I see in the news that an elderly "holocaust denier" shot and killed a guard in the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. The article turned my stomach.
Since I first started paying attention to this phenomenon as a teenager, I've been sickened to read about large groups of people who get together to discuss their shared disbelief in the fact that approximately 6 million Jews were murdered during WWII. These "holocaust deniers" sent out propaganda to anger and entice others to join the "cause". Of course, now they have this garbage all over the internet.
How does one become so angry that he/she needs to blame others based on ethnicity, religion, and/or sexual orientation? I really can't begin to answer that question, but maybe Mel Gibson can tell us - - - once we get a few drinks in him......
I think the anger and blind hatred stems from irrational fear,sheer stupidity and just plain ignorance. I think some people tenaciously cling to irrational belief systems and false ideas because it fits within their "comfort zone". Anything or anyone outside that zone is perceived as a threat. I certainly would not rule out pure evil either. Humans have shown that they are very capabale of being horribly evil while sincerely believing their behavior is justified. (Dick Cheney, Adolph Hitler, Adolph Martin)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would put Dick Cheney on the level of Adolph Hitler. I think it diminishes just how horrible Hitler was. However, I'm certainly not very fond of Cheney.
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