In response to the gentiles posting about the humanity of Hitler and the Nazis on Yom Hashoah

[attackfish]

If we’re going to be humanizing Hitler and the Nazis, okay, let’s do that. Let’s talk about how they had friends, and families, and flirted, and didn’t stop doing all the things humans do just because they started becoming monsters. Okay, that’s nice. Let’s talk about how when it was all over, they managed to put all that death and murder, and hate, and cruelty back in a box and keep doing all those nice human things. Let’s talk about how many of them were nice to their kids and loved their families. Let’s talk about how entire nations grew up telling themselves: “not my parents. Yes my dad was a member of the party, but he didn’t know. My mom worked for a company that used slave labor, but she didn’t know. Not my aunt, not my uncle, not the people who I love and love me. They didn’t know.” Let’s talk about how “no one” knew. Let’s talk about how that is absolute bullshit. Let’s talk about the lies that people have been telling themselves for thousands of years, that they are still telling themselves, that made this possible, about the greedy parasitic Jew, and the thieving, cheating dirty G*psy. Let’s talk about how at the start of WWII, more Americans were worried about how much power Jews had than how much power Hitler had, while Jews didn’t even have the power to keep themselves alive. Let’s talk about how antisemitism and anti-Romani racism are alive and well in Europe and the Americas today. Let’s talk about how maybe, just maybe you should look at your mother’s favorite great uncle, and your grandmother who made you cookies, and your friends’ grandparents and the way they look so human, and ask yourself: “Did they really not know?”

And maybe then we can talk about all those dead human beings they “didn’t know” about.

 

Comments

[sheenianni.livejournal.com]

There have been some "integration programs" in the past (e.g. the stipends for Romani students etc.), but they had only had limited success. At last, the Ministry of Social security and Romea agreed to work together, and they’re somewhat hopeful this latest program might really make a difference (the anti-loan shark laws are said to be the one of the crucial points).

Still, with 300,000 Romani living in a ten million country, you can’t pull them all out of poverty by some magical law – they have to make their own effort too.

Which is where education comes up again – if you want a better future for your kid, you really need to send him(her) to school, and before you send him to the primary school, it’s up to the parents to make sure the kid knows the basics. Colors, Czech language, counting to ten; getting dressed by himself, maybe a bit of the alphabet. And if the kid doesn’t know this stuff, then you can’t come accusing the teacher of racism – you come to them politely and work with them to get the kid back on track.

The Romani have to meet us somewhere. There is some prejudice and that sucks, but they have to make an effort too and not just decide that they’re screwed either way. And what really doesn’t help is when some groups cry “racism” whenever things don’t go their way.

The “us” and “them” mentality is a big issue, but in this case it’s more than reciprocated from the Romani’s side.

There is some progress… in some of the cities with bad ghettos, small groups of Romani have come forward to work as intermediates between the Romani and the police, acting as a sort of civil guard. Romea is the most visible Romani group when it comes to interactions with the majority, but other, smaller organizations are also beginning to form. We still don’t have many public Romani role models (there was the guy who won the “Superstar” singing contest, and the most famous Czech singer is supposedly half-Romani… and that’s it, I think), but hopefully that will change… just yesterday, the newspaper posted an article about a policeman in Britain with Czech Romani origins who is being awarded the Order of the British Empire for his work with the immigrants. So maybe we are actually making progress… maybe all we need is continue trying to work together and give it time.