Holocaust: could it ever happen again

Former Member

Do you people out there think that anything like the Holocaust could ever happen again?

I think that it is very possible that any country (including the western world) could again feel that much hatred against another group of people.

At the moment we think that it is impossible for anything like it to happen in our country because we believe that the majority of the population our tolarent, understanding people. Just look at last years race riots and how so many people use asylum seeker for every problem we have.

Someone who is skilled enough will be able to exploit this and turn a nation against a group of people within that nation.

I'm not saying that it could be as big as as that Holocaust, but some thing terrible will happen in the future.

Former Member

If it does happen, then we are all gonners due to nuclear weapons. I do agree that the stir whipped up over asylum seekers could have easily spilt over into full scale violence.

But I think society has changed- people are more prone to be individuals and think for themselves than in the past. Differences are recognised and becoming more accepted in this postmodern age.

Former Member

P.S. Not all people are Sun readers who believe every peice of brainwashing they read..although sometimes it feels like the majority of the population are like that!

The people with money and power are not like this on the whole.

Former Member

Also, I think that people today are much more likely to 'sit and talk things through' with enemies rather than go in with all guns blazing. But I agree with the slant on nuclear weapons. If a madman like Osama Bin Laden gets his hands on those, we are toast.

Former Member

Has the situation ever really ended? There have been far too many instances of ethnic hatred and cleansing in the recent past for comfort- just look at the Balkans or the war in Rwanda, to take just two examples, or the situation between Israelis and Palistinians.

They may not use gas chambers - lopping children's hands off is just one of the favoured methods of the 'modern' ethnic cleanser (e.g. in Rwanda) - but that shouldn't downplay the significance. The sense of fear is just the same to the victims.

Former Member

I agree that ethnic cleansing has continued since the Holocaust and still occurs today (one of the interesting accused being Israel - a nation founded for the victims of the Holocaust itself). Before the War, the policy of ethnic cleansing in Germany was in full swing, but there was little discussion of it in the international community, partly because Germany did make attempts to hide its anti-Semitism from world view.

It could be argued, therefore, that had WW2 never happened, the Holocaust would never have become a weapon of propaganda, used to villify the Nazis by the Allies. Thus it could have gone largely unnoticed, as it did in Rwanda and the Balkans. Afterall, few people knew the situation facing ethnic Albanians in Kosovo before the "war" there waged by the West. Unfortunately, we don't seem to think that ethnic cleansing alone is an issue worthy of great discussion.

Former Member

Originally posted by Katy:
<STRONG> But I think society has changed- people are more prone to be individuals and think for themselves than in the past. Differences are recognised and becoming more accepted in this postmodern age.</STRONG>

If you look at pre-Hitler Germany you will see that it wasn't that much different to our own society.

It was seen as tolerent, fair and democratic. The only problem was a minority of racist extreamists who got into power by playing on the fears of people and by using bullying tactics.

It is very possible that the same thing could happen again.

Former Member

Originally posted by Another statistic:
<STRONG>The only problem was a minority of racist extreamists who got into power by playing on the fears of people and by using bullying tactics.</STRONG>

Unfortunately these types of people can only get a foothold if the fears and problems are already present in the population.

Personally I think Another is right with this one. I can all too easily envisage something such as the Nazi party happening again..Maybe even here in the UK. It would take a lot but I could see it happening all too easily.

Former Member

All it takes is a depresion. And I know you are all tired of hearing about it but, what would allow you to stop a "Nazi" reigme in the UK? How could you prevent it?

That's what I thought. In the US there are several well organized groups that could easily overthrow the United States if they banded together. Most are God fearing citizens that only want the protection of themselves and the Constitution, but if need be they have the firepower to take down the largest super power in the world.

Former Member

Well in order for a nazi regime to get in here in the first place, the population would have to vote them into power. Things would be in such dire straights that people wouldnt want to fight the regime as it would be their only way out. Hitler had a hell of a lot of support in his day, any regime here would have the same if things got that bad.

Former Member

Originally posted by Thanatos jr:
<STRONG>
That's what I thought. In the US there are several well organized groups that could easily overthrow the United States if they banded together. Most are God fearing citizens that only want the protection of themselves and the Constitution, but if need be they have the firepower to take down the largest super power in the world.</STRONG>

And they don't because???
Overthrowing the US government would leave said groups in a big pile of shit. No services, no food supply, no defence.

Former Member

I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors. I wouldnt wish my worst enemy to go through, what my grandparents went through. What happened to them under WW2, has scarred them so deep, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it has affected even my dad and I, and you can say that some of the scars have been passed on.
The thing I have always been reminded of
whenever mentioning the subject is; "We may NEVER forget". And I think that as long as the Holocaust will be in peoples minds the same thing wont happen.

But unfortunately the Holocaust generation is dying out. People are busy with their own buisnesses, and whenever something goes wrong for society, we always try to find a new scapegoat.

I can't imagine anything as harsh as the Holocaust happening again, but I can definitely imagine a certain group of people getting followed, as the world looks today (as said before, we have examples of it already).

I see it as my responsobility never to forget, as respect to my grandparents and to the next generations.

What do you think can prevent such a thing?

Former Member

Sadly, I think that something like the Holocaust will happen again.

It's human nature.

History is full of stories of people fucking other people over. Turks and the Armenians, Chinese and Koreans, Tamils and Sri Lankans, Americans and American Indians, Spanish and Aztecs, Catholics and Protestants, Europeans and Africans, etc....the list would be too long to write.

I think the real danger is saying that all of this is in our past. Humans hurt other humans, they've done it in the past and will do it in the future. Just look at the evidence. All over the world, in different cultures, religions, ethnicities, times, this is a common factor. There is no people or place that can claim they have never persecuted those who were different.

By not recognizing that this is a behavior that we are naturally inclined to do we are being extremely arrogant and risking something like this happening again.

The only way it wouldn't happen is with universal tolerance and abandonment of the "us versus them" mentality. Can you see that happening?

I think at some point we'll get there. Just not anytime soon.

Sorry to be so pessimistic. It's nice to see so many people who are optimistic about our future. Maybe you're right.