Are We Choosing Hate and Horror?
The first thing I read this morning:
(CNN)Europe’s populist movements have already made their mark on the European political landscape after a series of closely-watched elections held across the continent.
Emboldened by the UK’s decision to leave the EU and by US President Donald Trump’s anti-establishment victory, far-right, nationalist and euroskeptic parties now continue to vie for power in France and Germany.
Here’s a look at how — and why — some of Europe’s populist parties have swept into mainstream politics.
France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, UK, (USA)…
I appreciate that the article doesn’t draw a comparison with these people & parties and Nazis because it tends not to move the conversation forward (i.e.: people think of Nazis as monsters when they were still, actually, human beings doing inhumane things out of fear and hate agitated by skillful politicians).
However, it IS important to compare the outcome of these beliefs and policies with what the Nazis did because it’s a similar path.
Just as Hitler and his compatriots used the rhetoric of nationalism, patriotism, family values, and racism to gain power and advance their agenda, so too are the politicians today — in America and abroad.
We have to be honest about and aware of this.
We — the citizens of my country and others — have to say, maybe we are afraid of our place today in our countries or economies, maybe we aren’t sure how to deal with immigrants and refugees (on both personal and political levels), maybe we want to be proud of who we are and where we are from, but we have to stand up to our own fears and our own ignorance to find solutions besides hate and besides horror.
History will be written about us. We have many choices about what those books will say.
Do our names and parties become synonymous with Hitler and Nazis?
Do we commit atrocities that future generations will find horrible yet forgettable, just as we did?
Do we learn and grow and adapt toward a better future for the world population and global community that we already are, or do we lapse into what is easiest when we feel insecure: segmentation and fear and violence?
