellor(leader of the second highest voted for party) he got it when 30% of germany voted them into that position, then he pressured the government to change the rules and make him the leader with full power by threatening them with his personal military, the SS and SA.

:Why didn’t anyone protest this war? The same reasons the people of Germany didn’t protest what Hitler was doing.

There were huge protests around the globe and about 6 million protestors gathered in New York on the saturday that all the countries protested. But there has been a very large amount of protesting against the war, the most in history infact.

Alright so thats all i found wrong with it, but ya, as i said generally i do support what your saying.

[mysecondstar]

At 6/3/03 05:27 PM, bumcheekycity wrote:

At 6/2/03 10:25 PM, OpIvy420 wrote: A load of propoganda.

How can you do that? I am as against Bush as you are but comparing him to Hitler is pathetic. You are a good debator when you want to be, but you make too many of these topics.

i'm surprised that there aren't people comparing the US to the "Evil Empire". making some sort of Animal Farm-esque comparison to the thing we fought so hard against to the US today. i can definitely see a comparison as far as the totalitarianism of the regime to the US as we slowly become everything we hated. i personally don't agree but that's up for debate.

[Leap]

I know that this is a little off topic but I think that it has to be said.

Hitler managed to make the German parlement effectivly vote its self out of existance. Its amazing what people will do when they have a gun pointed at them.

This is the major difference between Bush's America and Nazi Germany, one used fear and intimidation, the other just lied very very badly.

[D2Kvirus]

At 6/3/03 05:27 PM, bumcheekycity wrote:

At 6/2/03 10:25 PM, OpIvy420 wrote: A load of propoganda.

How can you do that? I am as against Bush as you are but comparing him to Hitler is pathetic. You are a good debator when you want to be, but you make too many of these topics.

Yeah, Hitler was nowhere near as Right Wing...

Just in case that one gets picked up by anyone, can I claim copyright?

[bumcheekcity]

At 6/5/03 12:09 PM, D2KVirus wrote: Yeah, Hitler was nowhere near as Right Wing...

True. People get right-wing ans scumbag confused. Stalin was left-wing but he was a scumbag. The BNP and the majority of the KKK are left-wing, but they are also rascist scumbags.

No offense to any rasscist scumbags meant.