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Yesterday, before everything started at the Capitol building, my daughter and I were sitting in the living room, talking about World War 2 and the Holocast. She's 10 and doing WW2 for her topic at school this term. Knowing that school would mostly cover the British perspective
of the war, I'd already had her read "Number the Stars" earlier this week. Previously, she's read excerpts of Anne Frank's Diary and @KirbyLarson's Dash for the perspective of what it was like to be Japanese and in America during the war. After a bit of a debate (given that it's
pretty dark), she was allowed to start reading Maus yesterday. We've had big conversations over the years about the 6 million Jews who were murdered, but that also, Hitler killed the Roma, gays, political dissidents and more.
Before school started, she wrote a short report on the causes of the WW2. And it is complicated, but also not really. Sitting in the living room last night I said, "I think World War 2 and all of its atrocities are a large part of why I am deeply intolerant of intolerance."
And then a violent mob of proudly intolerant insurrectionists invaded the Capitol Building in an effort to stop the people's business and prevent the certification of @JoeBiden as the next American President.
One of those insurrectionists was photoed wearing a #CampAuschwitz shirt. https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1346971421134741505?s=20
Here's the thing: 2/3rds of young Americans don't know that 6 million Jews were killed. 1 in 10 believe it's a hoax. https://news.sky.com/story/two-thirds-of-young-americans-dont-know-six-million-jews-were-killed-in-the-holocaust-survey-finds-12073050.
It is only through teaching our history that we can hope to prevent repeating it.
It is only through teaching our history that we can hope to prevent repeating it.
I keep seeing things like: the Holocaust is hard to teach, kids can't understand it, etc for why many don't teach the Holocaust as the absolutely shining example of humanity's failure in the previous century.
Except my 10 year old gets it. So what is this imbecile's excuse?
Except my 10 year old gets it. So what is this imbecile's excuse?
We can and should do better.
We should all be ashamed that this happened. Because in some way, we are all complicit. And America absolutely needs to be horrified at the events of last night. At the Confederate flag being paraded through the Capitol Building. At the casual
We should all be ashamed that this happened. Because in some way, we are all complicit. And America absolutely needs to be horrified at the events of last night. At the Confederate flag being paraded through the Capitol Building. At the casual
Holocaust Denying. At the vandalism. At the lack of reverence for the American Democratic experiment. All of it. We must be horrified at all of it.
And then we have to dust ourselves off, take a look in the mirror, and sit our kids down and explain that democracy is hard work.
And then we have to dust ourselves off, take a look in the mirror, and sit our kids down and explain that democracy is hard work.
Because it is. And luckily, today, America's is still standing.
Let's not leave it to luck.
Let's not leave it to luck.
